AT&T slashing 1.5 percent of workforce

Facing down a "sluggish" economy and in light of some recent regional acquisitions, AT&T announced today that it'll be cutting about 1.5 percent of its workforce, primarily concentrating on management. The company calls it the "next step in streamlining its operations," and will shelling out about $375 million in Q1 to make the layoffs happen. According to some dubious maths perpetrated by the Engadget staff, 1.5 percent of AT&T's workforce is about 4,635.75 humans, not a minuscule cut by a long shot. We'd certainly hate to be in Mr. 75 percent's shoes right now.

[Rob @ Apr 18th 2008 10:58AM]

That picture is a bit creepy.

[brickwood @ Apr 18th 2008 11:14AM]

WEAK effort by the engadget graphics dept.

[Bobs @ Apr 18th 2008 1:54PM]

Like "Break into your house and rape you in your sleep" creepy? I think so

[tiuk @ Apr 18th 2008 3:40PM]

Oh come on, I clicked on comments to say what a good job they'd done.

[aardvark sandwich @ Apr 18th 2008 10:58AM]

Whats ATT's combover hairstyle called? The Edge? ^^

[The Future @ Apr 18th 2008 11:06AM]

That man looks so much like Donald Trump - is that him??

Be honest

[Chicksta @ Apr 18th 2008 11:28AM]

Yes, that was supposed to be the joke; it's Donald Trump, You're Fired, har har, but obviously it went above a few comb-overs as well...

[phanbouy @ Apr 18th 2008 1:20PM]

how did you not recognize that hideous creation on his noggin? there is nothing in nature like that beast of burden

[phanbouy @ Apr 18th 2008 1:52PM]

btw, wearing a dead animal on your skull is illegal in 29 states.

TEH MOAR U KNO.

[rony @ Apr 18th 2008 11:09AM]

yup....looks like him with a haircut.....has the same dead racoon spread on scalp look.

[h8rain @ Apr 18th 2008 11:10AM]

I would hate to be the .75 person cut........

[Sam Zebian @ Apr 18th 2008 11:10AM]

.75 percent of a person..... Is that a midget? (I don't mean to offend any midgets, just sayin')

[Zeek @ Apr 18th 2008 11:13AM]

I call photoshop on this.

[Christian Martin @ Apr 18th 2008 11:57AM]

You don't say.

[Flashpoint @ Apr 18th 2008 11:14AM]

YOUR FIRED !

GET OUT !

GET OUT NOW !

SECURITY !!!!!!

[The Barber @ Apr 18th 2008 11:18AM]

I thought AT&T had better "coverage"...

sorry, couldn't help myself

[Ian @ Apr 18th 2008 11:22AM]

What total nonsense of a PR announcing a 1.5% rightsizing!

A company the size of AT&T has normal turnover of perhaps 10-15% per annum. People leave, retire, get fired etc. etc. etc. So all they have to do is NOT hire any new employees for 2 months.

In summary this is NO slash job. It's STUPID PR!!!!! On this basis alone I would not buy their shares, so much BS.

[beanspants @ Apr 18th 2008 11:38AM]

This is management employees. AT&T doesn't have 15% turnover in management. A $375mm hit means the average of these employees will get a package around $80,000.

[Mikey @ Apr 18th 2008 11:40AM]

The jobs with the highest turnover are the line workers/those at the bottom of the organization. This cut is mostly of managers. Over the past decade it has been very common for businesses to flatten their organizational structure by cutting out those in middle management.

[jeremy @ Apr 18th 2008 1:34PM]

there are over 300,000 employees and 3000 of those are vice presidents. so i don't mind them cutting out the middle (management) man.

[Idlemind @ Apr 18th 2008 11:31AM]

I knew Trump had work done.... I KNEW it....

[Harley3k @ Apr 18th 2008 11:33AM]

1.5% hardly constitutes a "Slashing".

[Nick M. @ Apr 18th 2008 12:28PM]

im surprised ATT didnt say, "it all roots from those kids hackin' their iPhones and usin' different carriers. See kids stealing really does hurt people."

[luzzio @ Apr 18th 2008 12:29PM]

Unless they were all middle managers with pays equivalent to that of more than 10% of the company's costs.

[Justin @ Apr 18th 2008 2:08PM]

Tell that to the people losing their jobs.

[Mike @ Apr 18th 2008 11:49AM]

Didn't engadget just say a month or so ago that AT&T was having trouble finding US jobs and/or workers to fill those jobs?

I mean, like....what?

btw, the picture made me lol....ty ty ty :)

[David @ Apr 18th 2008 12:04PM]

Mike - that last article was on having trouble filling lower-rung customer care jobs, and this is about streamlining its management. Totally different areas.

[Frank Furter @ Apr 18th 2008 11:56AM]

Where's the Mac haters? No "how come the iPhone didn't save them" comments?

[Lowest Ranked @ Apr 18th 2008 1:59PM]

I'm right here Frank, whats up?

[Frank Furter @ Apr 18th 2008 2:16PM]

Whaddya mean, what's up?

What part of "No "how come the iPhone didn't save them" comments?" don't you understand?

And you call yourself a Mac hater. PC would be ashamed.

[phanbouy @ Apr 18th 2008 2:22PM]

you guys are really bored, huh?

[Inspectah deck @ Apr 18th 2008 12:23PM]

@Frank Furter

Cause maybe we've all decided to grow up, you should too.

[frankXchange @ Apr 18th 2008 12:56PM]

In all likelihood this is had nothing to do with becoming more efficient, but rather with meeting short-term stockholder expectations. No doubt they'll cut from the bottom up, and then be forced to rehire those people when they realise no work is getting done. It'll end up costing them more, and disrupt thousands of lives. The real dead wood is at the top.

[phanbouy @ Apr 18th 2008 1:23PM]

exactly. this is why i cringe when people blindly defend oligopolies as "just capitalism". huh? if it weren't for the market abuses, sweetheart deals, and lobbying, you'd see nimbler firms clean house on these dinosaurs

[teslasnp @ Apr 18th 2008 3:01PM]

and here i thought that oligopoly was better than an apology. they give up employees so they can seek better employment...makes sense to me.

[Wireless Joe @ Apr 18th 2008 5:54PM]

Exactly...it's called a "synergy target", basically someone promised to be able to cut the budget by X% to justify the price of all the buyouts. This is just a way to quickly make that target.

[Terpy @ Apr 18th 2008 2:50PM]

Not really on topic, but I loathe Donald Trump.

[phanbouy @ Apr 18th 2008 2:53PM]

i guess you won't be paying $10,000 to go to one of his seminars then?

[John Stracke @ Apr 18th 2008 3:15PM]

"We'd certainly hate to be in Mr. 75 percent's shoes right now."

Dilbert: "How'd it go?" Wally: "He fired my hair."

[AMaench @ Apr 18th 2008 3:50PM]

Sounds like Randal is trying to get hit his highest level of bonus's. I was just reading ATT's financial statement they just sent out and it looks like everybody at the top is getting paid very well for last years performance and are gunning for some bigger bonus's/raises.

[phanbouy @ Apr 18th 2008 3:58PM]

i think this is code for "even more tech support call centers in India"

[phanbouy @ Apr 18th 2008 4:19PM]

or... "teh ekonomie is bad" = excuse for execs to skim even more off the top

[Brian @ Apr 18th 2008 4:26PM]

Here's a great new site that I think would really help....

www.ireallysuckatphotoshop.com/helpme

[mike @ Apr 18th 2008 6:45PM]

Refresh my memory please. Was it AT&T's CEO who just last month commented that he had 5k jobs in the USA that could not be filled because of the lack of "skilled applicants" I think his remarks were blasted all over the news. Were his comments bogus just to support moving more jobs off shore?

[Garlene @ May 2nd 2008 2:55PM]

Actually, AT&T already has a lot of skilled people to do the jobs but they are trying to get rid of everybody & ship the jobs overseas. I used to work for AT&T & that company is sorry as h**l, the landline rates are too high, & their cell phone service ain't worth a crap. I quit working with AT&T because they would not let me take a leave of absence when my brother was shot. They are not worth a dime.

[Terpy @ Apr 18th 2008 10:21PM]

Maybe if you paid me $10,000. Then again, I'm a whore and would do almost anything for money.

[Terpy @ Apr 18th 2008 10:23PM]

Damn, that was supposed to be a reply to phanbouy