As a 15 year employee at AT&T, I had the opportunity to see the company in its best and in its worst days. I have to say that nothing compares to the current situation after this year's layoffs. To say that morale is at an all time low would be understating the whole situation. Think that it’s more than that this time. The people simply stopped believing in the values that the company preaches nd are doing their job mechanically. You can fix low morale, but this state that the employees are in right now, I highly doubt it’s fixable.
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@-1qfp
Thank you for sharing you experience throughout so many years with T. I have noticed that you had try to help others on a couple of posts. And that’s what this forum is all about. We need more people like you, with many years in the company to share their experiences and tips with the rest of us. Keep sharing your experience and enjoying your retirement!
We are on the same side..of course I like my own posts. ;)
Just liked your's as well.
All I do is try to offer what worked for me and my wife (who also worked/retired from there).
Between us we had 66 years.
I'm no fan of T.....Just my opinions.
and if it helps a few folks good...if not, I tried.
@1est - I don't wish you any ill will. You just come off a bit preachy sometimes. Enjoy your cabin and your retirement. And stop liking your own posts.
1xra....
I told of my history here.
Tell us yours.
My philosophy got me a long career, a nice pension/401K at early retirement, and retiree health beni's.
I do not watch p--n.
I have enough friends, 11 grandkids, 4 kids and happily married. TY for you concern.
I survived many surplusses by doing a good job, flying low...or sorry, you're jealous....errrr sick of hearing what works.
Won't be able to respond for a while, as I'm heading to my cabin for a few months.
Do as you wish.
Sincere good luck.
Seems quite a few folks agree with me.
After 27 years, my take on it is that "culture" is an illusion YOU are supposed to buy into, because you will work harder if you feel part of a team that is working hard.
Your loyalty to your immediate coworkers makes it easier for you to go the extra mile, believe the BS about customer service being the goal, keep your head down and not complain, all things that benefit upper management, but not really you, or even your team.
Note how Randall is now preaching "culture" again, after blowing holes in our teams, and leaving us struggling to recover enough institutional memory to continue operations the next time the machines do weird stuff. Nevermind meeting the bogus 2020 goals; that's no longer going to happen for years, but was never a real thing anyway. It was all just to keep us spinning the gerbil wheel, while Randall and his buddies skim off the cream and start over again "rebuilding" the illusion of culture so that those left and those who are new will settle into the wheel again and churn out those cash cow profits while Randall and Stankey play media moguls and take home our profits.
You believe in company culture at your own risk. It is merely a construct to fool you into working altruistically, while they profit from your extra effort.
You have to pay it lip service; they're looking for awakened sheep to cull, but you should NOT fall for the myth that there is anything so reciprocal as culture going on here.
Am I the only one sick of @fba posts and bulletized career advice?
…"Ameritech 1979, try to run them out of $$$, make zero friends, ...etc. etc. etc."
Dude. Enough already. Move on with your life. We've all seen your advice countless times already. Find something else to do in retirement. Seems like maybe you still have zero friends. Surf some p--n sites and give it a grab like a normal guy.
Came up through South Central Bell, BellSouth, etc. Was proud to say I worked there. Now if I mention I work at T, I usually get complaints about everything (cell prices, TV c-ap, you name it). So, I usually keep my mouth shut about where I work.
Of course we do, it’s called living the C.O.D.E.
@1dif - it doesn't matter if you do that or not. At least in management. They mess with you - move you - take away what you have been rocking away at - and then degrade you.
So you can put that on the site as many times as you want but it doesn't work for management.
"There is a culture in this company.
The culture is the following:
Protect your turf
talk as much s*#% as you can in a call
always wear a headset so you pretend to be busy
and by the end yes sir
don’t forget to bend over"
Man this nail it on the head. Perfect!
All jobs below exec levels had been designed to be carried out mechanically. It is by design. In other words, do what you’re expected to do... no more and no less and put 30 years this way if you wish. All other extras are on you... This is something that took me a while to understand when I began.
@fba - lol a good soldier. wonder why we didn't beat google with employees like that.
If the executives were ever right or made a true statement is when they said there would be significant downsizing by 2020. In fact, for the last couple of years, a lot of the capital spend seems to have been dedicated to expediting and facilitating that end. Some seemed to believe that what we are seeing wouldn’t commence until January 2020. Been happening for years but the pace has definitely grown.
15 years?
No offense, but you've seen little.
Was hired in 1979 by AT&T. Then Ameritech. Then SBC. Then back to AT&T.
Things went south after SBC started employing Bell South's policies.
Retired after 38 years.
Pro tips.
Fly low.
Don't be the best, don't be the worst.
Be on time, ever day. Ready to work.
Follow what ever inane rules they create...and profit. "You want 3 cones out? I'll put 4 out"
Try to run them out if $$$.
Make zero friends at work. But be polite.
Do a quality job in a reasonable amount of time.
Always treat customers well-even if they don't deserve it.
If your 2nd level doesn't know your name, you're winning.
Never give or take a minute.
All directives need to be by Q or email or voice mail. Never answer the phone.
Smile and wave and cash the checks.
If you care about the company, you are probably next on the list. Just look at your management, they are clueless. if you care, then you start creating problems. Fall in line, and join the herd
There is a culture in this company.
The culture is the following:
-
Protect your turf
-
talk as much s*#% as you can in a call
-
always wear a headset so you pretend to be busy
-
and by the end yes sir
-
don’t forget to bend over
Op you said it. Don’t know how the company live with itself or look at itself in the mirror.
Make sure you mention it on the eNPS survey. I just did. Made me feel better, though I realize it doesn't matter.