Nothing is what it seems at AT&T: thousands of Americans fear this could affect them

One of the most important telecommunications companies in the United States is going through a complicated time. Although this isn't a network outage or a technical failure, what's happening inside AT&T has caused concern, both among its employees and its customers.

People aren't talking about anything else. The way the company is managing its workforce has set off the alarm.

What seemed to be an internal reorganization strategy has ended up causing deep discontent among thousands of workers. In recent weeks, platforms like Reddit have been filled with messages reflecting a growing sense of frustration, especially among the operator's employees.

AT&T's problem that must be solved

Everything started after a memo sent by CEO John Stankey, in which he asked employees "to be disruptive" and to adapt to the company's new goals. The message also made it clear that those who don't share that vision might consider leaving the company.

These statements didn't go over well at all, especially because they happened in the context of a strict return-to-office policy that many consider excessive.

Since January 2025, employees must go to the office five days per week. But the reality is that many locations, such as the one in Atlanta, aren't prepared for that load. Workers have reported a lack of desks, overcrowded parking lots, and endless waits to use the elevators.

Some arrive at 6 a.m. just to find a place to sit. In addition, personalizing workspaces is prohibited, and any object left behind is automatically removed.

Internally, it has become known that AT&T assigned more employees than desks, expecting that not everyone would show up every day. Some have seen this measure as an indirect attempt to cut staff without directly firing anyone. They would push workers to resign due to discomfort or exhaustion.

The complaints go far beyond physical presence in the office. Some employees report forced relocations, a lack of growth opportunities, outsourcing of jobs to other countries, in addition to an ever-growing disconnect with management teams.

It may affect customers

All of this adds up to a crisis of trust between the workforce and management. Some fear that the deterioration of the work environment could lead to a real impact on the quality of service customers receive. In fact, many remember the massive outage on February 22, 2024, when millions of users were left without service for 12 hours.

That interruption was a warning sign for many. Now, with the growing internal problems, some customers fear that situations like that one could happen again. When those behind the service don't feel heard or valued, it's likely that this will end up being reflected in the user experience.