I am not in a position to lose my job. I can’t afford it. I have a mortgage I have to pay, I have kids in school and college, I have other debts that have to be paid, and my health is far from perfect so I desperately need my health insurance, as bad as it is. There are so many of us in this position and it breaks my heart for all of us. We deserved better from AT&T.
24 replies (most recent on top)
To summarize the Book of Ecclesiastes, strive to seek joy in the toil and suffering that is part of this human experience.
Per the wisdom of the late great Jim Rohn, don't wish it were easier, wish you were better.
For those that have 20+ years and have not made huge progress toward financial independence, what's up with that? Might you own some of this?
US Inflation: 2023-07-12 12:30 PM Jun 4.8% Jul 5.3%
Sadly I think most of us that have been with this company for over 20 years have forgotten how to value the talent we have and the skills that we possess.
And then there's the group of a--holes gaslighting us with quite the opposite:
"Sounds like an old guy with outdated skills trying to hang on and grab as much as he can. Welfare." This tactic was typical in the lean years in the very late 80s/early 90s. Convince them they aren't worth sh-t so they won't fight, or even file for benefits to which they might be entitled. Don't just dis them or break them; utterly destoy them. Sir, you su-k.
Sad but true for most people at AT&T. After so many years i’ve seen people terrified of even the thought of leaving as they cannot imagine working anywhere else. With AI this job insecurity is just going to get worse so upskilling is not the answer. Su-ks
Don't worry, be happy
“Rather than let a few hundred senior people age out of their jobs and gracefully transition to new talent”
T can’t afford to do that.
most of us here are too old for this...
As far as health insurance is concerned, the company provided a safety net in the form of a pre-tax 401K. This provides the laid-off employee the means, if necessary, to generate the income to qualify for Obamacare by taking taxable withdrawals. And if the withdrawal is finessed so that Obamacare out-of-pockets are minimized, even a 10% premature distribution penalty is worth it.
Otherwise, if the state allows, there is expanded Medicaid. But google "medicaid estate recovery" if you are age 55 or older.
I paid attention to medical considerations so that I could land on my feet in the event of a layoff. Wound up, none occurred that prevented me from reaching retirement.
Sounds like an old guy with outdated skills trying to hang on and grab as much as he can. Welfare.
You may be too old for this. The Company owes you nothing.
All true. You would have no standing for complaint, but only if that described the full extent of the situation.
What's left unsaid is that this force reduction (which is what this is, not about is quashing people with critical skills just because they s̵i̵t̵ ̵a̵t̵ ̵h̵o̵m̵e̵ ̵d̵o̵i̵n̵g̵ ̵l̵a̵u̵n̵d̵r̵y̵ ̵a̵n̵d̵ ̵w̵a̵t̵c̵h̵i̵n̵g̵ ̵T̵V̵ ̵a̵l̵l̵ ̵d̵a̵y̵.̵ do real work that if left undone results in escalations and revenue loss.
The consultants, interns, and new hires have no idea how to navigate our legacy systems. Those are slated for retirement, planned to be sunset, etc. etc. but they have been for a decade; until they actually pull the plug we rely on them for revenue, and the deep knowledge on many of these systems is held by people sitting in home offices not anywhere near any of Jeremy or John's precious "hubs."
The senior people are simply trying to cut costs for the year, with no real vision for the future other than to "what other companies are doing," as Legg so convincingly put it in the AMA. Since when is that a vision?
Rather than let a few hundred senior people age out of their jobs and gracefully transition to new talent—in a hub, no less!—they're grabbing for an expedient way to trim the 15,000 while bringing home millions of dollars.
The only thing truly too old here is the tenure of the CEO who made these strategic errors.
Sorry to hear you lost your job. It’s stinks and we all know/knew people in your situation. They landed on their feet. Your job now is to find a new job. Take the weekend, feel bad, have some drinks, come Monday pick yourself up by the bootstraps, rewrite/write your resume, create a LinkedIn profile or update the one you have and start pounding the online applications, reach out to everyone in your network and on Facebook, that’s what you have to do. You don’t owe T a thing and don’t worry about your job/projects or others on the team, they aren’t going to write you a paycheck and will likely forget about you in a few months. You’ve got this.
You will be OK. You will land on your feet. It’s scary right now but you will see. If you’re going through he-l, keep going.
It’s pretty evident that we have some pretty intelligent and thoughtful people working amongst us. We also have some real stupid mouth-breathing cretins that can only speak on topics based on how their political party says they should.
They create posts about “Stinky” and complain about the president and whatever political party is opposite them. I really believe if you speak in terms of some stupid a-s political cliches you’ve heard a million times on the news, you’re completely useless.
Learn to think for yourself.
Everybody’s got to lose their job sometime Red.
@@hbw+1nIvZPmu - This is one of the most useful and best posts I have seen on this site. I have not (yet?) been impacted, but I love your sentiment. Thank you.
- Unemployment: 3.6%
- Annualize inflation (June 2022 - 2023): 3%
- June 23 monthly Inflation: 0.2%
All stats courtesy of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. For comparison, the UK has annualized inflation at 7.9% , so maybe Bidenomics is working.
Consider these as focus areas: diet, exercise, financial management skills and discipline
Nice s-b story. I just want to get paid and not do much work, take care of personal business while I ignore emails.
You should have always had a backup plan! T is not responsible for your current situation. Take some ownership. Where are your savings? Your kids in college can get part-time jobs to support themselves along with loans.
One thing to add is I think it’s human nature to lean into the side of thinking that the company should have some loyalty to you once you’ve been there a significant amount of time.
I don’t know what the right answer is to that, I can see both sides of the coin, but I can say that I think we all need to make an effort to detach from that way of thinking a little bit.
It doesn’t have to be this cold, cut-throat, “I owe them nothing” stance, but maybe just understanding that businesses will operate and continue to operate whether most of us are there or not.
Keep yourself marketable and hone those skills and look at your employment as a partnership that benefits the company as much as it does you. That mentality I think should help anyone to reconcile their situation if their position goes away. In that event, your outlook should be that you have value and someone will be willing to compensate you for that value.
You worked in the office before the Ch$&a Virus why can’t you do it again a year after it is gone?
I know this will be difficult, but things aren't quite as dire as you fear. I know, as I speak from experience.
I got surplussed in late 2020. At that time I was 56. Getting laid off was a real shock and, like you, I was worried about what would happen, and whether at my age I would ever be able to find any work other than Amazon delivery driver, fry cook, or Wal8Mart greeter.
After some small panic I settled down, took a very hard look at my situation, and thought hard about what to do next. I worked very hard on my resume, making sure it was concise and highlighted both my accomplishments in quantifiable ways, as well as stressing the skills (both soft and hard) that could be transferrable to other positions, industries, or companies. I also thought long and hard about what sort of job I wanted, and immediately ruled out another Fortune 500 tech-type company because those always seem to have layoffs, and I wanted to avoid, or at least minimize, that scenario again.
I looked into other types of work: healthcare, education, advocacy, working for local or state government, etc. Anything by a FANG-like company. Sure, I was tempted to stay in my comfort zone, and checked out places like T-Mobile, Comcast, and many of the entertainment providers like Sony, Paramount, NBC-Universal, and so forth but the risk of another downturn and layoffs was just too great for those.
After about 4 months of taking time to myself and deliberate and targeted job search I landed a position with a local non-profit that, ironically, does a lot of workforce development helping unemployed and under-employed folks find careers as well as providing veterans services, refugee assistance, women's support, and assistance for those on public-support (think welfare to work).
The pay is about 15% lower than I was making at T, but:
- Insurance benefits are 95% covered by my org
- My work is now very rewarding, as I prefer my efforts go to helping those in need rather than increasing Stink's bonus.
- No Stink! In fact, none of the lying, arrogance, incompetence, double-talk, and blundering like on gets with T's senior execs.
- No constant re-orgs and quarterly layoffs. In fact, in the 90+ years of my new org there has never been a single layoff event. Ever.
- No insulting townhalls or poison kool-aid emails or cultish events
- More equitable pay. Yes, my salary is lower now, but get this -- the CEO of my agency earns $325K per year. Not $20+ million.
- My work and contribution and effort is actually noticed and appreciated. I am treated with respect and have respect for my colleagues and the senior execs
- I come home each day happy and mentally relaxed. I'm not stressing about what stupid thing the company will do tomorrow, or what lie the CEO will blurt.
So yes, things are very scary right now and I can empathize, having gone through it myself. But - this is important - if you expand your search, consider alternatives that you normally might not, and really show your value and potential in your resume and interview, you will be fine. Companies of all kinds want those of us with experience, knowledge, and skills that can be used for different things, regardless of age. You just need to be open to looking beyond your normal range.
The other important thing is to keep a good mental attitude. It's rough when you can't even land an interview, much less turn an interview into an offer. And it's very easy to get depressed and bitter about things. But when that happens take a walk, play with your dog, pick up a guitar and strum, have a beer with a friend, or do whatever you like to keep your mind away from the negativity.
Six months from now or so, you will find yourself in a new job, and almost certainly in a better place and with a better company than T, because there aren't many that are as truly bad.
Stay positive, keep working, and you'll be fine, man. Good luck!
Good response!
As employees, we should support on another, especially during this current environment. Many people are being impacted and it’s devastating to hear the news when you’ve put so much into one company.
Sadly I think most of us that have been with this company for over 20 years have forgotten how to value the talent we have and the skills that we possess.
Believe in yourself and don’t fear losing your job, but focus on sharpening and honing those skills and bringing some value to whatever position you find yourself in.
If anything, we should all be doing that anyways to boost our mental health.