I don't know if this culture was part of Qwest's legacy or not as I wasn't there, but it is a very subdued one - everyone is afraid of being hit during the next round of layoffs that come regular as clock-work if the company doesn't make it's numbers to the street. If you are quiet perhaps they'll forget about you works in zombie movies. Sometimes.
If you are hired as a temp-to-perm contractor, place no false hope on anything anyone says about that turning into a real job. If there was a real job they would have hired you permanently already. The reality is that any permanent position in the company, regardless of the level, MUST first attempted to be sourced in Monroe, LA. This is public knowledge as part of the tax deal the company made with the state, but not widely discussed internally. The Duck Dynasty currently has the spotlight for activity in town, but that can't last forever, review all episodes for summary of what your life would be like there (except for reality TV show and Hollywood size paycheck). Your only ray of hope is the fact that there are no accredited institutions of higher learning within driving distance of Monroe, so the farther up the food chain you are the less likely it is that your job can be filled by anyone in town.
