Thread regarding AT&T layoffs

I worked for GTE/Verizon for 17 years and tried to live up to my Grand Dad's career of 35 years with Southern Bell. You know, back when the "phone company" stood for something - saving lives in an emergency, keeping in touch with family across the world, feeling that you were an integral part of something important in society.

Then I learned about cost control and expenditure efficiency and dodging 7 layoffs and getting hit by 3 of them, I now find myself working for another frappin phone company that is using the same playbook from the 1990's which says spend until you run out of credit, then blame your lazy workers and go on a scorched earth campaign of canning thousands of workers every quarter until Wall Street gets off your back.

So what have I learned?

I've learned that no matter how many "Atta-Boys" you earned, how many goals you met, how many costs you saved, in the end, you were just another cell on an Excel spreadsheet and when stuff hits the fan and "x" number have to go - you go.

I learned this lesson first in 1992, again in 1997, then harder in 2003. Took three times before it sunk in I guess. Since then, I give enough to stay off the radar and nothing else. To me, and most of my fellow DTV guys, we see "t" as standing for "temporary".

By the way, for all of the union employees, bargained for employees, the hard working ones, the men and women who truly and honestly care about doing what’s right out of a love for what was once a great company and respect for paying customers, God bless you guys. I love and respect each of you, and if you fit the description above you know who you are. Hold your head high despite whatever happens, you’ve earned it even if Randall and his group of equally clueless VP’s don’t act like it.

No you’re not wrong. Constant fire drills, completely pointless training every year, don’t get me started on the joke that’s “2020” training. Stupid pointless conference calls, countless sleepless nights worrying about some a-hole 3rd or 4th line pushing project deadlines for the sole purpose of looking good and moving on, 90% of AM’s and directors managing to a spreadsheet, literally, managing the business by making a spreadsheet look good. Hearing so many times “do what’s right for the customer” and then getting your a$$ chewed out for it when you do. Punishing genuinely good people, good technicians, for doing the right thing while the ones who have good “numbers” look like gods. MSOC, six sigma, blah blah blah, I could go on and on and on. Does it pay well? Sure. Good benefits? Sure. Is it toxic to your life, personality, relationships, work ethic? It sure can be. I could go on and on with the c-appy, horrible, utterly stupid and senseless decisions made by “upper management” at AT&T that make absolutely zero sense when looked at with an ounce of common sense but why bother. It’s literally run by a group of narcissistic money hungry no nothing a-holes who could care less about their employees. A number on a piece of paper, that’s what you are at AT&T. Are there good managers? A few, I was one of them. I can promise you most care only about looking good, being first on a spreadsheet, getting in line for that next promotion to the next “level” up. What a joke. Companies that don’t take care of their employees first will eventually fail, its inevitable. AT&T is toxic, fact. And no I’m not bitter lol, I’m just a realist, still have many friends who work for the company and countless relationships that will last a lifetime. If you’re picked for surplus, move on and count it as a blessing, life does exist outside of the mountain of numbers at AT&T.

I feel the same way you do. I have you a "+1".

For years I was married to someone I came to hate, but I stuck it out for a long time because I was afraid my kids would be hurt and I'd lose everything I worked for if I made a move. She was the one who finally filed and I felt nothing but relief that it was finally over, no matter what happened. As it turns out nothing I was afraid of came to pass, and I'm in a much better place today than I ever would have thought possible when I was trapped in that nightmare. The moral of the story is sometimes things really do turn out OK. For me, ATT has come to feel like the last years of that horrible marriage to a miserable disfunctional a$$h0le, so if they tap me to go, I won't be crying about it.

I feel the same since I believe it’s only a matter of time now

I hope I am surplussed tomorrow but I'm having my doubts that will happen at this point despite being a full time remote worker. I know I can have a job within the next 2 months and I'd rather get laid off now than later this year. Bonus + Severance is a nice incentive to just walk away into something more challenging and interesting.

No, it was the greatest blessing in disguise ever for me.

Nothing wrong with that. The old "rate me low, I want to go!"