Thread regarding AT&T layoffs

I have been there also and a promotion never happened and I continued to do all of Director position admin work on top of my own Tech work until I jumped ship.

In my org, L2, L3, L4 and L5 are doing the exact same work! Why they get a higher percentage bonus at the end of the year is mind boggling. A testament to the hierarchical culture of our company from 50 years ago.

I'm also one of several L2 who commented that they are doing L3 work. I have been told that I am being "positioned" for a promotion to lead. I work with L3s and above and regularly guide these folks in various technical areas. Yet, I've not actually been promoted. I decided not to push it because honestly, I don't want the "culture shift" that seems to come with L3. I don't want to have to jump on a plane at a moment's notice or get sucked into the latest executive management drama de jour. I wish you the best.

This is OP

To be clear, during this trial period I will have a Director title and L3 pay. She did mention that. I don't know about the stock options, but I figure that's included. But I will be sure to ask.

Companies pay the position and not the person. If you are an L2 doing and L3 job, that job is now an L2 job and won’t be upgraded. More jobs are downgraded than upgraded!

You won’t be prompted. Your AVP will keep you at the L2 level to keep costs down. HR will not fight for your promotion.

To the OP, a couple things to look out for to help you read the tea leaves if the "trial period" is BS.

1. If you don't get moved to report directly (or dotted line) to an L4 or at least another L3 within a month or two, I'd be wary. An L3 cannot report to an L2.

2. If someone else gets promoted from L2 to L3 within your VP tower while you are doing L3 work. I'd be worried. VPs have to compete for those progressions and promotions in their org. If you are getting passed up, your VP isn't upholding their commitment to you.

Lots of people work in terrible orgs with terrible management in this company, so I understand the reflex to think that leadership is looking to pull one over on you. However, there are (small) pockets of this company who have leaders that actually fight for their people, I hope that is your situation.

Hope you get the actual promotion. I’ve been in that same situation and it never happened. Sounds like others have been as well. The “trial” that never ends. I’d suggest get some agreement in place with your AVP/VP for a “trial” period not to exceed X time or get it up front. If not, well, I’d just say you’re likely going to be waiting and waiting.

This is OP

@ilc+1kWZnE7O - thank you for ACTUALLY answering the question. You are a real life saver! None of this "don't do it", "AT&T will sc--w you", or "this is a BS question"

I appreciate your help! $80k is worth it - so I'm going to go for it!

Thanks again!

If you’re an L2 and doing an L3 job on a promise of a promotion, you’re getting the okie doke!! You’re being played for a su---r!!!

I have been performing as an L3 in an L2 role for the past two years. I entered into this relationship two AVPs ago with the understanding that promotion was imminent. The promotion has been pushed due to 'HR issues', 'just need to get past this next re-org', and 'leadership resets'. It hasn't come. It still continually 'we're working on it'.

Beware of this style of promotion. I am currently still doing the work, and have received top-tier marks throughout, and the promotion is still 'pending'. Don't let this happen to you.

Stay at L2, safest place currently. Span and Control exercise underway for all GM's (L3/L4). Many of those current GM's are not going to be able to drop and compete since they have been disengaged from the business too long. L2's run the business!

Sounds legit. Typical of AT&T clowns.

Well, well, well sounds like you should have asked that VP a lot of questions if, as you say, you met with her to discuss the job. If you met with the VP already, why would you ask anonymous people on a layoff board for insight regarding your potential compensation. Somebody's lying. Guess who.

"she wants me to do it temporarily, and if I perform well, I could have the job."

please, let us know how this turns out

I've been around enough BS to know when it's being pitched. And this post reeks of BS. But those of you gullible enough to think someone qualified for a Director's slot would be on this forum to query expertise about that level, salary and stock options ... well let's just say ... you can't smell it. But I'm calling BS.

If you take the job full time, you are moved to the executive compensation plan. You get options for stock purchase, and where your stock options go. Of course there may be a stock ownership required that you own certain number of shares, which may be good with what’s in your 401K.

I make more than $150k as a level two. Sounds like your pay scale needs raised.

Meant UNvested

Since this is a layoff board- when you get laid off all invested gets forfeited. Just learned that. Good luck.

Congrats! I can’t speak to the pay, but I’ve been in your shoes before. I was filling in for the L3 spot for nearly a year. I never got the actual promotion. VP shuffles happened, I would ask when they are going to make it official, they said they are waiting on HR. It never happened. Eventually I left that team. Hope that doesn’t happen to you.

L2 Cruise Control Kicking Back and Cashing Checks is The Way to Go. I wouldn't brag about being a hypo or director at ATT. There is another word for that and it is called su---r.

"perform well" - pls reveal what that means within T.

This is a layoff board.

Learn to read the energy in the room... even virtually.

I went from services tech to wire tech to l3. L3 pays better.

Another thing about being an L3, if you are at the top of the stack rank and get yourself connection awards, they tend to be higher than L2. My last one was 33% higher than the biggest one I got as an L2.

I got promoted to L3 last year, should be a 10% pay bump, assuming the bump wouldn't push you past the top of the pay band. You'll also get a yearly stock GRANT of 50K that vests over three years. This means year one is 16.7K, year two 33.4K and year three and every year after that 50K. I think you can start selling the 50K chunk after the first three year vesting period. There is some scuttlebutt that they might bump it to 60K, but I haven't seen anything official.

You will also get access to a salary deferment plan, where you can defer between 0 and 30% of your salary into company stock, with a 20% match, it is basically free money. Coupled with the dividend, the stock would have to drop about 40% for you not to come out ahead. It reduces your taxable income, and you can get access to that money after a year.

It is a huge bump in compensation, for the life of me I don't know why they aren't more upfront with these benefits, when you just look on career intelligence, it looks like you only get the team award bump.

That said, at least for me, it is more stressful than a L2 gig, executives have me on speed dial now, and I live in PowerPoint, which feels like a huge waste of time but for about 80K more in yearly compensation, it is worth it.

Work the job and then the pay should come.

You do know this AT&T right?

In my career (25+ years) non bargained, L2—I have seen several people ROYALLY boned in a situation like you describe. They took the gig as “”associate director” with the promise of full promotion down the road. Never happened (saw this twice; one person moved his family 1500 miles or so on his own dime). Saw another person actually get the L3 position only to be jettisoned the following year after re-org. Be careful what you wish for. Don’t

You get access to buy stock at a reduced rate. That’s your stock options. Sounds like you will get the promotion so long as you don’t have any issues in the job. Work the job and then the pay should come.

Thinking that the L3 position wasn't that critical. There should be another L3 that can absorb those responsibilities.

You get stocks. LOL. AT&T stocks, ever more laughter.

I would get the pay bump as interim director. And probably be promoted within 90 days.

But I want to ensure the extra stock options would be worth the additional responsibilities. Even the req won't show how much that is.

There is always a su---r. Don’t do the job without the promotion. Force them to open the req.