Thread regarding AT&T Inc. layoffs

When I was presented with the volunteer or wait to see if you get surplus option in January of 2016, the volunteers had 3 weeks to be off the payroll after they were accepted, plus severance ( 6 months max for 13 years service and above )

For those of us with a surplus notice, we got the 2 months pay while looking (wasting time) for an internal job and 6 months severance if you had 13 years and over service.

Don't fool yourselves. 20+ years w/the company here. I've seen layoffs every year to year and a half since 2000. This is about one thing and one thing only - money. Wall Street, shareholder value and fat paychecks for officer level execs. The value of electing to leave vs. being involuntarily surplussed, is you get to choose and can plan accordingly whether you plan to retire in the near or far term. I've seen this year, a number of people who's jobs were outsourced to IBM, IBM didn't pick them up in the sale of the BU and they were left w/no package - too bad, so sad, wouldn't wanna be ya. Leave voluntarily, you get something other than a screw on the way out. I don't hit the rule of 75 till next year so no pension payout or retirement benefit for me either way. "Leadership" has stated publicly that 30% of domestic staff will be gone (either through attrition or layoffs) by 2020 (demographics are on their side). If you're new(er), then your vestment is thin. For people like me, the future is inevitable. If it doesn't happen this year, then it will next year, or the year after, none of these jobs will be back filled domestically and if you think you'll get preference for an internal post - guess again. As for the severance, it's changed at least twice in the last 15 years. Now may be the time to take a reasonable offer before it shrinks to nil. Internal jobs are already earmarked, so don't hold your breath. I'm not a poor me kind of person, nor am I angry. I'm a realist and this represents the future for people like me at this company. I'm still young enough (early 50's) where my skills are still relevant and I'm not considered a dinosaur. I have decisions to make, but the days of T's glory (for me that would be AWS and Cingular) are gone.

I left, money was my motivation, no career oriented company for sure, would not waste my time when there are so many other options available to some

What has happened to technical folks, if you do not take the package T has sometimes oursourced entire groups to another company, offering only a position at the new company to support them or get handed your hat out the door with NO SEVERANCE. They justify it by saying the offered you another job. BS. So, there is some benefit if the coming surplus comes with outsourcing.

If you volunteer to leave or are let go with this announcement you get the exact same severance. The volunteer part is for those employees how are older and are in a position to retire. With this offer you will get severance pay. If you retire next year without this offer then you get no severance, you just get your retirement.

Perhaps T has plans to lower their severance package in the future. In that case, it would be beneficial to voluntarily leave now as opposed to the future. You used to get umm to 1 year severance. Now you get up to 6 months. Perhaps it will be lower in the future.

There is NO benefit to volunteering to leave for the person volunteering however it is a benefit to those who may be at risk of surplus to keep their job since one surplus spot has been taken. I think it's complete horse sh-t that there is no benefit for the person volunteering. Benefit could have included lifetime of service discounts, 12 months pay in addition to severance package, or something else. We're seeing the true greediness of the company shine today. Heard many people emotional because of all of their years of service and getting at most 6 months severance.

I am affected, and I have no idea what to do. They asked everyone in my department to fill out a survey, see if we're interested in leaving. I have 5 days to decide. I believe, after that, if I or my role are surplused, I'll either get time to find another job in the company (anywhere from 30 to 90 days) or I'll be let go. Perhaps with a severance, perhaps not.