I live in an area where IBM has been a prominent employer for many, many years. Back in the good ol' days it was the kind of place you could get hired right out of college, work your whole life there, and retire. They used to treat their employees really well, they even had a big "Family Day" every year, a health club, you name it. I used to be jealous because it seemed like my Dad was the only Dad that DIDN'T work for IBM, I was the ONLY one it seemed not going to "Family Day".
Well, let me tell ya, a few years later boy was I glad my Dad didn't work for IBM. That's when the first layoffs started. And they've continued ever since. When they'd have a layoff, it used to make the news. Now they lay people off so frequently it's hardly even noteworthy. Little by little all the good benefits and perks went away. And loyalty? The people who run IBM now care only about making the stock prices better so they can retire in a few years with a big fat payoff. They don't care one bit about employees. It doesn't matter how good at your job you are, nor how many years you've worked there. When it's time to make cuts everyone is fair game. Especially if you happen to be really good at your job and you've worked there a long time - you put a big target on yourself 'cause you make too much money. And the worst part to me is that when times are better, they hire, hire, hire - but NOT the people they laid off!
This is not a company laying the groundwork for the future, cultivating employees for long-term careers. This is a company that cares only about the bottom line in the short term.
My own DH was laid off from IBM too a few years back - TWICE! (Thankfully he doesn't work there now, he actually got a much better job elsewhere.)
Just for kicks I Googled "I Hate IBM" and I found this gem of an article: Think & Ask IBM Layoff, Executive Reviews...Everyday Life @ Big Blue. Scroll down to read the comments at the bottom of that article, and be SURE to read the small print right under the heading "Reader's Comments"!
And the impetus for this post is that I found out yesterday someone near and dear to me was one of their latest casualties. And I am 100% sure it was not performance related. I've seen it a million times - it's a "cost-cutting measure".
IBM, you can cost-cut my you-know-what!
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Wow I didn't even know an IBM company was STILL IN New York! Just about all our jobs in Central NY are gone. Now it's all government social workers jobs, or WalMart cashiers.
ReplyDeleteI work for IBM and let me tell you...it's a crappy place to be. 60-70 hour work weeks, no relocation expenses, no real chance to work across industries. IBM consulting is the worst! IBM is no longer the gold standard, yet Palmisano couldn't care less. Overworked and severely underpaid is the IBM motto. It's well known around here that IBM is NOT the place to build a career. Stay at IBM for 2-3 years and ago to the competitor for $30K-$50K more!
ReplyDeleteI was laid off earlier this from IBM after 15 years of service. IBM is focused totally on quarterly numbers and does not care about its employees at all. Even the first and second line managers are exasperated at the short term mind set of the executives. And anything that can be moved off shore will be moved, sooner or later. So
ReplyDeleteI couldn't disagree more with this editorial or the comments posted here and my experience working with/for IBM has been very positive.
ReplyDeleteI have worked for other larger companies in both IT and other industries and have worked for many small start-up technology firms. When the company where I worked was acquired by IBM I didn't think I would be around for more than a few months...that was two years ago. IBM is a phenomenal place to work. I have a great career path and work primarily from home. There are many opportunities for internal training and professional development and with very few exceptions most of my fellow IBMers are professional and "good" people who really want to make a difference in their lives, their company, and the world.
The fact that jobs have moved from the U.S to other countries is an issue every large multinational is facing and is a result of the rapidly changing global economy.
Generalizations can be dangerous. IBM is leading the world in IT patents and is working on smart systems that will have a positive impact in many area including healthcare, energy, urban development, and food production.
I was just laid off.. or told I was going to be laid off on March 31st. For the past 4 years and most of my career I have been rated one of the best contributors.
ReplyDeletei agree .. IBM is nothing but a pimp .. we work our behinds off and get a 3% bonus and less than 20% of what the client is paying for us ... IBM keeps everything .. its like they are trying to get rid of me .. why would I stay here to make money for them?
ReplyDelete"Overworked and severely underpaid is the IBM motto."
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. It is the same story everywhere. And let me know you even the "outsourced" employee is not happy at all. They have to deal with disgruntled Americans and Europeans, get yelled at for just about everything and also get a crappy hike of 3-5%. Everyone is irritated end of day - outsourcing has only created barriers if you ask me!
I meant to type "let me tell you" instead of "let me know you" in the last comment :P
ReplyDeleteThanks IBM for the B*LLSHIT 1.5% raise...WTF!!! I got a 2+ PBC rating and had 102% utilization! They could've kept the extra $25 a month...what an insult! I can find that in my effing couch! I CANNOT wait to tell IBM to kiss my arse!
ReplyDeleteI'm MAD AS ALL HELL at this company for also making crappy computers!
ReplyDeleteNo, really!
Inside its case, my IBM "ThinkCentre" computer is made with non-standard parts. It isn't a real IDE cable connecting the hard drive to the motherboard. So if this machine ever goes down for good between incremental backups, I've lost whatever data is there that missed the last incremental backup! You can't swap out a hard drive to another machine that does not have the industry-standard IDE type of connector on the back! I would be SOL, in that event, as they say.
I've had so many instances already when this machine would not boot up. And these creeps have made this thing so that getting into CMOS setup is like a blind man trying to thread a needle! You should be able to press F2 (that is the industry standard), when the machine is booting, and be able to get into CMOS every time. Not so with an IBM machine! Today (and what has kindled my wrath right now), my Windows XP setup on the "ThinkCentre" went into "Standby" mode and would not return to normal mode even with me alternately pushing keys, moving the mouse, pushing escape, keying "control-Alt-Delete!!" Any other company's product would have promptly returned to life with the pressing of any key, or with even the slightest mouse movement! IBM's executives must imagine they're really clever making the lives of as many others as they can touch harder and more stressful. What they're doing actually is rightly earning the hatred of so many, myself included. And it'll be a great day when this all very painfully bites them in the ass.
So they--IBM--is mistreating their employees AND they are ripping off the computer-buying public, too. I'll NEVER buy anything made by them again, even if both Hell freezes over and they are the last computer-manufacturing outfit on Earth!
I had no idea that people across the globe feel the same about IBM. Yes indeed, IBM does not invest in its people. In GBS, the only focus is on utilization. Soon this company will sell human skin and blood. If you want to kill your spirit and get raped everyday, this is the place to be.
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