amungus
Premium
join:2004-11-26
America
clubs:
| Sad
Especially coming from pioneers in the field of such things! These guys are largely responsible for such advancements. To tell them "no" is an affront. Surely they could work out a better deal, like work the morning/afternoon, but if you can do everything else from home, stay there before/after lunch. Save fuel, save company electricity, save time, save headaches, save talented people.
Understandable that they want to kind of consolidate, but this seems like more of a political move. |
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haplo2112
join:2003-05-12
Charlton, MA
1 edit | The Company I work for...at least in IT
Has a very NO work from attitude in general. In other words they just don't get it. |
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morbo
Complete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000
clubs: | seems backward
this policy seems very backward, lacking common sense and some logic. oh lookie. an advertisement for u-verse! |
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hogrunr
join:2005-10-21
Spring, TX | The whole ARTICLE
seems backwards...my dad teleworks for ATT from home all the time. Probably more so now than he ever has before. |
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David
No,there is another.
Premium,VIP
join:2002-05-30
Granite City, IL
clubs:
 ·DIRECTV
 ·magicjack.com
 ·AT&T Midwest
| It was mentioned here once
About the possibility of us being able to telecommute. Since then I haven't heard anything about it. It's been to the PMEI meetings, so it's not like it hasn't come up for us here.
Personally I would like to see it.
I think the company would save money on electrical power and equipment as well. After all I can supply my own pc, monitor and keyboard. I think the one of 7 I have in the house I can find something up to par.
I need a machine that just has company links on it? No problem! Got that covered, I would even build it this week and have it ready by next. Wouldn't even take me that long. Need it even quicker? No problem! I have an IBM A31p laptop (currently docked & locked) that barely has anything on it currently. I can clean that thing off and use it.
Either way I got it covered... Considering the gas savings I could drop about $500 for a newer machine and make it back up before summer of next year. Could even claim it as a tax write off because it would be needed for me to work. Even better yet!
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If you have a topic in the direct forum please reply to it or a post of mine, I get a notification when you do this.
Koetting Ford, Granite City, illinois... YOU'RE FIRED!!
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en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA
 ·RoadRunner Cable
·DSL EXTREME
| reply to morbo
Re: seems backward
Just as AT&T doesn't get the FTTH, they don't get telecommuting either. Old school business - management has to be able to keep its eye on its employees (self preservation).
I've been telecommuting for an IT company for +3 years now.
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Canada = Hollywood North |
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JasonD
@comcast.net
| reply to David
Re: It was mentioned here once
They aren't interested. In the fast-paced consumer driven telco world, people need to be able to be reached on demand. Reliably. Every single time. To AT&T (and plenty of other companies), this means a measure of control over where you are. Namely in their office by your assigned phone.
Maybe they just don't get it, but maybe they do, and believe that some jobs just aren't meant for telecommuting. I'd have to think AT&T has done plenty of time/productivity studies, and must truly believe telecommuting just isn't right for them at the moment. |
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TheWickerMan
join:2002-04-09
Enola, PA
| reply to David
said by David  :Could even claim it as a tax write off because it would be needed for me to work. Not necessarily, at least not according to the person who did my taxes the one year.
At my job, we're allowed to connect from home to resolve production issues after hours (but not during our regular shift, hopefully someday.) I did not own a PC before they started allowing this, and I got tired of having to drive in every time something blew up in the middle of the night, so I went out and bought a PC.
Like you, I thought I'd be able to write it off as a business expense, but they told me it's only allowed if you have a room in your house that's designated as an office, and if there's anything like a TV in it, then it can't be considered an office. I wonder if it's the same for a radio or CD player, because then half the offices at my job are not offices by definition. |
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roztaylor
join:2000-10-21
Madison, AL
·AT&T Yahoo
| Many companies don't trust
I sat in on a telework policy presentation, at my company, several years ago.
The audience was mostly employees, but there were several supervisors. The only supervisors who spoke out, during the discussion period, were the ones that were against teleworking by their employees. comments were made like "not only do they want to work from home, but they will want to earn comp time and overtime too" and other less pointed comments that I interpreted as "I don't trust my employees to work their full shift if they are at home"
We have several employees who have to work at multiple locations. A perfect situation for docking stations and laptops you would think...NO! When I suggested laptops for those employees, I was told that it wasn't feasible. So, those employees have to synchronize their files between at least two computers (sometimes 3 or 4). And, our IT folks couldn't help them with that. Until last month, the savvy ones could map to whichever computer they considered their "primary" computer to maintain some control (if slow) over file proliferation. But, last month that was stopped for security reasons.
I don't know, but I think the real reason they won't issue laptops is because they are "afraid" the employee might use the computer for personal stuff in addition to work.
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Choose to make it a good day... don't wait for something good to happen! |
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en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA
·RoadRunner Cable
·DSL EXTREME
| reply to JasonD
Re: It was mentioned here once
Change in management always comes with a change in process.
I've seen this happen in every level of management during management changes/corp mergers, etc.
What was good for one is bad for the other.
This is partially an 'alpha male' shake up (i.e. I'm here, I've got to make changes to be noticed, and make my presence known/justify my position) more than actual time/productivity studies. Most large companies would outsource a that kind of thing, and it may not even fit their corporate lifestyle.
I've had one manager that stated 'I need all my team in the office', and another manager that didn't want anyone in the office. Most of my team is across a few states, with at max 3 people in one location, and management isn't even in the same state as any of us. We're reached by cell (Nexthell) and MS communicator.
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Canada = Hollywood North |
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Sammer
join:2005-12-22
Canonsburg, PA | Do as we say not as we do
Considering that AT&T is the largest ISP in the country it would be in every AT&T shareholder's interest for AT&T to promote telecommuting as much as possible. |
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inteller
Sociopaths always win.
join:2003-12-08
Tulsa, OK | dont blame ATT, blame your union's slacker history
You said it yourself right there in the article. ATT won't let you telecommute because you are union. Sorry that the southern work ethic from San Antonio is clashing with the union collective. |
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guardfrog
join:2004-08-27
Dallas, TX
| If the "old AT&T" was so good...
quote:
"The old SBC managers are stuck way back in time! Having been an AT&T employee in a cutting edge company, we now all feel we have travelled back about 30 years after the SBC acquisition."
The "old SBC managers" bought your company after the "old AT&T managers" practically ran it into the ground.
The only thing that was "cutting-edge" about AT&T Corp. before SBC bought it were the job cuts.
Great to see those who were lucky enough to keep their jobs are now crying about having to actually GO INTO AN OFFICE.
Boo-friggin-hoo. |
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MrMaster
What If
Premium
join:2000-12-16
Austin, TX
clubs:
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to TheWickerMan
Re: It was mentioned here once
said by TheWickerMan :said by David :Could even claim it as a tax write off because it would be needed for me to work. Not necessarily, at least not according to the person who did my taxes the one year. At my job, we're allowed to connect from home to resolve production issues after hours (but not during our regular shift, hopefully someday.) I did not own a PC before they started allowing this, and I got tired of having to drive in every time something blew up in the middle of the night, so I went out and bought a PC. Like you, I thought I'd be able to write it off as a business expense, but they told me it's only allowed if you have a room in your house that's designated as an office, and if there's anything like a TV in it, then it can't be considered an office. I wonder if it's the same for a radio or CD player, because then half the offices at my job are not offices by definition. You didn't own a PC to begin with? |
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Matthew
Premium,VIP
join:2001-08-03
Emmett, ID | reply to guardfrog
Re: If the "old AT&T" was so good...
So, just curious, how would you rate the management of say Bank Of America? |
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Switch Tech
|  Normal Practice
This is a justifiable way of reducing head count (OPEX). I was associated with two different merger/acqu. at AT&T. This is the first step. Next will be a centralization of management (Bellsouth practice of culling management and placement of their own). Lastly, re-organization of all business groups. This is just a way to frustrate and edge out a certain group or type of employee. AT&T is very "rank and file" and military in culture, as is much of its, 1st & 2nd line, management (SBC). The smart people leave (not military) the company for other opportunities. This all gives AT&T a facade of one of the best and most diverse employers in America. But, this fosters a general attitude among employees of "be happy you have a job". Breaking employees down to accepting what is in front of them instead of expecting more of an employer. Employees are seen as line item expenses instead of assets to the business because AT&T doesn't care to understand the value of a person. But that's business and I guess, quitting is never personal. It is true, there is no such thing as a "career" anymore and universities are creating the work-force of the future, 2 years max and out. |
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TheWickerMan
join:2002-04-09
Enola, PA
| reply to MrMaster
Re: It was mentioned here once
said by MrMaster :You didn't own a PC to begin with? This was ages ago, back around '95 or so. I had been thinking about getting one for awhile, but had been unable to afford it. But after countless times where I had to go back in to work because something blew up in the middle of the night, going another couple grand into debt didn't seem so bad.
I ended up buying a Packard Bell (I didn't know any better at the time) for about $2000. Back then, those cheap $300 Dells you see at Wal-Mart didn't exist. |
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SquareSlinky
Premium
join:2004-05-25
Tampa, FL
 ·Verizon FIOS
·ViaTalk
| reply to haplo2112
Re: The Company I work for...at least in IT
I don't think a lot of companies get it. Its a do or die situation, get the work done or your gone.
I have worked from home for many many years. I went to the office recently and realized how much more I worked than those in the office did, so I cut my time down. I still do 50 in a week. Make me go to the office and you will 40 from me. |
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ninjatutle
Premium
join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
| Be grateful
they aren't being pushed into open office spaces instead of cubes and offices.
»Companies dumping cubicles for open office spaces
»www.mercurynews.com/ci_7622029
»www.businessweek.com/innovate/co···2520.htm |
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Corona
It's cool, I'm takin it back
Premium
join:2000-03-14
Aubrey, TX | There is a
huge difference between "official" teleworkers, and those that simply remote office from a non company location.
They're cracking down on the official teleworkers. |
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