The real reason AT&T's return-to-office rules are causing tension at work

Phone Arena

a day ago

What is wrong with AT&T is what Redditors ask themselves in a heated discussion – and this time, it's not about connectivity issues, 5G dead zones, or plan price hikes. Instead, the discussion revolves around the way the corporate head treats its employee body.
As you may've heard, the AT&T CEO John Stankey recently sent a memo about "being disruptive" and, among other things, he told managers that some employees' views don't match the company's goals. He said workers need to follow the return-to-office policy or consider leaving. Over 99,000 AT&T employees (about 73% of the workforce) responded to a survey earlier. While most said they felt engaged, the company used the results to identify those not aligned with its direction.
– AT&T CEO John Stankey in a memo sent to AT&T employees first obtained by Business Insider, August 2023
This memo got emotions boiling and while some industry insiders say that workplace loyalty is finally dead, others took it to Reddit to voice their frustration:
Source – Reddit
Some have expressed concerns about the way AT&T 's RTO policy is being enforced and the overall work environment.
As a matter of fact, AT&T 's five-day return-to-office rollout was off to a rough start in January 2025, with employees reporting overcrowded offices, limited parking, and long elevator wait times – especially at the Atlanta location. Many say they now arrive as early as 6 a.m. just to find a desk, with some ending up in dining areas or conference rooms. Internal documents show AT&T knowingly assigned more employees than desks, assuming not everyone would show up daily. Personalizing desks is banned, and any items left behind are removed. Some employees believe the push away from hybrid work is less about collaboration and more about cutting costs and encouraging resignations.Another Redditor even comes up with a list capturing the main issues: Ignored feedback
Forced relocations
No advancement
Offshoring jobs
Broken systems
Widespread disengagement The way they put it, some feel that the company's leadership is not listening to employee feedback and is shifting blame onto workers rather than addressing deeper issues. These include a lack of open communication, limited career growth, and morale damage caused by quiet layoffs and forced relocations.There are also frustrations about perceived outsourcing of jobs overseas, and some employees feel that these changes are weakening internal operations and long-term stability. As a result, disengagement appears to be growing, with some employees reporting that basic collaboration and communication within teams have become increasingly difficult.Moreover, some feel the company's internal systems are showing signs of serious strain. With many experienced staff gone, key processes are reportedly left unsupported, leading to growing inefficiencies across teams. The major service outage last year is seen by some as a warning sign of deeper structural issues.
As you probably remember, on February 22, 2024, a major AT&T outage disrupted service for 12 hours, affecting over 125 million devices, blocking more than 92 million voice calls, and obstructing over 25,000 emergency 911 calls.