IBMers hear sound of axe being sharpened
The rumor mill, being stoked by IBM employees talking on a pro-union web site, has it that Big Blue is getting ready to lay off up to 16,000 employees, or about four per cent of its 400,000-strong global workforce, thanks to the slowing of the economies in the United States and Western Europe. As usual, the Alliance@IBM, which …
Ha! I love it...
(applies to myself as well... I too 'got better'.)
Surely the US Government can lend IBM several billion dollars to tide them over until this recession is over (c. 2011)... in the interim, IBM can use the resources to provide better customer service.
I'm semi serious - why protect the US Auto Industry (laggard of the world) and the banking sector when IBM is one of US's best companies ?
...does make sense. That's the day AFTER the Lotusphere conference in Florida finishes.
IBM probably don't want a bunch of disgruntled ex-employees in close proximity to their clients.
"giving the standard "we don't comment on rumors or speculation" line" - since it's the only 'line' anyone could sensibly give, unless they actually had something to say.
If they selectively commented on certain "rumors", that would allow pundits to draw conclusions on them, and the rest that they didn't comment on.
I am (was) an IBMer in New Zealand, and my job has already been "Globally Resourced" (read sent to some poor Indian who they can pay a 10th of my salary).
ex.IBMer
IBM will turn a profit for the 4th quarter, but it will not be as big as the Wall St analysts want, so IBM will lay people off. It all comes down to greed and these idiots on Wall St who could never run a company and are never happy with just making money.
I know some IBM folks whose jobs are being moved to Brazil. They're getting ready to shaft them.
It doesn't seem to matter how much knowledge and experience you have (in fact, that's a disadvantage as far as large corporations go)...if you are in the US you are too expensive and the biggies at the top won't make their bonus money.
you don't have to run the fastest, you just have to be faster than the slowest guy. If you haven't laced up and kept your skills current, this will no doubt be a challenging time. if you have, it doesn't matter if IBM wants you or not. i think the sensitivity to potential layoffs may be more of a generational issue -- with earlier generations having the expectation of employment for life (which seems like an entitlement attitude to me). i've never assumed i was guaranteed a job for life just because i joined the company and have gone back for industry certifications or professional degrees every 3-5 years. i sincerely wish everyone concerned the best of luck. hopefully 'luck' is not the predominant determinant of your situation if this actually occurs. IBM continues to be an excellent place to work, in my humble opinion.
My own take is that soothsayers foretelling doom will of course turn out to be correct after all. They will make it happen.
On the other hand the credit crunch also provides a unique and fantastic opportunity for organisations, government and individuals to tackle it (the crunch that is) head-on, not shirking with collective, personal and individual commitments.
I'm doing my bit (you should see my credit card statements! :) )
I also guess that the new President of the USA (congrats by the way) will also take a hands-on approach.
