Thread regarding AT&T layoffs

@hnr, you and many like you are jealous simpletons. Your own work ethic, with Mgmt, didn’t cut the grade to allow you the privilege to WFH, so like the school yard bullies, here you are. You needed a platform to cry in front of the rest of us. These hard working, loyal T’s remind you of what you are not....hard working, efficient and skilled in their ways and the ability to work well in a group environment ( albeit by phone) long hours and many lost weekends.

The amusing part in all this is, given the chance, those same nay sayers would grasp at the opportunity to WFH before their Manager could even finish the sentence....and doesn’t that really speak to their hypocrisy?

OP, sorry you lost your job.

That said, WFH employees have never said their entitled, quite the contrary, their bosses have! Over the years, many of us would drive long distances back and forth, put in long hours on site, engage in conference calls that (because of the time zones) would begin way into the evening, sometimes we’d take them from home, or we’d rise from sleep to start a call in the early pre-dawn, then later drive in.

Twice a year we would be graded on our performance by these Mgrs. always being evaluated on strengths or weaknesses. Those deemed to have an honest, hard work ethic we’re given WFH privileges pure and simple.

Our bosses gave us the opportunity to work from home because most of the time the people we deal with could be in Japan, India or the United Kingdom, or maybe just across the country. Logistics like this will sometimes play a roll as to whether we make it in to work or WFH, and our Bosses know this!

WFH or not, a good job is a job. And, some people cannot clump ALL AT&T workers as ' not having done' things in years. That is not everybody. Good lord. Must be the Trump mentality. 'MAKE 'MERICA GRRREAT AGAIN'HUH? Wow. a BUNCH Of garbage!

None of this has anything to do with T seeking to make teams more "collaborative". Everyone knows they have a lot more headcount to reduce. It has everything to do with that. It is so transparent I cvan't believe they try to keep that facade up. Just tell the truth already. My team is completely dispersed from a location standpoint. Some work in an office nearby their house; some work from home entirely, some are "flex" time, where they are supposed to be driving into a nearby office 3 times a week (that policy was introduced a few years back but was never really monitored or enforced). I am expecting deep cuts.

This just easy excuse to remove people quickly. The next round maybe close one of hubs. Big layoffs need clear rule to let HR execute and avoid law suit. No need discuss whether WFH is productive or not, it is NOT main drive for this.

picture this, after the previous surplus responsibilities were increased because someone has to pick up the slack. So i got night shift for maintenance calls. now i am suppose to work 40 hours and little extra, nights were not what i was hired for

if you want me in office for night work, you are out of your god damn mind.

@1lpa: you make a good point. The company is full of co-located teams and supervisors. AT&T will likely use this excuse selectively as it removes people from the business. I don’t foresee the company offering relocation.

I WFH and am not in a hub city. Let’s say I was given the opportunity to relocate. If I moved to Dallas, my supervisor would still be in Seattle and the people I work with most divided between NJ (both sites) , Atlanta, Chicago, and San Ramone. I don’t see how this works without radically altering team compositions.

I live 40 miles from a hub city. When I was hired, I commuted daily - in traffic on a sunny day, it takes 90 minutes each way. After 4 years, my car and I were both exhausted. I was sitting in the car 3 hours round-trip, and at a desk for an additional 8 hours. I was able to get both a promotion and a different position where I could work partly at home. As this position required more and more after-hours/on-call time, I was able to WFH full time. Not one person I deal with on a daily basis is at the same hub city I was commuting to. Not one person I EVER deal with actually. I have not dealt with anyone who works remote who I felt was lazy or a slacker, although I assume there are some. When I was in the office, I sure met a bunch. In any case, if I go to the office, I sit alone (or try to, as the noise level of other peoples phone calls and gossip cannot be avoided), work alone, and occasionally talk to old co-workers from my previous position who see me. I assume T wants to change that, and slowly ensure teams are in the same locations. Until that happens, there are no benefits for me or the company if I sit in their building, but there are lots of negatives.

WFH should benefit the company. The reality is that management is so numbers focused that they try to put a metric on everything. I know when I was home-based, I would often plug in on weekends and such and do work that wasn't quite due yet, just to keep ahead and because I enjoyed my job. I always wanted to be ahead. Now, I will just put in my forty. Thanks Randy!

hnr-if an employee is incompetent they will be incompetent both at the office or WFH. I work with both telecommuters and office employees. You will get the same work ethic/same response out of of incompetent people. If you email someone and they ignore it it’s pure stupidity to think they ignored it because they work from home. Do you think that by being in an offfice the people you email are guaranteed to respond to you? Come on!!

I have witnessed the same people who did not reply, did mediocre work and missed deadlines while full time WFH do the SAME thing now that we are in the office 4x week. In fact, I feel like it has got worse.

I deal with a few peoe who work from home and your lucky if they even reply to an email if you need assistance but after about a month they will reply and want you to take care of something for them. WFH employees are not needed in my opinion. Show up to an office and be accounted for.

Surplusing someone becuase they work from home is very different than taking away WFH. Using WFH as a reason to lay someone off is what people are complaining about. Working outside a HUB city is not a reason to lay someone off.