Thread regarding AT&T layoffs

“that the company literally is not built for 5 days in the office”

The end goal is to make so that it is. The final goal is to get rid of anyone that is not in Atlanta or Dallas or at least Atlanta area and Texas. They want to make those locations the only locations for ATT employees. No outliers. The problem is that they are going to restrict their talent pool. But that doesn't matter to them. They are visionless and have zero sense of innovation. And when you have those type of folks in charge you get a myopic company that nobody wants to work for. So, you trudge along in mediocrity until the business dies. That is where this is going unless they get rid of Stinky.

I was hired WFH just prior to Covid. Been doing 5 days for 5 months now. First 2 weeks took some adjusting. No big deal any longer. RTO is not the hill to die on.

RTO or take your chances. It's not like they would terminate anyone for not showing up for work. I mean, they would not have legal standing for dismissal, right? Ya'll be sure to come back here and let us know how that works out for you.

" I was surplused almost 1.5 years ago"

Dude... you were fired. Let it go already.

My scenario was exactly the same. Zero collaboration at the office because the market HQ was in another state. Still had the same teams meetings with my team that was spread out across the company. I was surplused almost 1.5 years ago. Let me just say, I'm at a way better company that's growing and the treatment is 100 times better. I love my new career and actually like going to work every day.

The richest companies in the world are doing RTO too and they don’t need some 5 mil tax break. It’s because people took advantage of the freedom too much and frankly they didn’t work hard at home. It’s pretty simple.

"Just work 9-5 after 5 don’t take calls, if they ask why say “I’m not in the office, I was told I can only work from the office - sorry."

Exactly what I am going to do. Hope I dont get fired. With T, you always have 1 foot below the ground.

Remember the old AT&T/SBC saying that they told us "Walk the Walk" referring to employees working anywhere anytime remotely? Boy have times changed! LOL

Same person making all of these negative comments, some T stock holdin’ loser with no life mad about their sub-par retirement returns because they were d-mb enough to hold T.
Stalk this board all day making RTO positive comments thinking RTO will somehow save this dismal company.

Same person making all the negative comments, again, by the way everyone.
It’s a T stock holdin’ loser with big T bags in their retirement and they stalk this board making RTO positive comments because they have no life and actually believe RTO raised stock price.

so entitled... thinking you can demand answers from management for anything you don't happen to like. people writing on this board are not executives whose job is planning and strategy; the audience for this board are people charged with the execution of the strategy, you don't get to see the 'big' picture , or make the decisions as part of the job you accepted. T is no different from any other company, management runs the business, and if you don't like it, you are free to leave.

Crybaby central..so weak..went to the office 5 days a week for over 20 years and somehow I'm still alive. Just quit. You are replaceable.

"Make them tell you why you need to be in the office 5 days a week."

Explain why you don't think you should be. Remember who pays who. If you have a long commute you live too far away. Move closer or find another closer job.

You’d think VPs would have enough sense to come in when the big boss shows up.

Stankeye made ALL VPs and higher five days a week because they were none in the office when we was there for a function.

So if you have to go in the ofgice five days a week now, your VP id butt hurt and punishing you because they got busted.

“Our department is the first responder for any disaster all over US, our team when it was created about 15yrs ago has always been hybrid 1x a week because of the nature of our work. We worked night/day during Helene and Milton and over the weekend. We work hrs outside the 8-5 although on BAU thats our hrs. We are also on call several times a yr, meaning answering a damn call at 2am, 3am for full outage. So, if they want our work to be done at the office, then thats where it’s going to be done.”

Just work 9-5 after 5 don’t take calls, if they ask why say “I’m not in the office, I was told I can only work from the office - sorry.”

Our department is the first responder for any disaster all over US, our team when it was created about 15yrs ago has always been hybrid 1x a week because of the nature of our work. We worked night/day during Helene and Milton and over the weekend. We work hrs outside the 8-5 although on BAU thats our hrs. We are also on call several times a yr, meaning answering a damn call at 2am, 3am for full outage. So, if they want our work to be done at the office, then thats where its going to be done.

“yep, ask them why you have to do what essential workers never stopped doing”

If you mean techs, you are forgetting. The tech-support is specific zone in their area. Many of these managers are supporting multiple time zones and countries and customers across all of those. Meetings that span all of those time zones. Cut rovers that cover all of these time zones. They don’t get to work in shifts, many of them don’t get overtime and they are covering nights and weekends as well as all day meetings and conference calls. Now to ask people to drive to an office and sit there while they’re remote in or having meetings with people all over the country that aren’t even in the same office as them is ridiculous. then they have to drive all the way home. It’s been another 4 to 5 hours again. You can’t make that comparison so stop with that argument about with the “essential” people were doing. Everyone at this company is “essential “.

"Also the amount of workspace available should be a hint that the company literally is not built for 5 days in the office."

Plenty of desks for those who remain

Get into the office and actually work. Squirm that.

Make them?

No one cares about your commute. Drive in or not. Your choice. Maybe those that choose to commute can ho-k at you in the soup line as they drive by. Nothing more detrimental to the success of this nation than those that cry and moan about their circumstances. Man up or get out. Lack of strength is a dominant indicator that you’re not what a successful business is looking for. Ts largest failure is not removing you and those like you from the payroll.

“There is only 1 person pushing this BS and he makes terrible decisions and thinks he’s better than you.”
RTO is becoming a corporate standard at most large firms due to extensive fraud and abuse.

StankFresh want to drive the profit margin per employee higher and there are too many employees. They have said that outloud. In addition to playing musical chairs with your job's location, they have devised a way to turn good employees into bad employees. They are doing this over the course of a year to make it seem natural. By next year most of us will have a blemish on our attendance record, giving StankFresh the opportunity to let you go and not have to pay you anything extra. There will be some that leave because they don't like it but it will be all the same to them: you are gone, they have more money.

Remember:

It's just business.

It goes both ways.

yep, ask them why you have to do what essential workers never stopped doing

Do as they ask or find a new job.

They're not asking.
They're telling.

Your only options are:
Do as they say and continue getting the benefits (and repercussions if 5 days in the office is a hardship) of continued employment.

Quiet quit until you're let go.

The problem is that all pushing back can do is get the next level of the hierarchy to push back… and there are too many levels.

“ Here’s the thing - Directors, AVP’s, VP’s aren’t making this decision. So complaining to them is preaching to the choir.”

Spot on. They’re simply various levels of fiefdom lords for the “king” is his HQ castle.

Office presence isn’t essential for every job, but most of these people think their role is validated by just swiping in. They’ll be in for a rude awakening when they actually have to deliver something in 2025 as headcount plummets.

Right, that's going to work, lol. You have no power in this situation. Do as they ask or find a new job.

Yes this is inhumane, should we all stick together and not do it? I have a family to take care of, how can I be expected to be away from them 10 hours a day (2 hours driving) are they going to give us a gas allowance? It’s going up. I will have to spend money on eating out now , will they pay for that? Or expect me to get up even earlier to make something? This is so stressful. What about health concerns being in a crowded office? I hope they will enforce mask mandates. I am so stressed, I can’t sleep and can barely function. So please let’s all make a pact and refuse to do it.

Here’s the thing - Directors, AVP’s, VP’s aren’t making this decision. So complaining to them is preaching to the choir. It won’t make any difference except potentially affect your raises if you tuck them off enough.

There is only 1 person pushing this BS and he makes terrible decisions and thinks he’s better than you.

Let me answer this question for you: you are a low level management employee for a large corporation, your “employer” is telling you to come to work 5 days a week. If your employer tells you to clean the toilet everyday you do it or you quit , simple as that. People on here complaining about having to come to work and do their job really makes me wonder what you are doing at home unsupervised? Maybe the lack of productivity of people like you caused this? Start your own business and run it how you see fit. Complaining is not going to negate the FACT that your a$$ will be at the office 8-5 m-f or you will be canned, hopefully the latter as your ethics, character and attitude are not needed and it what is wrong with the world today.

Job requirements changed, This is all you need to know.

“ that the company literally is not built for 5 days in the office”

That’s why so many people are being let go, so we are built for 5 days in office.

All you’ll get is the standard canned answer of “leadership said so”.

Also the amount of workspace available should be a hint that the company literally is not built for 5 days in the office.

Further explanation is not required. I.e., because top management said so. Take it or leave.

Yes ask them all of that

And then get to the office 5 days a week.

And there were plenty of people working 5 days a week in office before and during Covid.

You just weren’t “essential”. (Still aren’t)