I’m hearing a lot of rumors about possible RIFs at Verizon, and I’m wondering if anyone knows whether remote or hybrid employees could be more at risk. Do you think Verizon might target work-from-home employees first, or is that just speculation?
I’d like to hear what others are seeing in their groups and whether RTO status is actually a factor when it comes to layoffs.
I sure hope not. I make an outstanding salary but have zero skills. I don’t really want to flip burgers for a living.
@19h
We wouldn't have to send messages that late if you responded to any of the ones we sent earlier.
Though, thanks for admitting you receive the messages... your most common excuse is that you're not getting them.
It's amazing how quick you are to respond to or vote down posts here, though.
@17a Oh comeon you guys send wfh guys message 5 minutes before you are done for the day, which by the way all day you spent chatting with your Pal's. Send messages or emails end of day before leaving office and complain wfh guys dont respond.
@17q it's good to hear at least one of you admit to neglecting vz responsibilities. You know... The ones you're paid for.
@17 ditto. WFH folks tend to get a lot done during the day “we are more productive at home”just not VZ stuff
@138
I don't have wfh coworkers on my team but we do have to get data from wfh employees on other teams regularly.
If we could walk around the office and find them bs'ing with their buddies, that would be a massive improvement in communication and workflow.
This is exactly why y'all are fighting rto, though. If you make it difficult to work with you, maybe we'll just leave y'all alone. We all know it.
I thought we was supposed to make you happier and emotionally healthier. All the wfh guys posting here seem pretty stressed, unhinged and on edge. I don't think they're doing it right.
@13j what is being said is although employees are in office but still not really working.
@138 so what you're saying is that when you're in the office you are able to interact with others in person to discuss what you need while wfh employees are isolated and unable do the same.
@12t I have seen same behavior with the ones who like working in office. Send them message for something that akes 2 to 3 minutes but dont see response for over half an hour. When I go by where they sit only to find they are down te aisle chatting with someone nonwork related. When I let them know I need something they say they are very busy and have alot of impotant task before heading down to their but they first get back to finishing their conversation and dont get back for 2 days for something that takes 2 to 3 minutes.
When I pass by where they are always standing by someones desk and having nonwork related passionate conversation, at mist they ae working 2 to 3 hours a day.
They have already fooled management that by being in office they are working plus reading some of above comments by managers it looks the managers are not that smart and giving less work to the in office employees.
End result in office employees are less productive and costing Verizon money. Being in office doesnt mean does not employees are working efficiently.
From day one it's been difficult to work with the WFH employees i am forced to. They will not answer a call. I've rarely gotten a reply to an email. If the text or IM is of the "good morning, how was your weekend? " variety responses are quick and detailed. The second the subject switches to anything work related I can expect to wait 30+ minutes for a response. They all avoid conference calls. When they do attend, there is always something going on in the background that will be a distraction at best. Usually, whatever it is becomes an outright interruption. The bottom line is none of us are ever sure that the WFH employees are on board with what we're doing. We're never sure we're going to get their deliverables on time and updated to include our current requirements. If we are getting preferential treatment over the WFH employees, well good. We're getting substandard service from them. It doesn't make my day easier or more pleasant but it does make me feel better thinking that there are repercussions for how unnecessarily difficult they make things.
It's odd that wfh was sold on its ability to allow employees to be very flexible. The reality is stubborn wfh employees resisting rto. It looks like the uber flexible wfh employees inflexibility may have created an unofficial org structure that punishes wfh people for their hypocrisy.
@yb it sounds like you’re grooming your WFH team to all take disability right before the holidays. Good luck getting stuck with all the work while you wait 6 months to get backfills.
@z2 Bet you are okay with it!
It sounds like someone is afraid they are on @yb's team.
@yb... I run my team in a similar way with one notable difference. I assume the office crew wants a separation between work and private life. IE They leave work to go home and they leave home to go to work. The WFH crew never leaves either and I know they'll prioritize home if allowed. For this reason I will assign my office people as close to 40hrs as I can. The WFH people get all the extra work.
@y3 looks like previous post struck a nerve with you!
Getting all personal.
In fairness, there are WFH people running side hustles, such as dog minding, additional contracts for other companies and other things that distract from their regular job. It is these people that are ruining it for everyone else that WFH and actually do their jobs. RIFing those folks is too good for them, and it is a shame that they cannot be reprimanded and dismissed. They ruin it for everyone else that toes the line!
@yx I'm ok with that
@yb Good that you were candid.
Although you claim "as a manager you fully support wfh" but later you say when hiring manager contacts you tell them employee is "insubordinate" when it comes to RTO.
You are talking both sides of your mouth.
And then you say when its time for raises money goes to guys who come to office, and you also let the hiring manager know employee doesnt have Leadership quality or willing to develop them.
Sounds more like retaliation although saying in start you "fully support WFH".
You just demonstrated you have have no integrity and ethics. This is exactly the problem at Verizon, the toxic managment we have at Verizon management having no integrity or ethics.
Have you let your WFH that you " fully support" know about this!
@y3 So if you wanna wfh u r supposed to be unhappy here?
As the manager of a team I fully support WFH and sincerely hope it is not eliminated. The way I have structured my team takes advantage of the two types of employees. On the org chart I have one team. Functionally though, I have two. They have divided themselves into the office team and the home team. As the home team has expressed and demonstrated no interest in participating in meetings and calls, I do not include them. The office team are the ones I collaborate with. We make all the decisions. We do all the planning. We call the shots. The home team does all the grunt work and whateverthe office team doesn't want to. I assume the home team is prioritizing home and home will always win, so I don't hesitate to pile on more and more work with tighter and tighter deadlines. I don't really know them and don't really care about them. At least, not like the guys I interact with daily. As long as we get prompt, accurate results I don't really bother them. When it comes time for raises, the office team gets the money. They pay for transportation to the office, the home team doesn't. It's only fair. I've had some of the home team try for promotion or lateral moves. When a hiring manager contacts me about the candidate, I tell them how good or bad a worker they are and I tell them they have no leadership skills and no interest in developing them. I am also certain to mention that they have been insubordinate in regards to RTO. I haven't lost anyone yet. I see great value in the home team. They keep my brain trust from being bogged down with tasks that would distract them from what I need them focused on.
@ve -it sounds like you are very unhappy here. I'm sure being let go will make your life better. For your sake I hope you are one of the first to be RIF'd.
Been noticing the ones who are excited to work in office just need someone to chat with most of the day. They usually are not working all day either just want to get out of house to socialize.
Seen many employees even pre-covid days standing around someones cube and chatting for hours whether Fantasy football, giving their weekend update, filling others on vacation during work hours. The best ended up being manager and Director position.
Had a Director who created a perception of being a workaholic and working long hours to upper management but most of the day he would boasting to everyone in management his accomplishment of taking credit of individual contributors work and presenting as his own.
@r4
I sincerely hope that little nugget of wisdom provides endless comfort to anyone RIF'd because they refused to RTO.
If you think the three-day RTO update and new hub strategy don’t apply to you, good luck with that.
Not this cr-p again. I wish they'd hurry up and rif these guys so we can stop wasting time talking about it.
Ever notice it’s always the ones who say “real work only gets done in person”, who fall for people making themselves look busy vs the ones actually staying on task.
It's work. Not happy laffy safe space time. If there was a participation trophy it wouldn't be won from the basement you share with the cats litter box.
It's required that you get stuff done. Enjoyment and happiness are not required.
The selfishness and cluelessness of the wfh crowd amazes me. Vz leadership only cares about what they think is best for the company. If they think rto is what's best, that is what they will require. All their babbling about the supposed benefits of wfh and the future of the workforce doesn't matter. We are all expendable and replaceable.
Let me explain how this works:
We allowed WFH during the lockdown so that we could continue to operate. This was never meant to be permanent. We asked you guys to go back several times since. You refused. Instead of wasting money, we closed the unused and underutilized offices. The ones that were in that category because YOU refused to use them. Now, due to YOUR actions you are not aligned with what we want for the future of this company and, therefore, higher on the RIF list. You can whine and cry about how unfair this is but you will still be RIF'd. You can cite any study you like showing how happy WFH makes people. We've noticed WFH produces habits and results we do not want. And, please, hire attorneys to fight the injustice... out legal team has assured us this position is solid. They are very prepared for any resulting action.
They only need to cut out all the outside consultant firms which is now hundreds of millions of dollars in opex a year.
Just listen to the employees.
No, it's either based on performance, work elimination, or if the boss doesn't care for you. Has nothing to do with whether you are remote or hybrid.
On my side of the fence I’m having to look at all contractors. If it’s opex it’s getting cut or at least reduced substantially. We given notices to a few contractors that are not being renewed next year.
From capital labor contractors and internal we had to provide justification for every headcount. Being a super achiever is not enough. What’s interesting our team has quite a few band 6 AD’s and Directors where they been asked to do the job of a DMTS.
I suspect we won’t be impacted as much but contractors are definitely on the list.
@d2 but network teams should stay safe? bwahahaha
No announcement yet, but the signs are there. Verizon is setting up another RIF under Schulman — the usual pattern: voluntary separations before the holidays, WARN notices early December, and everyone affected off payroll by year-end to clean the books before Q1.
Finance has been modeling headcount for weeks, and directors are already defending roles. Expect cuts in corporate, admin, and mid-management layers. Retail and support ops will feel it too, but network teams should stay safe.
This time, it’ll be harder to spin. The days of “strategic realignments” and hidden layoffs are over. Transparency’s coming whether Verizon wants it or not.
No. There are entire teams who are fully remote and no other team knows how to do their jobs. New policy has been converting residents of shuttering locations TO home-based. These also tend to be more tenured employees, who are looking for a good reason to retire. The company is going to deliver an ultimatum to the wrong team and there won’t be a martyr to do the work of 8 other people. They’ll all walk out. Can’t waive their pension over their heads, cause you froze that long ago!
I think so because they are working hard to consolidate and get employees in offices. It’s already hard for them to justify forcing people to office 3 days a week with people on same teams working 100 percent from home because remote offices closed. Easy fix to RiF those not near an office.
What is used to determine rifs? Over the years it seems to be less and less organized and more like a lottery
Speculation.... don't let anyone tell you any different