AT&T employees, others sound off on telework cuts

Network World - News of AT&T Inc.'s plans to scale back it telework program have set the industry buzzing. Dozens of readers, some who say they are AT&T employees, commented on Network World's recent story about how the telecommunications company is requiring possibly thousands of home-based employees to give up their virtual offices and return to corporate office sites.

"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 traveled back about 30 years after the SBC acquisition," wrote one reader.

That comment touches on the political situation sources said is the reason the new AT&T is scaling back what once was a celebrated telework program. Prior to being bought by SBC Communications Inc., AT&T reported that 90% of its management employees telecommuted on a regular basis or occasionally.

But new owner SBC -- which is in the midst of reconciling its own human resources policies with those of former AT&T units BellSouth Corp. and Cingular Wireless LLC -- is not supportive of virtual offices, sources say.

"It's known that SBC people never bought into this," says Chuck Wilsker, president and CEO of the Telework Coalition, an organization in Washington that promotes telework through education and legislative efforts.

Meanwhile, employees are fired up at the thought they may be called back to office sites.

"I'll continue to telework until I am fired. At that point, I am certain I can find a better-paying job with a better corporate culture. Way to go, AT&T -- let's force all of your talent out the door and replace it with contractors," wrote one reader.

Another wrote: "This is the dumbest thing I've heard yet. It's like walking onto a Ford lot, asking the salesman for advice, and finding out he drives a Honda! How can you buy a product from a company that doesn't even use it themselves? (Now to find out if they 'force' me back to the office, if I can write off my gas as a tax expense after being virtual office all this time.)"

Nonemployees similarly questioned the logic of a company retreating from telework when the rest of the world seems to be doing the opposite.

"It's ridiculous that AT&T is regressing back toward the Stone Age. The environmental impact and increased costs to bring workers back into offices should be reason enough to keep teleworking," wrote one reader.

Another commented: "I think Al Gore needs to do a slide presentation for the uppity-ups at the new AT&T. What the world does not now need is 20,000 people commuting because some exec does not feel comfortable with people working from home. Surely AT&T needs to call itself 'green' to survive in today's warming world."