Read AT&T CEO's frank response to employee feedback about a 5-day RTO mandate — and much more

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AT&T's CEO addressed the company's shift to a "more market-based culture" in a memo to managers after an employee survey.
This year, the company shifted from a hybrid schedule to a five-day in-office mandate.
Stankey said those who want hybrid work "will have a difficult time aligning" with company priorities.
Roughly seven months after AT&T called workers back to the office five days a week, CEO John Stankey has a message for employees: Get on board or get out.
In a lengthy Friday memo addressed to "all AT&T managers" that was obtained by Business Insider, Stankey shared his thoughts on the results of the company's employee engagement survey.
The AT&T CEO said he is "not surprised" by the declining self-reported employee engagement level and touched on some changes the company is going through.
The note was, in part, to help workers identify where their "professional expectations" may be "misaligned with the strategic direction of this company," he wrote.
"If you are of the small minority that shared comments similar to, 'I have heard this nonsense before and I'll ignore things until this goes away…' or 'things were just fine the way they were…' there might be a disconnect between you and your current professional choice," Stankey wrote.
According to the memo, 79% of respondents said they feel committed and engaged with their work. The survey results represent over 99,000 employees, which is 73% of the company.
AT&T told BI that the company has no additional comments on Stankey's memo because it "speaks for itself."
"We run a dynamic, customer-facing business, tackling large-scale, challenging initiatives," Stankey wrote. "If the requirements dictated by this dynamic do not align to your personal desires, you have every right to find a career opportunity that is suitable to your aspirations and needs."
"That said, if a self-directed, virtual, or hybrid work schedule is essential for you to manage your career aspirations and life challenges, you will have a difficult time aligning your priorities with those of the company and the culture we aim to establish," Stankey added.
AT&T has undergone a series of changes this year, starting with replacing a hybrid schedule with a five-day in-office mandate. Some AT&T employees previously told BI that it became difficult to obtain office desks and parking spaces amid the RTO push, while the telecom's rival, Verizon, saw the office mandate as an opportunity to recruit AT&T workers interested in hybrid schedules.
In the memo, Stankey addressed the "right to expect to work in a professional, well-maintained, and functional facility" and the ongoing and coming investments into office hubs.
Stankey is the latest CEO to tell employees to get on board with a return-to-office policy or go elsewhere.
He also described the company's transition as a shift away from some elements, including "loyalty, tenure, and conformance with the associated compensation," to "a more market-based culture —focused on rewarding capability, contribution, and commitment."
"When I read comments lamenting disruption, I tried to pick my brain for an example of another 100+ year old company that didn't have to disrupt itself to secure sustainable relevance," he wrote. "I am still searching for the first example."
So far, AT&T shares have risen more than 21% in 2025, and the company posted robust earnings that met analyst expectations over the past two quarters.
"I know change like this is difficult and can be unsettling for some," Stankey said in the memo. "However, as General Eric Shinseki so eloquently stated, 'If you dislike change, you're going to dislike irrelevance even more.'"
Read AT&T CEO John Stankey's full memo:
A Message from John Stankey
My Observation on our Employee Survey results
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Read the original article on Business Insider
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