At 3PM CST today, the announcement will go out to all TW workers effectively ending flex working in the operations organization.
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Next announcement will be to tell those not in one of the three hubs to relocate at your own expense or be out of a job.
"Those not located in a hub city listed above but where a large presence of OPS employee exist may remain at their current office location or may be asked to move within that metro area to an office where we can centralize operations."
This certainly sounds like more changes are coming.
@2cnz It’s just another way to cut people. Who in their right mind is going to move for this company? Especially when the company isn’t likely to provide any financial help for a move and there is no guarantee that you’ll have a job after uprooting your entire family’s lives.
Has the Operations team been struggling with their work responsibilities due to a lack of co-location and face-to-face communication? My guy says no, but JVB's email implies yes. If the answer is that the team has been effective thus far, then why the kneejerk change? Are we going with the guilty until proven innocent model for our work now?
Yes, let's all vote down real information being posted on this board.
“and more fun” LMAO
"You all have to work at the office and I'll keep working from home." /jennifer, probably.
Wow, there are still people trying to say this didn’t happen or won’t happen, even though it has been rumored for weeks, and the first wave of emails went out yesterday and pretty much everyone under JVB got it today.
Some of you are just absolutely living in denial.
Ops Team –
By now many of you have heard or read in the news about the changes we’re experiencing as a business. We’re not the same company we were a year ago and we’re not the company we’ll need to be a year from now.
To deliver and execute at the speed the business now demands, we are changing our working model to encourage the communication, collaboration and connection required to deliver on our ambitious goals. Teams work faster and generate better solutions when they work side-by-side – collaboration is essential (and more fun).
Like other organizations at AT&T, we are implementing new practices to help us achieve our goals:
OPS workgroups will be collocated, with a focus on concentrating work in our most populated locations – Atlanta, Dallas and El Segundo. Some of our team members are co-located with the channels they support – and that doesn’t need to change.
Those not located in a hub city listed above but where a large presence of OPS employee exist may remain at their current office location or may be asked to move within that metro area to an office where we can centralize operations
People that work from home, will need to start reporting to the office daily to work alongside your co-workers.
These decisions are never easy, and I realize that for some of you this will require adjustments. If this affects you, your management will be in touch with next steps. I ask that you engage in candid and direct conversation with your supervisor to discuss your specific situation during this transition.
We cannot continue to operate like we have in the past. Business conditions call for a different approach to drive transformation across the business – faster than we ever have before. We must change how we work to deliver on these expectations.
There are few organizations that will make an impact like this team. We have ambitious goals ahead and I know I can count on you to maintain focus as we evolve to transform the business.
Jennifer Van Buskirk
SVP Operations
Get pointlessly forced back into the office, get disabled in a car accident on the way to the office due to the icy roads, regain teleworker approval. Easy peasy.
Telecommuting ended unless you have a flex worker agreement due to medical.
“basically ending ” is not very enlightening and still sounds like someone trying to drum up drama.
Can anyone post the text of the email?
An email to JVB’s team did go out basically ending telecommuting. In the Program Execution group we all got it.
JVB email just came in... faq makes it sound like surplus based on location coming soon.....
Nothing more than #fakenews
I work in ATO and am a FTW, and no email.... I live more than 50 miles from a designated admin space.
It's just more fun to work in the office!
Of course it will be a COBC and termination. Why would they keep you around for surplus when they can terminate you with no severance.
@1zag - once your VP/Director makes it official, yes I would expect COBC violation up to termination. If you were hired for any other job where they expected you in the office and you didn’t come in - of course they would fire you.
Open question is how will they enforce? Will those who don’t comply be COBC violations? Or will they just be targeted for the next round of layoffs
Perhaps in the office for transfer of knowledge for eventual outsourcing?
Good way to get rid of people. Takes the heat off AT&T.
As said before there are FOW that never come in.
It’s always interesting how they blame “the business”, like it’s some living breathing thing that rhey just react to. We are the most powerful telecom company in the world, and we created the situations we are in as a company. We used to be very good at a few things we do, now we do a lot of things at a mediocre level. The ‘speed of the business’ has been held back by too many level 5’s and above for the last few years, hopefully we can correct course quickly.
I’m under JVB and coded FOW - still have not received an email......
Possibly both? I don’t claim to have all the details, but if you honestly think this is just a hoax by id--ts on this board, you’re in for a rude awakening.
It’s not!
@1wfz - someone below posted the exact opposite of what you just said. Smh people, either you have a letter or you don’t. Use more details or don’t post till you have more.
You said letter was to FOW and not TW. Here is below post:
“Today’s letter went to Van Buskirk org to TW status employees Ops. So far nothing for FOW status.”
So which is it?
Jennifer Van Buskirk
SVP Operations
Flex Workers,
By now many of you have heard or read in the news about the changes we’re experiencing as a business. We’re not the same company we were a year ago and we’re not the company we’ll need to be a year from now.
One of the greatest challenges we face is to deliver and execute at the speed the business now demands, and we are changing our working model to encourage the communication, collaboration and connection required to deliver on our ambitious goals. With considerable thought and deliberation, we have made the decision to eliminate flex working in the OPS Organization. We need all our employees to come into the office every day and work side by side to increase the speed of work, innovation, and communication.
These decisions are never easy, and I realize that this change will impact each of you differently. This change is not a reflection of your past work but rather reflects the value and benefit of in-office presence. Your management will be in touch with next steps and to answer your individual questions. I ask that you engage in candid and direct conversation with your supervisor to discuss your situation during this transition.
There are few organizations that will make an impact like this team. We have ambitious goals ahead and I know I can count on you to maintain focus as we evolve to transform the business.
Jennifer Van Buskirk
SVP Operations
ATO is impacted badly...
loads of US employees under the S S - PR umbrella were laid off with last days in Feb.
50% of few groups wiped out just like Thanos snapping his fingers
even some of the MOW centers have not escaped
Letter hit people coded as FOW; will be sent out to a wider audience under JVB on Thursday.
It’s not FUD, people.
Some guy posting multiple times to impersonate people getting the notification doesn’t prove anything. Post the announcement or it’s Fake News like usual here.
interesting, Van Buskirk isn't part of ATO. I was under the impression that the WFH elimination effort was for ATO. It must be company wide. About 500 of her 1500 employees are TW or FOW, that's a sizeable chunk.
Today’s letter went to Van Buskirk org to TW status employees Ops. So far nothing for FOW status.
@wjf can you post a bit of the specifics outlining this please.
What org is this? I am in the ops group under Van Buskirk and have not received the email.
We are not in JVB org and got communicated today. It implies to both employee and contractors.
Not fake news - Got mine. Anyone who refuses to comply will be fired without a severance package. Anyone living too far from their assigned office can either find another position or resign.
Different JVB, dvo. Our JVB just sent it out today.
I am in JVB org and have not received it.
Received the letter from JVB. Flex working agreement ended.