Companies Are in Their Hardcore Era. Here’s What You Should Do.

If you want to keep your job, get back to the office and roll up your sleeves.

That’s the message company chiefs such as AT&T’s John Stankey and Amazon’s Andy Jassy are sending to employees. It means that to stick it out — or muscle into — some hard-charging companies, more workers will have to adjust their approach.

Instead of advancement based on tenure or workplaces built around hybrid work, some marquee employers are emphasizing performance metrics and requiring workers to come into offices five days a week.

Stankey wrote in a memo to AT&T managers last week that the company is in the middle of shifting its culture from one defined in part by hierarchy and “familial cultural norms” to focusing on “capability, contribution, and commitment” in order to take on big challenges.

Workers who aren’t down can go elsewhere, Stankey signaled.

“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,” he wrote.

Getting ahead in the new era of work

To get ahead in your career or even just stay employed in this no-nonsense landscape, career experts told Business Insider that some workers will have to adapt. That can mean showing up in person, highlighting what you bring to the table, and expecting to hear fewer applause lines like “work-life balance” than only a few years ago.

“The spillover from home life to work life is not of concern to bosses these days,” said Yale University management professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld. “It’s not the time to talk about what makes your creature comforts so different from everybody else’s, that somehow the company has to accommodate your needs.”

At some companies that are doubling down on a more hardcore work culture, even things like getting a dental cleaning during the workday may be more fraught. “Catering to convenience is not the driving force anymore,” Sonnenfeld said.

Stankey’s remarks echo back-to-business messages from other CEOs. Jassy said last year that changes, including corporate workers being in the office more often, would help strengthen Amazon’s culture. Meta has raised performance expectations, while Microsoft appears to be dispensing with its “country club” image.

What company leaders are essentially saying is “either you’re fully aligned or you’re disposable,” said Amanda Goodall, an independent provider of workforce intelligence for investors and executives.

What job seekers should consider

Knowing more about an organization’s culture is a good thing for applicants, Jasmine Escalera, a career expert with MyPerfectResume, told Business Insider.

If you’re in an interview and notice a hiring manager emphasizing business imperatives and speaking less about topics like worker well-being, you can match their language, while still getting insights into what it’s like to work there.

Focus on business metrics and performance measures, said Escalera. For instance, that might mean asking how an emphasis on performance fits with employee growth.

Deciding your priorities

While such changes may be an adjustment, there are ways to make a more rigid structure tolerable, according to Jennifer Moss, a workplace strategist and author of the book “Why Are We Here?.”

She suggests building friendships with colleagues or finding a way to take that 30-minute walk to create some balance. Spending time planning out your next career steps can also be helpful, she said, so you know where you want to go — and what matters most.

“If you are going to stay there, you want to make sure that you are doing everything in your power to make it as enjoyable as possible,” said Moss. “It is a long life, and work plays a big role in our lifespan and our long-term health.”

For those who are seeking a different company culture, it may be time to start job hunting. But you may need to be flexible, said Escalera. If you’re looking to work remotely, for example, consider what you might be willing to give up, such as higher pay.

“What are you willing to adjust in order to receive that?” she said.

Now may not be a good time to call it quits without a plan. In July, the US economy added just 73,000 jobs, well below the 106,000 that economists expected.

Instead, it might be time to start looking for new opportunities, knowing it might take longer to find something.

“Don’t walk out right now. The job market is not nice,” said Goodall, whose business is called The Job Chick. “You’ve got to play the game, unfortunately.”

Do you have a story to share about your company’s changing culture? Contact reporters sneedleman@businessinsider.com or tparadis@businessinsider.com.