#morale

Not sure what grows around here.....Senior level roles seem to always be filled with outside hires, promotional opportunities are slim to none. Pay certainly does not grow to keep teammates even with inflation. Benefits shrink like a cheap t-shirt (e.g., 401K match reduction). We are Truist and we are unstoppable, good grief.

Rumors were circulating that the layoff rumors were to keep people on their toes and to make them work harder… that will only last for so long, we’re tired now. Productivity in my department is at an all time low. Entry level people are playing politics games, when they shouldn’t even be exposed to that. My whole department is such a sh-t show now and it’s getting to a point where there’s no turning back.

How did you feel when you got that heartfelt message from Jenna? Does it make you feel special to be part of a mass mailing that arrives at 4:09am?

I feel like I become just a little bit more cynical every time one of the c-suite millionaires expresses gratitude en masse for making them a bit richer everyday while we worry if we’ll be able to meet our next mortgage payment if the email ‘tap on the shoulder’ from HR happens.

You know morale is bad when an icon changes on its own and you assume your getting laid off

In my department, the participation rate is given more importance then the actual results. I'm sick of being harassed to take the survey. When the results are poor, the additional work to bring them up is incumbent on employees, not management. Our employee benefits continue to decline YOY. The only way to protest is to NOT take the survey.

The reorg has dragged on so long, and conditions have gotten so bad, that some of us almost hope to be let go, and feel no relief when we aren’t. Clearly, nobody at the top gives two sh--s about how this drawn-out anxiety is grinding us down. On a personal level alone, it’s brutal. It’s beyond exhausting. This state of mind leadership has driven us to is not normal, nor is it healthy.

The CES should be released. Its obvious MW is "So Vain, I bet he thinks this song is about him" and cant believe he's lost pretty much every employees respect. Its not us, its definitely you! Let's break up and you move out!

I said it before and I'll say it again. There's so much hate here, but I'm sure at least some others feel the same way I do. I mean, if you hate your job, then why are you so worried about layoffs? I am because I want to stay here. But why do you if you hate it here so much?

Stankey’s memo was triggered by internal warning signs from surveys. The results showed a noticeable drop in morale and buy‑in. His solution may have backfired. How else could he have addressed declining employee engagement?

Based on employee reports, a shift in T-Mobile's company culture has occurred following a series of layoffs, particularly after its merger with Sprint. Employees report that the "Un-carrier" culture, once defined by a customer-first focus and strong employee support under former CEO John Legere, has been replaced by a more aggressive, profit-driven environment.
Key changes in T-Mobile's culture cited by employees include:
Reduced morale and increased stress: Following the 2023 layoff of 5,000 employees and additional cuts in 2025, remaining staff were forced to take on the workload of those who were let go. This led to a more stressful work environment and eroded employee trust in management.
Diminished leadership: Employees accuse current leadership, particularly CEO Mike Sievert, of lacking empathy and prioritizing profits over employee well-being. This is seen as a significant departure from the more transparent and boisterous leadership style of Legere.
Heightened sales pressure: The company culture is described as being more sales-driven, with more aggressive targets and a push for add-ons that employees found unethical. Some employees felt pressured to lie to customers to meet these goals.
The Sprint merger: Many employees point to the 2020 merger with Sprint as a turning point, after which compensation and management attitudes changed for the worse.
Outsourcing and automation: The use of AI for customer support and an increase in jobs being outsourced internationally are seen as a cost-cutting measures that threaten jobs.
Elimination of DEI programs: T-Mobile ended its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in July 2025, reportedly to secure federal approval for acquisitions. This move drew criticism and is viewed by some as further evidence of a culture shift.

They will never Lead with Greed!

If XOM is looking to reduce HC10 headcount, why doesn't it create provide an option to let HC10 staff over a certain age (say 50 or even 48) take early retirement.

Reading all the commentary on this forum, a lot of folks may take the option? Has anyone run economics scenarios for this? At the minimum, will improve morale ...

That’s about as solid proof as you’ll ever get that leadership is brain-dead. No wonder we’re circling the drain.

Morale and Culture
The continuous layoffs have taken a toll on remaining employees:

"T has developed a very toxic culture, and morale is understandably low."

7 min read · Aug 25, 2025 .
AT&T, one of America’s largest telecommunications companies, has been undergoing significant workforce reductions in recent years as it navigates industry transformation, technological changes, and financial pressures. This analysis examines the scope, causes, and implications of these layoffs for employees, the company, and the broader telecommunications sector.

https://medium.com/@averageguymedianow/at-t-layoffs-understanding-the-telecommunications-giants-workforce-reductions-52b66b8c9bdc

This loooong reorg, threat of job loss, time to look for another, etc, takes a toll on the whole family, relationships, marriage, friendships. So many are tired of hearing about the drama. Internal family dynamics are so stressed. It’s so damaging beyond a lot of posters who are like there’s life beyond here etc. it’s true but it’s a deep cut no one at the working level asked for.

Checked my email a bit ago and saw Elad Nafshi sent an email to about 1,500 people about how well the Technology and Product teams are doing.

The teams are CHQ, but it seems like a huge gut punch to all of the division teams that are going to be wrecked with the newest round layoffs.

After a layoff event people used to take breather and relax, not with this latest one. Feels like hunger games have already started. It must be about the hiring in ENGINE and Buenos Aires.

So what’s everyone doing this weekend to soften the tension?

I drove 4 hours for a car show and really tested the abilities of my 72 Triumph TR6 on the highway. Guess what? We aren’t dead yet.

Maybe some warhammering Sunday night after I get back.

What about yall? Don’t drink too heavily.

So many dissatisfied employees comment here.
Why don’t they leave F5?
Can’t find another job? Hmm.

So many former employees comment here.
Why are they wasting their time?
Can’t find another job? Hmm.

Seems like the answers are obvious.

Dose of reality for those newer to working.
No job or company is perfect. Many are far from it.
F5 isn’t perfect. But it’s a paycheck. It’s decent benefits.
Bad mouth leadership until you are blue in the face, it won’t change anything.
So take a deep breath.
Take another deep breath.
Stop wasting your time on things outside your control.
The commenting isn’t burning calories, or teaching you a new skill, or fixing anything. So why are you continuing to do it?

Get back some free time! Don’t give it to F5!

Is this a version of He-l ?

I work today but who knows about tomorrow

Trust? They destroyed that. They don’t care.

Remember to keep your soul, give them 8 hours, but not your soul.

They don’t care.

https://www.tipranks.com/news/microsoft-stock-nasdaqmsft-gains-morale-at-an-all-time-low

From Christine Guerrero's twitter: Check on your friends in oil & gas. Many aren’t doing well. This from a friend at BP today.

https://x.com/SheDrills/status/1969053712514494535

Fascinating how a storied and successful company like Marathon with a unique culture and technical achievements can disappear and not be relevant again. This is testament to leadership drive for self enrichment and the middle managers who destroyed the morale of the organization.

There’s no plan grounded in the real world, hard work, or long-term sustainability. All leadership seems to see are dollar signs, chasing ideas that are increasingly risky and unrealistic, while leaving real people out of the equation. It’ll be a great party right up until everything comes crashing down, “unexpectedly”.

Sad to see some really strong technical folks pushed out over the years and now it’s starting to show with those remaining burned out juggling the additional responsibilities. A week of meetings and nothing to show but follow up meetings.. Demoralising watching some really good people no longer speaking up on calls anymore as they are fed up an burned out.
Top table need to take responsibility for their actions. JC and AL need to go. Time for fresh visionary leadership and direction with a major clear out overdue.

It seems that nobody knows anything except maybe a handful of EVPs and higher. In meetings, mgmt and HR reps can't offer any new information, just repeating the same known facts over and over again. Morale is at all time low and feels like people just pretend to be busy, while in reality not much gets done. Projects and initiatives got identified as at risks, with TBD plans to move forward. Nobody dares to make decisions for the future without knowing what resources will be available to complete the tasks or even if they themselves will be here after Oct. Meanwhile UFC will start in Jan! Seems that everyone is waiting for something to happen and for some new morsel of information, but nobody is able to come up with anything.

Not sure how much longer we can withstand this situation or recover from it after the dust settles in Nov.

I just wanted to provide my experience as someone who has been "ISPed." While I can appreciate the capability to look for a role (whether in Jones or outside) and get paid (something you probably wouldn't get anywhere else...which helps), from my perception things are literally a "free for all." So what I mean by that is everyone, whether ISP or not has probably been impacted. Moved to another location, new role, demotion, I've heard loss of pay in some instances, etc. So everyone is shell shocked to all fu-k and just not happy...period. Morale is a total sh-t show and people are still swirling in what the new world will look like so not much productivity seems to be happening.

So where I am going with all this is the people that are not ISP'ed are storming the gates for these new jobs and those that are ISP'ed are getting shut out. I cannot say any more than that but I truly wish all of you who are impacted the best. If you do have an opportunity to stay on then I hope you are treated with the respect you deserve.

Take care all and best wishes.

one thing i really miss from corporate sales is the slow unraveling of everyone around me.

sales is stressful. the quotas are heavy, the customers are demanding, and the pressure never really ends. the obvious signs of burnout are easy to spot, but there are also quieter ones, little signals that someone is sinking into what you could call corporate depression.

the first is education. when someone suddenly decides they need an online mba, even though they never mentioned it before, that’s not ambition — that’s usually a cry for help.

the second is airline status. when a salesperson becomes obsessed with hitting the next tier, it usually means they’re spiraling. i remember once flying to chicago on december 30th, just for lunch, and flying back the same day. it wasn’t about chicago. it was about the airline points.

the third, and most serious, is whisk-y. not just buying more bottles, but diving deep into regions and styles. i had a friend in seattle who proudly told me he only drank scotch from islay. we even argued about how to pronounce it. the whole conversation was absurd — two burned-out salespeople debating peat while quietly falling apart.

and the company’s answer? quarterly video calls with hr where the sales team does breathing exercises over zoom. lawsuits and mental health claims piling up, and their defense is, “well, we had them exhale together.”

corporate sales was many things, but above all it was a master class in pretending everything was fine while quietly losing your mind.

They can’t all be gone can they?

Where they at?

With over 20 years experience in contracting and network management, recently at a senior level, I’m not getting the time of day by other employers. It’s a bunch of thanks but no thanks. I did get an offer to apply as a pharmacy tech at CVS for $16/hr though - so that’s promising. 😉
Word of caution, hang on to what you have until you have somewhere else to go. I know it’s hard, and the corporate su-k is su-king hard, but if you are not financially independent it’s going to really rough for awhile.

Another day watching the stock tank. The street must be catching wind of what turmoil exists internally with employees and no clear strategy/leadership. I was Riff'd about 2 weeks ago and know many great employees that took the ERP. Louisville can be considered a "big city" but it's more of a "big community". Word spreads fast when there's this much dissatisfaction. So unfortunate for a company that had promise and a purpose, (not financially driven) many years ago.

within DSE we had 4 eliminated roles this week, one person forced out (morale is super low). What’s happening in the other parts of tech?

With all the negative publicity about the company over the last year, I wouldn't be surprised if this is one of the worst peak seasons as far as enrollees are concerned. Thoughts?

The stricter RTO is just part of it. Eternal reorganization, months of uncertainty about what’s coming for each of us - that’s another layer. Teams are in chaos, handling workloads meant for far more people. Managers seem completely oblivious to anxious, restless, overworked, burnt-out employees. It’s all either by design or sheer disregard for the workforce. Either way, it might come back to bite them, as the best people are always the first to leave.

CVE is run by arrogant corporate snakes. They are making money hand over fist. They don’t need to layoff. Employees are a necessary evil until they’ve used you for what they need. Everyone is out for themselves at CVE - they don’t trust you and you can’t trust them. Laying off a bunch of hard working people and arrogantly saying you will just “do less”. I’ve never seen such id--tic things. Is this company real or a nightmare? #USW #Strike #2026

The office has become a shell. For those who have returned, it feels like working in a morgue — silence, no collaboration, no energy. At least at home people could put the radio on and feel some life around them. We tried free coffee for a week, but once that was gone, so were the people. Now we have staff commuting in only to sit in isolation on video calls. It is soul-destroying, and I worry about the mental impact on those who are complying. If management isn’t prepared to properly enforce office attendance, then this halfway approach is pointless and damaging.

As if 2025 hasn’t been hard enough for CSG sales, now comes yet another price increase. This increase is on top of all the other increases we have had to manage.

For reps who have sold deals at a high GP, this is yet another reminder that the company doesn’t want to pay you. Paying reps 2% overrides is the driving force here because they know deep down customers will not pay the increase. They will simply go to another vendor.

It’s time to fight back and sit down. As much as it will hurt all of us, I suggest that we sit back in October and sell nothing. Sandbag all your deals in an effort to let the powers that be that they can not just increase our pricing model. Our compensation and the way we make a living is predicated by the price of the box we sell. Write me up, threaten to fire me, do whatever you want. The bigger concern should be the amount of people that will leave come January 1st. Making $50k with little to know upside is not a real job folks. This company is pushing you out and you don’t see it.

It’s no longer a job, it’s survival mode every single day. Layoffs keep rolling in like clockwork and management counts on everyone being too scared to fight back - and they're right! Everybody stays quiet and the bullying and power trips just keep getting worse. I’ve never seen morale this wrecked or people this scared to breathe wrong at work.

I’m just so over it. I just want to do my godda-n job and not have to wonder every day what’s coming next.

It'd be great to know what's going on. With some people saying it's started and others claiming nothing is happening, I'm starting to get a headache - and I'm not even going to mention my productivity for today. Some clarity from leadership so we actually know what's true would be amazing.

If there ever was a time to drop this place like a hot potato, it's now.