AT&T

• Salary
• Health Benefits
• Generous PTO

AT&T compensates their office employees well.

Genuinely unlimited sick days, 23 days of PTO annually, really solid healthcare options, good bereavement leave policy, and 15 days of "caregiver leave" to take care of immediate family members.

From my understanding, the unions in the south east states managed to get better deals for their members as well.

• Draconian RTO policies
• Office workers are forced to strike break
• Most managers are disrespectful (personal experience)
• Cult-like office culture
• Lots of micro-management
• Uncomfortable levels of tracking
• By the books promotions

AT&T hired employees with the expectation that they will be working in a hybrid environment. Several coworkers got mortgages with this expectation in mind and are now being told a couple of years after hiring that they need to come in or risk termination.

There are several others who worked in offices that were shut down or were working exclusively remotely in a state without a "hub" office. They are being told to move without relocation assistance or be terminated.

This gives very little faith for people who have to move for their job, as some people are worried about having to move again within a year or two after moving.

AT&T is also fumbling the ball when it comes to supporting the increased office presence. When they mandated three days in office in 2023, the offices in Lenox became over-capacity. There were more office workers than there were desks, so many had to work on random tables or on the floor. Parking is also a major issue, with management's solution being, "Just arrive earlier."

This is especially a problem in the other Georgia campus in Alpharetta, where there are 1500 parking spots for 3500 people. Leadership was looking to require five days in office starting Q1 2025, but quickly had to walk it back.

If the laborers and technicians in your area go on strike, office workers are required to strike break with minimal training. Depending on the assignment, we are required to take 40-50 hours of online lessons, followed by roughly 8 hours of in-person training. Medical exemptions are borderline impossible to get. Refusal to do so will result in termination.

Much of management is very "corporate" and by the books. Don't expect to get a lot of leeway if something happens in your personal life. If you get into a car accident, you still need to be in the office three days a week. You are unable to work from home when sick or injured; you must take time off since it will count against your attendance report. I'm sure that it's all just coming down the chain, where managers don't want to get in trouble with their managers because someone down the chain is out of compliance.

AT&T likes to tout its "cultural pillars" as much as it can, often using them to show how progressive and forward-thinking their employees or initiatives are. It gives a cult-like feeling, where people are adopting a corporate mask to adhere to these pillars to get ahead.

Management's fixation with their managers also leads to a very cult-like experience. If you don't attend an event when a director or above is visiting, you are viewed as going against the company, letting your office down. It's a very discomforting, ever-present feeling.

AT&T will do everything in their power to track your office presence to enforce RTO. Initially, they only checked your badge scans to ensure that you were in the office at some point. Next, they began monitoring your Wi-Fi to make sure that you were working from the office you swiped at. Then they started pinging your laptop throughout the day, making sure that you aren't just swiping in and quickly connecting. Now, they are using the pings to ensure that you are in the office for eight consecutive hours a day, where previously, many were able to work part of their days from home as long as they spent (usually) half the day in the office.

Finally, promotions are very much by the books. If you show outstanding knowledge or skill, you will not be eligible for a promotion if you lack very specific experience requirements. You may be able to take a position with a lower title, but you can expect to receive the same responsibilities with lower pay and potentially lower benefits.

Calm down with the constant, heavy-handed RTO enforcement. No one likes to constantly hear that their jobs are on the line. Telling your employees, "This may not be the job for you anymore" and "If you don't like it, then leave" when they raise concerns probably isn't the best idea either.