I am horrified when I hear that someone tries to justify layoffs by saying it's just business.
Okay, maybe it's just business, but if this leadership's idea is to always solve issues by cutting people than it's a very poor business strategy if you ask me.
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How they climbing telephone poles from India?
ATT gets cushy gov contracts and outsources the work to India. It lobbies Congress for tax incentives and gibs then fires workers. They have no social concern and justify it with "its just business".
Soon there wont be a society for ATT to do business. Enjoy being a Telco in the third world!
Problem with T - they have been in layoff mode for last 10 years . Just nowt the way to run a business . I was a contractor for 1 year and shocked to hear layoff/budget cuts starting from q1 . Ran away within 1st year to a much better environment
The arguments here about layoffs being tied to changing times/needs/tech is all valid. Unfortunately, it doesn't apply to T.
T uses layoffs primarily as a way to compensate for disastrous business decisions by top executives. The failed takeover of T-Mobile resulted in not only T paying out $5 billion, but also T losing market share and competitive edge. Management reacted by layoffs to cover the loss of money and future income.
When T took over DTV the initial layoffs were to remove overlap in roles (legitimate), but quickly became the answer for the incredible loss of DTV customers (which was far greater than the industry average). Once again, management fumbled and they ended up cutting employees to compensate. Then came their Directv Now fiasco, another round of customer defections, another round of revenue loss, and more layoffs to cover.
Next came the Time-Warner takeover. Lather, rinse, repeat.
So yes, while some layoffs are totally dictated by changing times, most of T layoffs are to cover the incredibly bad business moves by Randy and Stinky.
Don't delude yourself. T is a horribly run company, and it's current status in terms of stock price and market share is a reflection of that. And if you think it's bad now, just wait.
The company cares about you to pay you good wage and good benefits. So unappreciative.
Some people have figured it out yet. AT&T is a business.
If your leaders say “it’s just business” they are telling you they don’t see YOU. They see your salary and benefits cost. They don’t care a wit about you or anything you’ve contributed. You aren’t even an asset (which is offensive comparing you to something like a building) you are a liability (like a utility bill.) Take the severance and go somewhere else. ATT pay and benefits are not keeping pace with the market. You will be better off in a company that understands all business is personal at its very heart.
Anytime a business has to layoff people means a business is adjusting. Times change, businesses change, people change. Deal with it.
"Anytime a business has to layoff people, for any reason, leadership has FAILED"
Not always, but you go ahead and believe that if it makes your bitter heart feel better.
Because it is "just business"
If you had a baby sitter and your children get old enough not to need them anymore would you keep paying the baby sitter?
You people who believe a company should continue paying folks who don't have work - "for whatever reason" - leadership blunders, company has enough money, whatever - are the joke. And the government should pay your student loans while your kids take out more student loans. A very sad direction for this country indeed.
Me - I think capitalism is the best way.
If there isn't work for the workers you pay them to support social justice protests. Or send them to more training. Or fix the union contact so they can do other work. Or volunteer in the community to get the brand out there.
These big companies have plenty of money to keep us all on the payroll if they want to.
All the bargained for contracts have sweeteners in there that will provide incentives in the event force needs to be reduced. I think we'll see more on the 15th of December.
Dream on, you're just wishful thinking because the need for technicians in out of region areas of the country has increased dramatically over the last year! Quite possibly techs that support the CO's might be at risk, but otherwise, not so much elsewhere!
"Anytime a business has to layoff people, for any reason, leadership has FAILED."
Not if it's for technological improvement reasons. Switches made switchboard operators obsolete. New technology has made the copper landline obsolete. In cell phone, voice has migrated to voice over data (VoLTE), SMS will migrate to some sort of messaging over data by 2025, and then everything will be simplified. Network operations will be increasingly automated. I remember the old joke from legacy T - AT&T stood for Allen and two temps.
T has done a pretty good job of reducing force via buyouts and incentives to retire. All the bargained for contracts have sweeteners in there that will provide incentives in the event force needs to be reduced. I think we'll see more on the 15th of December.
Oh, they'll be an offer. Come July 2029, just you wait. Right around the corner. 😜
Anytime a business has to layoff people, for any reason, leadership has FAILED. So congratulations, your AT&T leadership has failed to predict their own industry, failed to predict the market, economy, etc. But what do you expect from the bald megalomaniac CEO that thinks he knows everything, and his equally inept minions?
Ratty and Stinky have ruined a 100 plus year-old company.
There will be no offers. Get over it already.
Well, at least give The Company credit for doing right by it’s represented workforce by offering a rather generous enhanced surplus offer this coming March. 5/5/$5k will definitely get those stubborn clingers running for the exits!…and it’ll save AT&T a boatload of money as well.
What are you suppose to do with workers if there aren't work for them?