Discussing Morale at IBM and Conversations Regarding IBM Layoffs (Disguised as Other Things)
Trolling can be a form of censorship
There are claims of mass layoffs at IBM (soon and right now), but the main discussion about it is being derailed by one very obnoxious troll. Here is a filtered version of the latest anonymous comments about it: (troll-feeding filtered out too)
Thanks for in depth report. So how does this situation get fixed since IBM's so called internal tools are worse than useless to fix this garbage ? I've seen and experienced it. Seems to me that someone needs to do a business audit of all these places. IBM Legal does nothing and just passes the buck.23 minutes ago by Anonymous
@gn It does not work that way. Take Albany for example. The cronyism is very obvious, and everybody knows it. One of the most obvious examples in the last 2–3 years is someone many people consider to be the site VP’s favorite person. People complain about it, point to the facts, and openly talk about what is happening. Everybody recognizes it, but nothing is done to fix the problem.
Instead, the same people continue to get promoted and receive new opportunities again and again. The evidence is not hidden. The data is not hidden. It is right in front of everyone. Everybody can see it, everybody knows and talks about it, but nothing changes.
It is like a huge pile of trash in the middle of a room. Everybody can see it. Everybody can smell it. Everybody knows it is there. It is not hidden, and some people even openly complain about it. But instead of cleaning it up, people just walk around it and continue acting like it is normal. It’s just how the site is. How it operates and works. It’s the engrained culture here and status quo.
37 minutes ago by Anonymous
@gs - Totally agree. Whistleblower hotline is lip service just like employee concerns. As someone noted in the following thread related to IBM accused by whistleblower of covering up breaches, Business Conduct Guidelines at IBM are suggestions rather than requirement.
https://www.thelayoff.com/t/1ktfk2spa
1 hour ago by Anonymous
This is likely not true (RAs starting). How can you tell? IBM does not do late-week layoffs. RA announcements start on Tuesdays with 1-on-1 RA meeting notices going out Monday afternoon. Most managers are not made aware of when the RAs will happen until the week they do occur - that way they can't leak this information.2 hours ago by Anonymous
@gp Total BS...all those tools that IBM says should be used to report wrong doing (such as Speak-Up and the other so called confidential channels) and make complaints about corruption and unethical behavior DO NOT WORK. Been there, done that and saw that IBM senior management covers up for wrongdoing by IBM India executives every time. They do not even follow the IBM Business Conduct Guidelines. Nothing happens to these unethical executives, and the reporter is pushed out of the company on one pretext or another (pick your favorite exit strategy - Layoff, PIP etc.)
Indian culture is the problem and a lot of people at IBM will tell you that also.
While you only stress on the positive stuff, there are plenty of examples where unethical Indian engineers, doctors and entrepreneurs have robbed their coworkers, companies and patients. It's a fact of life, even if you choose to say otherwise.
That' why IBM has Layoffs, PIPS and other strategies labelled under the guise of cost cutting and cost savings to transfer the jobs to India. Why not choose any other country or destination for the jobs also ? The world is a big place, so why do US jobs have to be sent to one country only ? And finally, why do US jobs have to be destroyed and sent offshore by IBM executives ?
3 hours ago by Anonymous
@gh but, like it or not the fact is IBM executives from India are never held accountable for wrongdoing and it seems they never never will be. And if the logic I put was so wrong, how is it that the hiring at IBM India primarily happens when you on the IBM Friends and Family plan ? The sterotyping is quite correct. If you are unhappy about it, you are just hiding from the truth. Heck, you just have to go to the Indian consulate in NYC and if you don't know someone there or are wiling to put a few $20 bills in someone's hand to get your visa expedited, it doesn't happen. Is that not bribery ? That's the reality of India and what goes on if you want anything done. Most interesting, It's the norm there. Corruption is corruption is corruption. Sadly it has been brought here to the US shores and IBM is in the state it is because of putting the wrong people from another country and culture to run the company.
3 hours ago by Anonymous
It makes me sick to the stomach to watch the rampant abuse of PIP to fire employees because IBM does not need them anymore. Those who truly deserve the PIP are in leadership positions.
3 hours ago by Anonymous
@e9 the biggest IBM invention that impacted me ? Good old IBM outsourcing garbage, what else ? IBM executives under that loser VP whose name rhymes with Stranger wanted the US jobs to be moved to India and all the VMs that were managed in the US were being moved there also. But they had no reliable systems in India at that time to host the VMs, so they had to continue to keep them in the US while managing them from India. Of course due to the haste of the knowledge transfers, the instructions were done in a hurry, and there was no time to check them. The stupidity of IBM leadership and lack of knowledge was quite amazing. You reap what you sow, IBM.5 hours ago by Anonymous
@e9 The biggest invention IBM has done that impacted me? The 401k. It was invented specifically to ki-l the Pension system that created the Middle and Upper Class in America, and it worked. They tried the same with that faux 401k replacement but it didn't catch on. But hey it lets them not fund it and let the FDIC fix the problem after they all flee back to New Delhi. Is good jugaad~, saar.
10 hours ago by Anonymous
@bf they should go out fighting. They are doomed but should cause a ruckus and pull the veil off this charade pip system13 hours ago by Anonymous
@e9: - "Which IBM invention has impacted YOUR daily life the most?" IBM bathroom queuing patent.15 hours ago by Anonymous
@e9 Why did they not put in Acquisition, Layoffs, PIP, RA, RTO ?
Too sensitive to negative publicity and the thin skinned Alvind Krispy-Kreme. LOL
16 hours ago by Anonymous
The CHRO is now running a Poll on Linkedin to commemorate 115 years of IBM.
Which IBM invention has impacted YOUR daily life the most? Choices are ATM, Barcode, PC and Watson.
What about Acquisition, Layoffs, PIP, RA, RTO as options ?
16 hours ago by Anonymous
IBM's core business is financial engineering and one of the biggest levers to accomplish that is continuously timing layoffs to match dips in Revenue so that the desired earnings result can be produced. Just LOL at anyone who believes that IBM is a leader in actual products let alone Quantum or AI or that IBM should be mentioned in the same breath as actual Tech companies.20 hours ago by Anonymous
https://sanfordheisler.com/investigation-underway-mass-layoffs-at-ibm/Investigation of Retirement Plan Mismanagement and the Mass Layoffs at IBM
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, a national employment rights law firm, is investigating potential retirement plan mismanagement at IBM and other violations of employee rights surrounding IBM’s mass layoffs. In addition to mismanagement of IBM’s employee 401(k) plan, we are investigating potential wrongful termination claims and violations of the WARN Act. If you were laid off by IBM and you believe your rights may have been violated, or have concerns about the performance of your IBM retirement plan, please contact our firm today.
22 hours ago by Anonymous
@OP with AI tools available, do you really need so many expensive DevOps people working in IBM ? Why not lose them first and then their first and second line managers too ? Too expensive compared to AI tools, right ? That's the growth mindset for using AI. Do the same and get rid of the useless Security gurus who do nothing but collect oversized paychecks. Mr. Dead Gerbil will be smiling in his grave.
1 day ago by Anonymous
Hey OP can you provide a few specifics like which country, which business unit, number of people affected and likely band levels. We understand you cannot say so much that someone can identify you, but you could provide a fair bit more detail without risk
1 day ago by looking for actual news
The above is worth preserving because some of it may be "moderated" (culled, censored) during or after the weekend using the typical pretext.
There is meanwhile this assertion that IBM's openings are partly fake - an infamous loophole for optics and avoidance of severance payouts (saying one could apply internally but instead chose not to).
If it's true that IBM uses this nasty 'hack' (workaround), wherein the aim is to lessen payments to people who are forced out, who's going to cover this? Why does the media only ever say positive things about IBM? Well, IBM pays for that. To be clear, sometimes a boss tells workers to look to "transfer"; but no such option exists in practice. █