Confirmed: IBM Layoffs Will Strike Consulting Quite Hard
Related and recent:
- New Rumours of IBM Layoffs in 2025, IBM Consulting Still Struggles, Based on Management
- Rumour: Layoffs in IBM Consulting Today
- Rumours of IBM Layoffs Apparently Confirmed Yesterday, IBM Canada Consulting Impacted (as Rumoured)
Now:
The above report is hours-old. To quote the report, which is "exclusive" according to The Register: "IBM Consulting wants employees to know they're not all created equally, a point it intends to reflect in a "closer alignment between pay and performance." [...] Via an SAP SuccessFactors tool, IBM intends to hold performance reviews just once at the end of each calendar year, and these will feature "three key dimensions" including business outcomes, skills, and behaviors. Each of these will have a "Met / Not Met" rating."
The EPO does similar stuff with SuccessFactors, but that's a subject for some other day...
The author, Paul Kunert (not Thomas), makes an allusion to DOGE when he says: "At least they're not having to 'justify' recent work or resign" (it's close to that; the flagging of staff is a way to signal to them it's time to go or get the boot).
There are about 20 comments there with more outside the site. "This place is a sinking ship," said the first one. "People need to wake up and get the heck out before they go under with it...I never thought it'd get this bad, but here we are."
"Yes, terrible place to work in..." said the next one, "and about to get a lot worse."
The latest comment said: "Hope the Senior Mgmt in Consulting are going after all those arrogant Partners, Associate Partners and the Sales management types who used to act as if the they were above everyone and the rest of us were dirt. They need to be wiped out. Couldn't happen to a nice bunch of evildoers !"
Being overpaid to be all arrogant isn't a problem that's limited to IBM or even to 'IT'. Job titles or umbrellas like "Consulting" entitle a person to assert with authority all sorts of total nonsense. I've had to work with all sorts of people like these; it's not pleasant. █