#remotework

For employees who were hired as remote, how are they being handled? Are SVPs/EVPs given the opportunity to prove why they are valuable? Or are top leaders just making the decisions? Understand this will be addressed in Phase 2, but if a remote worker lives in a state where there is no Paramount Office to report to, are their leaders able to fight for them or are top executives just making the call to let them go say in Nov?

What if you were hired as fully remote? Does RTO apply to you? How will these situations be handled, on a case by case basis or will remote employees be let go in November?

Understand remote workers are part of Phase 2, but do we think any exceptions will be made for those who where hired into a remote position OR will they be given a choice (maybe with a relocation package) to move closer to an office. I’m asking because I’m hearing others at the company say if exceptions are made, they would rather relocate out of state and ask to work remotely. For the record, I am fine going back 5 days as long as I have a job.

https://m.economictimes.com/news/economy/foreign-trade/trumps-advisor-navarro-needles-india-once-again/amp_articleshow/123722111.cms

I don’t post often, but I can’t stay quiet anymore. RTO is breaking this company, and it’s breaking the people who’ve held it together through every storm.

We’ve already endured layoffs, outsourcing, constant reorganizations, and a revolving door of “strategic visions.” Through it all, employees adapted. We stayed. We worked harder with less. We found ways to keep this place running even when leadership gave us little in return.

And then came RTO.
• Long commutes rob us of hours that could be spent with our families or serving customers.
• Overcrowded offices are unsafe, stressful, and do nothing to improve collaboration… we’re still on Teams all day with coworkers in other states and countries.
• Morale has collapsed. The message is clear: loyalty doesn’t matter, results don’t matter … only badge swipes.
• And the best “younger” people? They’re leaving. They’ve found remote jobs at companies that trust them and respect their time. AT&T is bleeding talent it will never get back.

Please, stop this before it’s too late. Remote and hybrid work worked. Customers were happy. Productivity was high. Employees had balance. The only thing RTO has delivered is frustration, attrition, and despair.

AT&T doesn’t need to be the company that dies on this hill. End the forced RTO. Trust the people who’ve carried you this far. Give us the flexibility we’ve already proven works.

Because if this continues, there won’t be anyone left to carry it at all.

So the company is going to can all remote only positions and won’t hire for any in future? Even if you are not anywhere near an office? Or is RTO only for hybrid workers and remote being removed for them?

I was hired as a fully remote engineer 2 years ago.

There is no campus nearby.

There's been rumors that fully remote will be the next to go.

I need the money.

Anyone have any insights of what's coming down the line for fully remote engineers.

Might as well enjoy myself in this remote meat grinder.

Cheers!

I heard recently that a remote person who is less than 30 miles away from the office is being converted back into hybrid and forced to go in. This employee is out at the moment so I can't ask them. Anybody else hear anything to this effect

Any news on the irate member that promoted the virtual option until Sept 12?

Comments in the main thread:

• "All they could say for remote workers (like me) was that we 'might be expected to relocate.'" (Anonymous, Post ID: @q8+1k3eddae2)
• "There will come a time where Kroger will have to let go of the whole RTO business if they want to be competitive again." (Anonymous, Post ID: @q7+1k3eddae2)
• "Heard all fully remote buyers are gone" (Anonymous, Post ID: @n8+1k3eddae2)
• "remote got laid off so vague and cold - pre-recorded." (Kranger0826, Post ID: @pf+1k3eddae2)
• "not all remote associates were let go. source: me, a remote associate on a fully remote team." (Anonymous, Post ID: @pc+1k3eddae2)

My group is doing a small amount of hiring, but every time it's posted in Brazil, because we can pay them significantly less than we would have to pay an American.

Funny how we need to RTO to collaborate, but then we continue to hire people in a different country than the people who are back in the office.

Especially those who simply can’t commute. I’ve been hearing all kinds of rumors, but nothing that sounds completely credible.

Recently seen several people get changed from core location to remote status. They don’t seem to have a history of illness and have worked in the office for years. I thought this was an act of Congress to get done?

I have been a remote worker for many years. My classification today shows I have been changed to an on-site employee working at a Wells Fargo advisors building which I was told was never an option for me to work at. Are things changing? And why didn’t they tell me this? Note: There are no hubs or branches in my state.

Sounds like last layoff hit any fully remote worker? Did anyone survive or did they wipe that slate clean in the impacted departments? Were those affected given a relocation offer or just let go? Worried about my future with the company.

Out of curiosity, if offered the option to be fully remote in exchange for a lower salary, what % reduction would make it worth it to you?

While this will never happen, I'd gladly accept a 15% lower salary in exchange.

As an agency worker I'm fortunate to not have to return to the office. I feel for the full time employees but hey its a perk of being agency.

ive been here since STK. been working from home the last 5 years. Hardware service calls have dropped a ton. Took a service call Maybe once per month. Was planning on retiring at the end of the year. Mad as he-l that they picked me off. BUT if I left at the end of the year, i would have walked away without severance. This way I got the package. I wanted to leave on my own terms. Still Mad!!!

I’ve been applying for jobs since May—over 500 applications so far—and haven’t gotten a single interview. I’ve even seen some of the same jobs I applied for get reposted. What is going on? Is it just me, or is everyone experiencing this? It’s really wearing me down. My daily commute eats up 3 hours, and I desperately need either a remote position or something closer to my home in Maryland.

What a waste of time!
A large portion of the people team is remote and will be laid off. Why can’t we ask real questions instead of the pre-programmed questions about AI?
Shannon says “we cannot communicate too much”. Yet, when it comes to the issues that truly impact the people on the People team, she stays very tight-lipped

Y’all’s SVP didn’t give you the full list? Yes, the emails only reveal the big three “campus hubs”:

1. Basking Ridge
2. NYC
3. Irving, TX

But there are also named “business hubs” chosen by business unit leaders for investment:

1. Alpharetta
2. Annapolis Junction
3. Ashburn
4. Cary
5. Chandler
6. Irvine
7. Lone Tree
8. Miami
9. Rolling Meadows
10. Temple Terrace
11. Washington DC

If you work in the location other than the ones listed, you are in a non-directional location. The locations will either be maintained or will be exited in the future.

Salt Lake City must have some pull because their center is closing but they’re all going home-based. Hmm!!!

I have chronic migraines but still show up to work and don’t think my issue would get approved. I could get a doctors note but I don’t think it would qualify me for fully remote and could be used against me I assume. One of the members on a team I work with only comes to the office one day out of the connect week and I wonder what she has that allows her to have that schedule.

Any news or rumors on RTO?