Layoffs at USCC
Why hasn't anybody been talking about the multiple waves of layoffs happening within US Cellular. Last week US Cellular announced their quarterly results, but in their forecast I don't recall them mentioning additional layoffs besides the layoffs due to the divestiture of the Chicago , St. Louis , etc. markets. A internal memo from Carter also came out last week, saying that " to become more efficient we are going to be laying off another 3%" in the core markets. 3% doesn't sound like much but tell that to the hundreds of employees that are being fired. I have also heard of more layoffs yet to come (techs, inventory, etc.) listen up ! Even in the core markets ,YOUR JOB IS NOT SAFE. This probably won't end, until the end.
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I'd say you're right. It's not the end till the end. I think they are in desperate times at corporate. They are going to start axing jobs, but of course keep their bonuses. I also wondered why the additional layoffs/restructuring wasn't mentioned on their quarterly conference call. I think it's too late, but corporate thinks if they cut jobs here and there it will keep them afloat. All they are doing is postponing the inevitable.
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Agreed! These cuts are very concerning even in the Wi market. Telling us that Noone is sure if more changes are coming tells me that there are more coming. They're testing computers that perform most of the duties of technicians right now and bragging that they've saved the company millions already. Jeez, I wonder what this tells the associates in that position. I guess time will tell.
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With the sale of the call center in Bolingbrook to Xerox, everyone has lost hope. It's like a prison in here, we are all treated like children who can't be trusted, there is no morale, and it seems like everyone higher up has an angle. I've had three coaches in the last two months and it seems like every other day we get an email saying a manager is no longer with the company.
And then, there is the calibre of associate they are hiring. They literally placed an ad in the paper stating that anyone who walked into the call center would get an interview and might be hired on the spot! These associates would only be temporary through September, maybe longer if the need is there. Most of them are people who can't hold down a job, have little to...
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And then, there is the calibre of associate they are hiring. They literally placed an ad in the paper stating that anyone who walked into the call center would get an interview and might be hired on the spot! These associates would only be temporary through September, maybe longer if the need is there. Most of them are people who can't hold down a job, have little to...
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I've been pretty much waiting for this since 2010. There seem to be fewer brainwashed USCC employees nowadays.
They must have jumped ship earlier.
They must have jumped ship earlier.
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Hello All,
I used to be one of the Kool Aid drinkers. I have since come to realize how terrible this organization has become. US Cellular is all about getting as much as they can from their associates with little input as possible. Staffing in the remaining stores in this short as it can be. if you call in sick your peer will be Working a 12 hour day. and the workload is not stop. we are now responsible for making cold calls. I literally wake up waiting for my day to be over. I went from loving this job absolutely hating it. I really hate us cellular if you don't get the point. Mary and company destroyed such a great thing.
Pure hate
I used to be one of the Kool Aid drinkers. I have since come to realize how terrible this organization has become. US Cellular is all about getting as much as they can from their associates with little input as possible. Staffing in the remaining stores in this short as it can be. if you call in sick your peer will be Working a 12 hour day. and the workload is not stop. we are now responsible for making cold calls. I literally wake up waiting for my day to be over. I went from loving this job absolutely hating it. I really hate us cellular if you don't get the point. Mary and company destroyed such a great thing.
Pure hate
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I agree. They are trying to get the maximum amount of work done by the minimum amount of staffing. Now they are rolling out TOPS training in addition to our business prospect calling and CLCP calling and they don't care. You are expected to take all 30 trainings and make all your daily calls and do all your technical service problem solving and still hit your daily numbers. Waiting lines are never ending. They are putting tremendous pressure on the associates and they don't care either. This job has become so demanding it's ridiculous. Morale is very low to say the least.
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It's not just corporate, it's customers and agents, getting ---well you know.
Mary, her thinking, her squad have runied what used to be a great company. Since I was on board:
Stock is 1/2 of it's value
3 plus years of no growth
Plans that went nowhere and went up at a time when they needed to stay the same or go down a little
Always behind on product
Loss of very good people from the sales floor up
constant changing and tinkering with the Belief Plans--I do believe that there is very little belief left
The whole Walmart thing, taking away from agents and corp stores
The loss of qualified AAE's with another set of initials most who knew little or nothing
Backorders-after backorders after backorders
When I first signed on as ...
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Mary, her thinking, her squad have runied what used to be a great company. Since I was on board:
Stock is 1/2 of it's value
3 plus years of no growth
Plans that went nowhere and went up at a time when they needed to stay the same or go down a little
Always behind on product
Loss of very good people from the sales floor up
constant changing and tinkering with the Belief Plans--I do believe that there is very little belief left
The whole Walmart thing, taking away from agents and corp stores
The loss of qualified AAE's with another set of initials most who knew little or nothing
Backorders-after backorders after backorders
When I first signed on as ...
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As an AASM. I feel I have gone as far as I can in this organization, but with all the recent sell-offs of U.S. Cellular markets i.e Cellco d/b/a Verizon Wireless in Missourri, Sprint PCS in Illinois; I feel I have climbed as high as I can. As you may know, many of the U.S. Cellular Agents have been getting the ax as well and many more are yet to come. The mismanagement has led to the company working "dillon-gently" to sell in bits and pieces rather than sell the company as a whole and be denied by the FTC. This nickel and diming will prolong what looks to be a short and sweet demise.
Still climbing the corporate ladder.
Still climbing the corporate ladder.
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From what I've heard from associates, it seems like the company is on the downward slide. Associates seem very stressed at their jobs. I've heard them say their workload has been increasing a lot, but they aren't being compensated for it. Basically their job description now includes business sales, but they aren't paid like how business salespeople were paid in the past. They axed those folks and put the job on the backs of retail salespeople. I heard that many people are either quitting or looking elsewhere for new jobs. I guess I can't blame them. If you make their jobs that miserable, then I wouldn't work for them either. From what I've gathered Mary is only interested in numbers. I've heard their motto is world's best customer s...
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I just had a thought in the middle of the night, last night.
Has any company using the DO (dynamic organization) actually made money? Stayed in business? Just wondering.
k
Has any company using the DO (dynamic organization) actually made money? Stayed in business? Just wondering.
k
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I feel torn about this issue.
There is a part of me that feels very badly for the associates, who no doubt went from having good morale and stability in their place of employment, to being very stressed and fearful about their jobs. This is a very unpleasant place to be in, as I personally experienced this myself.
On the other hand it is hard for me to feel badly for the associates, particularly the ones who drank heavily the US Cellular koolaid. These ones would arrogantly back every single thing US Cellular did, acting as if it would never in a million years sell out to another company. These ones would treat the "D.O" like it was some religion, and would turn the other way when many of the management would misuse the principles i...
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There is a part of me that feels very badly for the associates, who no doubt went from having good morale and stability in their place of employment, to being very stressed and fearful about their jobs. This is a very unpleasant place to be in, as I personally experienced this myself.
On the other hand it is hard for me to feel badly for the associates, particularly the ones who drank heavily the US Cellular koolaid. These ones would arrogantly back every single thing US Cellular did, acting as if it would never in a million years sell out to another company. These ones would treat the "D.O" like it was some religion, and would turn the other way when many of the management would misuse the principles i...
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I am an agent, in SW OK. I'd worry about my higherups seeing this and doing something to jeopardize my agency. However, now I have no problem with saying that USCC is in big trouble. If I didn't know better (sarcasm), I'd say they were gearing up for a sale. Or total shut down.
In OK, most if not all of the single store agents are being shut down. I should say not having their contract renewed, since that's how they explained it to me. Many of the larger agencies are cutting back on the numbers of their stores, and I expect that USCC will be agentless very soon.
I'm hoping that when Dish buys Sprint, that that conglomerate will pick up the towers in our area, but until I see some more on that mess, we are stuck with no way to offer ...
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In OK, most if not all of the single store agents are being shut down. I should say not having their contract renewed, since that's how they explained it to me. Many of the larger agencies are cutting back on the numbers of their stores, and I expect that USCC will be agentless very soon.
I'm hoping that when Dish buys Sprint, that that conglomerate will pick up the towers in our area, but until I see some more on that mess, we are stuck with no way to offer ...
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As an ex agent, who put my heart and soul into my business and worked hard while doing it for USCC also, I can say this: I'm much happier now that I'm not an agent.
As to the deception and lies? If you were turned on at all, that's been going on for some times, but in the last, say 3 years, it's gotten worse.
You can see what the real message is beneath all the "corporate speak" the agents who helped build this company in earlier years are not needed as much for distribution. This really is American business as usual, get folks to invest time, money, energy then when saturation levels are reached, start getting ready to cut, starting with smaller stores, then working up.
It's not just USCC it's many American companies. Yet, the wa...
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As to the deception and lies? If you were turned on at all, that's been going on for some times, but in the last, say 3 years, it's gotten worse.
You can see what the real message is beneath all the "corporate speak" the agents who helped build this company in earlier years are not needed as much for distribution. This really is American business as usual, get folks to invest time, money, energy then when saturation levels are reached, start getting ready to cut, starting with smaller stores, then working up.
It's not just USCC it's many American companies. Yet, the wa...
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Yeah, I was never very good at guzzling the Kool-Aid.
I felt like they have been trying to set us up to fail, but our community has really gotten behind us and made it difficult for them to hurt us. That being said, I agree, American Companies are definitely looking for ways to have customer they neither have to see or actually deal with. It's almost like it's more important for them to pay their upper management than actually provide the services that they got in to business for.
I wish I could say I would be happier not to be an agent, but seriously, I'm going to lose my business because of this. When there is no way for us to sell phones because of the non competitive clause of our contract (which they've broken nine ways to su...
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I felt like they have been trying to set us up to fail, but our community has really gotten behind us and made it difficult for them to hurt us. That being said, I agree, American Companies are definitely looking for ways to have customer they neither have to see or actually deal with. It's almost like it's more important for them to pay their upper management than actually provide the services that they got in to business for.
I wish I could say I would be happier not to be an agent, but seriously, I'm going to lose my business because of this. When there is no way for us to sell phones because of the non competitive clause of our contract (which they've broken nine ways to su...
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I agree with you. There were many US Cellular storm troopers for the company that thought the company could do no wrong. And you're right, I've heard associates say the company will say one thing and do another. For example, they want "openness" but if you actually are open with them, you'll be put on a "to go" watch list. They want to hear your opinion, but only if it goes along with what they say. From what I've been told, it's a company based on lies and deception to associates.
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This is very true!I can not tell you how many times I saw someone share their true feelings and then get penalized for it. I really am shocked at how poorly mismanaged this company has been.AND THESE SO CALLED LEADERS HAVE THE DAMN AUDACITY TO ASK MORE FROM ITS ALREADY OVERWORKED EMPLOYEES! EVERY TIME I HEAR THESE CORPORATE SLIMEBALLS TALK ABOUT THE D.O AND WORLDS BEST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IT MAKES ME WANT TO BREAK SOMETHING.
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As times goes by, as people are leaving and have left, more and more of the lies told, the exaggerations, begin to filter out.
If you were awake over the years, you could see it and feel it.
If you were awake over the years, you could see it and feel it.
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I can definitely see all the lies and how they tell you one thing and do another. For example, "winning" is one of their code words, but they are anything but winning. Selling off 1/10 your customer base doesn't sound like winning to me. In fact, I'm sick of all these code words that get pounded in our heads everyday just like propaganda. They literally pound in our heads, like you would do to a child, code words over and over like "diversity", "winning", "customer focus", "openness", "respect", "empowerment", etc. Another example, "empowerment" in which you're supposed to feel free to do what you need to help a customer, but if you actually do it, you'll show up on some report and you'll be explaining yourself to your manager. Man jus...
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This company is the only place I know of where you can actually be fired for following the rules they've implemented. Like they changed the equipment timer to a max of 4 months you can upgrade early, however, if you actually enforce that rule to a customer, the customer can call in and complain and then you'll be explaining yourself to your manager. Another example, you aren't supposed to waive activation fees, so if you do you're in trouble and if you don't the customer can complain and you'll be in trouble for not waiving it. You aren't supposed to change the promo price on phones, so if you do you're in trouble and if you don't, they customer can complain and again you'll be in trouble. Like I said, it's the only place I know of where...
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I've been reading some of the past memos, and that "winning" word keeps coming up. What winning looks like to an agent is different than what winning looks like to the Head Offices.
If there are any agencies left at the end of the summer I'll eat my hat. That being said, WalMart and Sam's Clubs are not agencies, even if that is the "channel" they are "working" out of.
k
If there are any agencies left at the end of the summer I'll eat my hat. That being said, WalMart and Sam's Clubs are not agencies, even if that is the "channel" they are "working" out of.
k
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They are winning--nothing, except for one quarter in the past 3 years, they've lost customers, they've lost stock value, they have no I-phone, they have no Windows 8 phone.
They've decimated the "Belief Plan" they've raised the number of reward points to customers at upgrade time, they've cut the early upgrade time allowance, they got rid of battery swap, they took a huge chunk of prepaid and threw it into Walmart and sill had net customer losses.
This is winning? If it ,is I'd hate to see what losing looks like.
They've decimated the "Belief Plan" they've raised the number of reward points to customers at upgrade time, they've cut the early upgrade time allowance, they got rid of battery swap, they took a huge chunk of prepaid and threw it into Walmart and sill had net customer losses.
This is winning? If it ,is I'd hate to see what losing looks like.
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I posted this in another part of the thread, but I wonder if any other company has tried the DO (dynamic organization). And if they have, are they still in business? Is the company growing? Everything I've seen about the DO is about justifying the jobs of the people forcing you into DO training. It's darned sure not about growing the business or doing better service, that's for sure.
k
k
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The D.O.was created a long time ago by Jack Rooney, it was a good business concept at the time. Simply put , Trust and take good care of your employees and in turn they will do the right thing, take good care of the customer, and take care of the customer. Unfortunately that all changed a few years ago, starting with the removal of associate satisfaction. The D.O. was turned more into a weapon against associates that don't smile when there commissions are cut, or dont think that shrinking the company is a step in the right direction, or laying off thousands of employees. If don't conform to what we say , your not living up to the D.O. And will be written up, and be fired. Mary has been undoing jack's legacy for years now.
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