Does anyone else worry constantly that today could be the day? I can't shake the feeling that my position might just disappear. How do you cope with that?
22 replies (most recent on top)
@m5 you’ve learned well from the stink. Make this man the next CEO!
I invest in stocks. Buy high and sell low.
My advice would be to ensure you have at least 6 months expenses in your savings account (preferably 1year) and then to just ride it out. We’re all in the same boat here, nothing is guaranteed. With the savings account set up, at least you know you’ll have time to find something else, and you will.
@aa preach, brother!!
every paycheck is payback
“I am in mobility. We carry the company. We are safe.”
Why do you post this?
Do you think it’s funny, or what’s the deal? I don’t get it.
ps - I’m in Mobility 15+ years and don’t know anyone that thinks they’re safe.
All employees get free therapy sessions to figure that out.
@OP why fear?..have a plan b and starr looking for another job.
I bury it until I blow up.
sometimes, between golf sets and pickle ball sessions just before lunch hour during the job day,
@e8 not anymore. That time has passed.
Prepare as best you can. Upskill if you can. Sometimes when it happens it's kind of a relief. You don't have to worry anymore.
I am in mobility. We carry the company. We are safe.
AT&T is everything to me. The thought of no longer being part of it is terrifying.
Same. I always liken it to being a prisoner of te------ts. You know how they force prisoners to go blind folded in front of a camera to read a script. At the end you go back to you cell. Until the last time when they execute you. That’s what it’s like working here for 26 years.
After years of the torture, you become desensitized to it and just accept it when it comes.
Like you it’s been about 10 years of this. IDGAF anymore. I just do the best I can.
I dealt with it by finding a job with another company.
I climbed the ladder at T, moved out of state, and promoted my way up through the ranks, but never had any semblance of job security, except as an entry-level wire technician.
Junior man in core tech jobs: No job security.
Took a management job: No job security.
I put off buying houses and making big life decisions due to the fear. I knew it could be the next quarter. The next year.
I left the company for another big company. But, this company treats their employees well. And pays better.
I was scared that T would surplus me. I was scared to leave T after so many years. Almost a Stockholm syndrome after so many years of high-pressure situations and constant metrics.
Leaving for a better company was the best thing I could have done, honestly.
I still check in to see the chatter, partly because I still have my cash pension and 401k funds in T, and also I want to affirm my decision.
T ain't never gonna change. Hang in there, folks.
That’s every year, every day at T.
Everyone’s number will be up at some point.
They will say- Thank you for playing, this is your 2 weeks notice!
Welcome to life at T.
"How do you handle the fear?"
With edibles.
How long have you been here?
I’ve been here a long time. When these layoffs became quite regular like 10 years ago, I guess I was like you.
That wore off some time ago.
Now, I really don’t give it a second thought. It will happen when it happens. I don’t think about it at all. I’m retirement eligible, and will retire one way or another.
I have the same fear and am unable to sleep at night if I spend too much time thinking about it.
When I was a full time employee, an extremely wise contractor opened my eyes with the following statement:
"The only difference between your job (as an FTE) and my job (as a contractor) is that I know when my job will end."
Embrace and own the fear. Don't deny or ignore it. Instead, use it as a motivational tool to prepare for, and always be ready for, "the day." Prepare financially for "the day." Network, constantly. Develop skills that are strategic to you and where you want to take your career. If those skills align with what T feels is the current fad/trend/focus, then all the better.
Listen to the words spoken by leadership, but always remember that actions speak louder than words.
Let it drive you to upskill and leave to a better place.