I mean, who sits down in front of 200,000 people and says, "Hey guys, let's make a new culture. Here's a powerpoint on what it looks like" ?
Culture is something that's fostered and created through interactions between employees, cultivated by leadership through example, and carefully tended over years, if not decades.
What makes these maroons thing they can print a slide and dictate that an entire corporation can just "change culture"?
Just a bottomless pit of ineptitude.
I think the only way something like this has a chance of taking hold is if it is presented my fresh new faces, not the same folks who have lost credibility with the masses.
Whenever I see stuff like this rolled out I often wonder how much money was spent coming up with all this. I often wonder if they spend a ton of money with consulting companies to come up with this stuff. If they do it internally you have to wonder how the time, effort and money spent on something like this could have been used to improve the business.
I work in a group where for 1+ years we get paged for systems that are running low in disk space. We have folks having to login as root to remove files. Been told there is no money for disk —- really? Ever try to look a ticket up in Remedy? Takes at least 90 seconds on a good day.
So many areas that need improvement and they are wasting time, money and effort on promoting something that most do not listen to and there is little chance the needle will move in the direction they want. If they want to jumpstart thing they really need to get new leadership in place, as in replace the existing. I can remember when there was a movement to put customer first years ago, I think led by Lori Lee. There was a time when ATT won JD Power (for whatever they are worth) awards like the Patriots win Super Bowls.
Most of the current leadership was in place when the company had some respect - how did it get so bad before they recognized the problem? That seems like grounds for dismissal.
As I see these special offers for the Note and S20 devices ATT just came out with I can’t help but think about Stankey & Co. telling us that DTV customers that were leaving by the millions were those on promotion and were not profitable. Really? Looks like the cycle is going to start for Mobility. I also remember them saying recently that people would come to ATT because of the brand, etc and they were no longer going to give devices away with strong promotions. Changed your mind again?
These corporate clowns are actually violating their duty to the stockholders. ATT is a political entity that masquerades as the owner of a news network. Some day the ones in charge will be “corrected “ and the company will be run as a business. Or not.
Gosh, OP here. Didn't mean to turn this into a sounding board on race (but appreciate comments nonetheless). I didn't even mean it in such a sense. I'm all for equity, and if that means trying to get more minority candidates in the pool, then great.
I was more commenting on the idea that we can change the culture by making a presentation on it. Like, oh we should really be customer-focused. Something they've been saying for AT LEAST fifteen years, but have never climbed out of being one of the most hated companies in the country (perhaps behind comcast).
For comparison, just look at any promoted ad in social media. Check out the comments. Given that social media is mostly a toxic stew, you'd expect negative comments on anything. But look at a T-Mobile ad, and notice there are at least 50% positive things "Love the unlimited service," "never had a problem with TMo!" etc.
Then look at an AT&T ad. Even with 6,000 comments, I defy you to find ONE in there that's positive about ANYTHING. You can't!
AT&T talks a big game of promoting equity, but then it fires people and replaces middle class jobs with the lowest bidder from so-called third world countries. When the proverbial chickens come home to roost and the cities in which AT&T operates drown in poverty and violence, they make a photo op of it. "AT&T Cares!" Put up a banner. Tell employees they can have the "day off" to "volunteer" (even though they have to make up their work later). Teach a few kids how to program tic-tac-toe in Python. Wrap up your banners before dark and go home. Then pat yourselves relentlessly on the back for all the "good" you did in the community you helped destroy.
That's what I was trying to get at.
Total nonsense to pivot the company on the strength of 4 hand drawn icons
Leadership is so out of touch and lacking basic skills to optimize their business, they are selling off all their assets to make up for poor management, while the ex CEO gets 28 million a year golden parachute while they lay off all the people making them money with sh– a– systems might as well Opus could be MS dos. They lose because of management, no one else.
I can tell you in retail the culture is awful. Seems like a new metric is being added every month. No recognition given. Only “why didn’t you get this with it” or “you’re struggling in this metric, here’s a documented coaching that will be in your portal forever” and “just put insurance and Next Up on there; we’ll worry about it later if they complain they didn’t want it”... not to mention the culture divide in the store between those who think the pandemic is overblown, like the conspiracy theorists, and those who are high risk or have high risk family members. It’s like pulling teeth trying to get everyone to follow the mask mandate, especially customers. If a customer is berating you or being a complete a–hole the manager just sits there and does nothing. Don’t get me started on trying to get a day off. “MeTime isn’t available” when there’s 7 reps and 3 managers and no call outs or vacation that day. Then you have the side by side coachings. You can get four new lines a TV and internet but get a negative coaching for not using their name enough or asking if they own a business. I completely eviscerated them on the employee culture survey. We all come to work stressed out and in fear for our lives, not just from COVID but from aggressive anti-mask customers.
"A few years later and I’ve seen the great bosses get run off. I’ve seen great employees leave. After getting kicked in the balls [edit: or ovaries] a few too many times, passed over, no recognition, I learned my place and just don’t care anymore."
This statement right here, speaks for the vast majority of all employees. Regardless of race, religion and s-xuality.
@1npz Great big plus +1, well said.
AT&T isn't third in wireless and barely treading water in media distribution because they've failed to "Act Boldly". It's failing because if horrible, horrible business decisions and no accountability at the top.
This circle-jerk isn't going to do anything for anybody except maybe all these little cheerleader groups making those stupid videos.
AT&T engages in hypocrisy, it talks about culture change but allows employees engage in racist behavior against African Americans without consequence!!!
I just tune out of this garbage. I’ve got better things to do. It’s not like they give a hoot about any of us anyways. Everywhere has a culture. When I first started, this was the best job I’ve ever had. I enjoyed my job. I loved the people I worked with. My bosses cared about us. I worked hard to make a difference. A few years later and I’ve seen the great bosses get run off. I’ve seen great employees leave. After getting kicked in the balls a few too many times, passed over, no recognition, I learned my place and just don’t care anymore. Have at it, do what you want. Next year there will be a new boss, a new slide and more of the same. Each year the bosses just get worse and worse. At this point I’m hoping to get laid off so they have to pay me to leave. I’ve already got another job lined up.
Put yourself in their shoes. You seem out of touch with humanity,morals, and values.
Culture isn’t shuffling around the very few woman and minorities in your organization to spread them out across teams just to meet a number. But you keep them doing the same c-ap. There are woman with more experience and education capable of more technical and leadership roles yet get pigeonholed into administrative type work. You first need to overcome cronyism. Look at who is most qualified first (actually qualified and not your lunch or golf buddy). Do away with cronyism and promote/retain based on skill, knowledge, and qualifications. By the way stop counting the employees based in India as diversity. Indians in the US are a minority. Indians in India are literally 1/5 of the worlds population and nearly 100% of India’s population. That’s not a minority. Bottom line make real change by doing the right thing not numbers manipulation to say you did something to make your goal.
Racism still exists or we would not be having this conversation.
Culture is what you value, not what you claim to value.
And what this company values has not changed one iota. It's called greed and the interests of those in charge.
What this company claims to value does change with the fashions of the day. And like fashion, it's a distraction.
Culture always is the last to change. Habits are what change first and you need stability and routine to execute those, something constantly disrupted by layoffs, reorgs, surveys about new culture...
It is complete nonsense. I could not be more tuned out and tone deaf to this new agenda. All nonsense, all the time. Executive leadership, please just give us the smallest indication that you can focus and execute on a strategic business initiative. Just one. Please.