Life is better on the outside, TRUST ME

AT&T employees reading this (especially the ones I know),

I've been away from the machine for several months, and it's been a little over a month since I started my job with another company.

I am me again. I'm the me I've wanted to be for a long time. I don't freak out at every small thing because I don't read emails sent to me at 10 PM anymore threatening my job if I don't fix a silly metric that pays nothing like Plenti and then I have to figure out some buy in message to spread to my team. Coaching at my new job is a legitimate conversation instead of always trying to be a Jedi mind trick using the BS feedback model AT&T uses.

I feel bad because for the longest time I truly believed in the "cause." Even nonsense like paperless billing, Softcard registration, myAT&T log-ins (which was the beginning of the end of store traffic, we did it to ourselves)...NEXT when the customer wanted a 2 year contract, etc. I was rewarded but the dangling carrot of "the next opportunity" always remained.

I believed in senior leadership, when the truth is they couldn't give a damn about any of us. Even the top performers.

And it's sad that people will change their lives for "The Company," they will uproot their families for jobs that don't pay relocation costs, and pay little to nothing more financially, all in the name of "opportunity" that isn't really there, because, as evidenced by all the layoffs occurring, the imaginary brass ring is just that -- imaginary.

Don't ever let the Company feel like your self worth is tied to your job title (I'm guilty), or that you have to move to a city you don't want because "opportunity and exposure" told you to. Do what is truly best for you. Don't let the Company (capitalized like Big Brother in 1984) own you any more than they already do.

This is what they do. They act like there is no better life outside the Company. That people who leave take lesser job titles and make less money. They talk about how great it is working for AT&T, how great the benefits package and discounts are and get you believing in the groupthink that "I can't leave because of my discounts." BS. Get a $2000 raise and it's covered. They talk about how every company has corporate politics and life isn't better on the outside.

Trust me, it's not true. And when you start to smile and feel like your old self again, you'll agree.

Freshen up your resume, get on LinkedIn, and get out. You will be such a better person for it.

TRUST ME.

Comment! It's anonymous!

7 replies (most recent on top)

I totally agree with the non bitter person without an axe to grind. I saw the writing on the wall, started looking and (relatively) quickly got a much better job offer outside ATT. More $, regular hours, and the ability to follow my moral compass.

So- for those just beginning to think of a future outside of the future in ATT-

It'll all work out. Expand your horizons. Get out. AND- don't sell yourself short.

For the record, this isn't a bitter person with an axe to grind. There are people with far bigger axes to grind in that company (many of whom are still employed).

I got my accomplishments and recognition and that helped me land the job I have now. I'm grateful that I can translate my experiences into something else. But I was like many who only saw the future as the future with the company, willing to uproot everything to do so.

Looking back, it was so foolish of me. I feel like I was fed a bundle of lies, to be honest.

It all started when I read http://michaelrhearants.blogspot.com , that was when the whispers started.

Then the comp plan changed and we didn't get the raises that the market leadership alluded to us getting.

Then being "strongly encouraged" to take a job outside of my city w/o relocation and lateral pay.

The final straw was when I learned about the pay matrix, and even moving to a level 2 job, I would never see the financial gains I wanted. Time to leave.

It was hell during some moments. Some days I was too anxious/depressed to even leave my house on weekends. But it all worked out.

It will all work out. Expand your horizons. Get out.

Yep, there is life on the other side. I'm better off after surplus. I took the initial blow as a wound to my gut. I was embarrassed.

But it's nothing like testing your worth on the job market than by getting a large increase and being happy where u landed. I stayed at T too long.

Thank you for taking your time and having the compassion to post this. Every time the stress of being unemployed kicks in I am going to read it again. I will also spread your view to others affected. Thanks again.

Great post! Glad your back to me again!

This is actually the best post I've seen here. Thank you for the encouragement!

One more point I do want to make and this is actually in AT&T's favor...

Be grateful for the skills you've developed over time. Be conscious of the skills you've developed. Other companies do covet those skills. They need to be adapted, but they are very valuable.

AT&T does have excellent training programs and you can say you were developed through those programs.

It's not all bad. Just recognize what the Company is for: a place to develop your skills before you find another place to hone that craft. It is not a company that nurtures its talent anymore. Just know that "flash point," for lack of a better term.

Thread regarding AT&T layoffs

Life is better on the outside, TRUST ME

7 replies (most recent on top)

Post a reply