Disconnected: How Six People from AT&T Discovered the New Meaning of Work in a Downsized Corporate America

Until just a few years ago, AT&T epitomized corporate America--the monolithic giant employer where people worked until they chose to retire. However, AT&T, along with many other established large corporations, felt pressured to downsize to survive the new competitive marketplace. To an outsider, this meant hearing about generous buy-out packages; here, journalist Rudolph shows the day-to-day impact on six former AT&T employees. Rudolph profiles four men and two women from different parts of the country who all lost their jobs during the AT&T reorganization. In fact, two of the displaced workers ended up getting positions with companies spun off from AT&T. The stories are poignant because, although there was advance warning of the layoffs, these people weren't really able to prepare themselves for losing their jobs--either practically or emotionally. They felt a certain betrayal and questioned whether they could ever again feel that sense of security or connection. ""The coincidence of losing his father and his AT&T career on the same day was a potent symbol for Kyle. `Was I saying goodbye to my real father and my pseudo-father?' he asks himself."" Rudolph's subjects are surprisingly candid about their situation, including one man who has been subsisting on short-term jobs and family support, so the book offers some insight into the plight of the middle-aged displaced worker. But the audience may be limited, since many long ago discarded the idea that identity can be derived from corporations and replaced it with the belief that workers must be their own company. (Aug.)