back to article IBM: About those agreed voluntary redundancies ... we were just kidding

IBM's latest redundancy programme for Global Technology Services staff in the UK and Ireland "descended into near farce" after it reopened the voluntary element and told those it had previously agreed to let leave that they now are not going anywhere. IS Delivery (ISD) and Technical Support Services (TSS) folk working under …

  1. DJ Smiley

    How many will now leave anyway.... and miss out on redundancy?

    How many will now leave anyway.... and miss out on redundancy?

    This is worse than the time a large water company took a dump on me, after telling me they were extending my contract, to the next day telling me actually they weren't, and that was my last day.

    1. a cynic writes...

      Re: How many will now leave anyway.... and miss out on redundancy?

      Most of the ones who'd lined up other jobs I'd have thought.

      I'm not sure whether that indicates malice or incompetence on the part of IBM management.

      1. Andrew Moore

        Re: How many will now leave anyway.... and miss out on redundancy?

        Hanlon's razor states: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." However, given that the bean-counters were probably involved in the decision making, I'd most likely go with "malice".

        1. handleoclast

          Re: Hanlon's Razor

          Hanlon's razor states: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

          To which I'd add: Never attribute to stupidity that which is adequately explained by greed.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: How many will now leave anyway.... and miss out on redundancy?

        I'm not sure whether that indicates malice or incompetence on the part of IBM management.

        My guess is that now the dust has settled they've discovered that the volunteers they have so far are mostly the good guys they want to keep, and there isn''t enough of the "dead weight" in the list to let HR choose only them. They're extending the deadline in the hope that enough additional losers will sign up. But then I'm a cynic, too.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: How many will now leave anyway.... and miss out on redundancy?

        Statutory redundancy is so little an amount, that if you have another job to go to, you just go.

        "loaded with a statutory minimum" is "loaded" as a bullet in a gun, not loaded as in money in your wallet.

      4. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: How many will now leave anyway.... and miss out on redundancy?

        I'm not sure whether that indicates malice or incompetence on the part of IBM management.

        Knowing IBM, Malicious Incompetence (TM)

        Hmmm.... makes me think of a new definition:

        IBM = Incompetent But Malicious

      5. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: How many will now leave anyway.... and miss out on redundancy?

        Malcomptence - a word for this behavior.

        Evil intention that is achieved whether the practioner actually knew that the result would be positive for IBM. Typically achieved by the employee leaving is disgust before the promised RA "benefits" are distributed.

      6. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: How many will now leave anyway.... and miss out on redundancy?

        @ a cynic writes...

        malice would be my guess. IBM knows that some of those will have arranged other jobs to go to and IBM are hoping they'll make the choice to go without the package.

      7. niksgarage

        Re: How many will now leave anyway.... and miss out on redundancy?

        Knowing IBM it's a matter of not-giving-a-fuckness rather than any particular malevolence.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: How many will now leave anyway.... and miss out on redundancy?

      How many will now leave anyway.... and miss out on redundancy?

      A lot. Which reduces Big Blue bill and someone is getting a bonus for this manoeuvre.

      It is a classic.

      The other classic is to drag on TUPE beyond the initially announced dates so people leave instead of declining it. The difference between the two can be quite substantial, because if you leave you are not entitled to raise any issues about TUPE violations and the most you can fight for is constructive dismissal. It is also non-collective - everyone fights for themselves. Compared to that if a company caught violating TUPE it takes one employee to win that and everyone gets paid with the award calculated as punitive.

      I have been on the receiving sides of both (albeit not in Big Blue) and have chickened out in both cases. I just do not have the nerves made of steel needed to not arrange for a new job on the predicted closure date.

    3. Dodgy Geezer Silver badge

      Re: How many will now leave anyway.... and miss out on redundancy?

      If that's the only disappointment you have had during a contracting career, I would say that you were exceptionally lucky...

    4. aenikata

      Re: How many will now leave anyway.... and miss out on redundancy?

      That's contracts for you, though. I've had a contract run out, get stuck at home for a couple of weeks before they sort out new paperwork, then it's a short contract, then because my agency isn't on the approved supplier list then despite having agreed my work is good, rates, etc, then it's just left to run out, and another time I've had a new contract agreed, rates, duration, etc, then it runs out and the paperwork still isn't there... the project funding is still up in the air and people are now away from holiday and there wasn't really so much a point they told me it wasn't being renewed as I found something else and waited to hear about the other contractors being canned from the project, too.

      I'm OK with that uncertainty, to some extent - it may not be very professional, but you take the rough with the smooth as a contractor.

      On the permanent side you'd expect better. Withdrawing an agreed redundancy arrangement tends to sound like a breach of contract, so you'd wonder whether they're leaving themselves open to losing employment tribunals - even if the person left if they'd been with the company for 2 years they could look at a tribunal case to say that IBM had agreed it and therefore owed them. I'm not a lawyer, but on the face of it I'd hope the legal system would be on the side of the staff in that situation.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: How many will now leave anyway.... and miss out on redundancy?

        The small print is very clear, there is no commitment on either side until the employee accepts the offer.

        IBM are guilty of many things, stupid is not one of them.

        1. Phil W

          Re: How many will now leave anyway.... and miss out on redundancy?

          "The small print is very clear, there is no commitment on either side until the employee accepts the offer."

          Except that as per the article

          "35 employees had submitted EOI and 29 offers made, with 21 of those accepted. Until last week – when those offers were retracted."

          It would appear contractual redundancy offers were made, accepted, then retracted. This does seem like it might either be illegal or at least leave IBM open to swift defeat at tribunal.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: How many will now leave anyway.... and miss out on redundancy?

            They make you submit your acceptance via a solicitor. Next time you get an offer get straight down to the solicitor.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    IBM at its best !!!

    I would not want to be any of the people who got the offer withdrawn as they are now on a list of people who 'No longer support the team !!!'.

    Pretty good bet that they find that their jobs are suddenly no longer 'needed' and they get the 'Caring Sharing Size 9' out of the door *when* it suits IBM.

    This will happen at *any time*, so they may think they are safe months from now then ....... the trapdoor opens !!!

    Does seem to be a Tactic used by American Companies as I have seen it in action more than once in more than one American Company ...... very crappy way to treat people !!!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: IBM at its best !!!

      Nah, it took me several attempts to leave and each time (other than the last) I was deemed too important (lucky me).

      Finally the decision was made at a higher level. Mind you, those were the days when you actually got some dosh.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: IBM at its best !!!

        "Nah, it took me several attempts to leave and each time (other than the last) I was deemed too important (lucky me)."

        Did you then get a pay raise and therefore became eligible?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: IBM at its best !!!

          >Did you then get a pay raise and therefore became eligible?

          ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha pay raise.

          No of course I didn't.

      2. niksgarage

        Re: IBM at its best !!!

        I left in 2005 when there was a separation package slightly more generous than the statutory minimum. I thought I would be denied again, but as it happened, my manager, his manager and HIS manager were all taking the package, so they were quite willing to let me go since it wouldn't impact them personally. I was on my honeymoon in Cornwall, driving around in a rented E-type Jaguar when I got the news that I would be accepted. It was a very Good Thing; bumpy times occasionally in the meantime - contracts renewed on the Friday afternoon to start again the following Monday on a monthly basis (you learn to live with it), a long period of self-unemployment, a permanent job with the NHS for six years, and now back contracting, with some decent flexibility about when and where I work. I've also learned my lesson from the past, and now I have three - sometimes four - separate contracts with different organisations for some of my time, rather than being 100% committed to one customer. I probably don't bring in as much as I used to, but it keeps me busy enough, and the variety is good.

        One disappointment I had about contracting when I was new to it, was never seeing any particular project from womb to tomb. Always invited in once a project had got into difficulties, and let go once it was back on track again. However the new, contracty/consultingy arrangements I have mean I am involved much longer on projects.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    IBM, EMC & Oracle

    Three companies to be avoided as an employee if you value your soul, sanity or well being

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: IBM, EMC & Oracle

      I would add HP (as was) - at the time I left actually a very decent company despite the combined Compaq/EDS reverse take overs. But the writing was on the wall, and despite some interesting times afterwards (of my own making), I do not regret the decision.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: IBM, EMC & Oracle

      Would add Wipro to that list too, based on personal experience.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "As IBM transforms into the premier cognitive computing and cloud platform company, we continue to remix our skills and invest in these priority areas. IBM does this in each market in which we operate, adapting to meet local client needs. Our clients expect no less. IBM currently has about 25,000 job openings around the world for new skills in growth areas such as cloud, analytics, security, and social and mobile technologies," a spokeswoman said.

    You realise that the "spokeswoman" is actually a bot, right?

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      You realise that the "spokeswoman" is actually a bot, right?

      Describe in single words only the good things that come into your mind about... your mother.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        "Describe in single words only the good things that come into your mind about... your mother."

        Yorkshire puddings. Cracking good biscuits. Lemon meringue.

        I'd carry on, but "Battle axe" keeps coming to the fore.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "You realise that the "spokeswoman" is actually a bot, right?"

      A bot? Do you not realise how much money IBM have spent trying to make Watson do something to earn it's electricity? A bot manages (for the moment) to still sound vaguely human, something IBM management and HR have long forgotten...

  5. GruntyMcPugh Silver badge

    Mental WellBeing Day?

    About time, two former colleagues had time off from stress when I was at IBM. How did IBM welcome them back to the fold when they returned? Why, by giving them a PBC3 'unsatisfactory' rating and putting them on a PIP (performance Improvement Plan) at their next review.

    Meanwhile, I've been clear of IBM for three years (to the day, as it happens) and this article shows I left just at the right time.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Be very wary of " 'Time To Talk' mental wellbeing day" type stuff.

        What ? They are fscking awesome

        You get a bunch of other techies to memorize the customer vision quality standards statement or other corporate BS and quote it whenever asked any question about your feelings.

        If you can keep a straight face, the facilitator (generally a well meaning but totally unqualified moron), can be driven mad

        1. Stumpy

          If you can keep a straight face, the facilitator (generally a well meaning but totally unqualified moron), can be driven mad

          ... ah, you mean they're generally someone from HR?

          1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

            ... ah, you mean they're generally someone from HR?

            No it's a management fad - which means external consultants

            Generally either a GROLIES or a young sociology graduate with a fixed smile and a powerpoint

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I also saw IBM let people go who had suffered from stress by taking the voluntary separation route which left them in a good place financially, also mentally.

      IBM are tough, but they are not always monsters.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Statutory minimum is not “a good place financially”

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          It was a few years ago so the package was much better than statutory minimum and was worth having.

    3. niksgarage

      I was told by my manager that I had to hand out a PBC 3 to one of the ten permanent staff working for me, regardless of their contribution, since that was all there was in the pot. I refused.

      I got the 3 in my PBC instead.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Mental Well-being day - Spare me

      Mental Well-being Day, well now that is a joke, IBM care not one jot about employees' physical or indeed mental health. You can be sure whatever you tell them during these sessions will one day be used against you or count towards a selection process to be rid of you. Same goes for HR, tell them nothing, they are not your friend, HR will always toe the company line and you will be out the door. Competent psychiatrists and psychologists are well aware of IBM's disgusting and harmful treatment of their employees which can only lead to stress, depression and beyond. This company will make you sick and then attempt to have you believe that somehow you are the problem.

      IBM cares only about creating a false puffed up public persona as being relevant in today's Cloud/AI climate, together with it's propped up share price, both of which are heading south. It was once a company who had a semblance of respect for their customers and employees and produced excellent products but that has long gone. The bean counters have taken over the asylum, resorting to ploughing billions into share buy backs and nothing into running a relevant business. Once loyal customers who received a competent service are leaving in their droves and will not be coming back. The game is nearly up.

      In the end, the top brass will be fine, they have rewarded themselves handsomely for being the creators of failure and will slink off into the sunset with their piggy banks full, what will happen the loyal, hard working, creative employees, well!!! one month's salary or a pittance statutory redundancy and that's it for decades of giving up weekends, holidays and working late nights for the cause.?

      IBM senior management demonstrate the very same behaviour outlined in the Milgram experiment, bullying the first line smarmy managers to carry out their dirty work to force perfectly competent mostly older higher paid employees out simply because they want to replace them with cheap foreign labour. Fear, uncertainty and doubt are the driving forces in IBM today in a totally unhealthy and toxic environment. Nothing constructive gets done, people are too busy ticking worthless boxes and attending unending pointless conference calls in order to try and avoid the next round of sackings. IBM with their empty suitcase sound bites want all and their sundry to believe they are relevant when in fact all they do these days is to sell snake oil.

      Don't let them grind you down, take legal advice from a competent employment solicitor, it may be worth the cost for an initial consultation to be aware of everything IBM don't want you to know about. Even the big IBM cannot escape the law. I know of one person in the UK who took them on and settled out of court for a six figure sum.It takes courage but it can be done.

      Alternatively, go sick, use your private medical insurance to see a psychiatrist preferably, who will support you and correspond with your GP to sign you off on long term illness. Raise as many grievances as you can with IBM, it is your right and IBM must respond and deal with them by law. Put the frighteners on them, IBM can't and will be very wary to touch you while off sick, take your sickness pay and use the time to get well or look for suitable alternative employment from an employer who at least will give a rat's arse about you. It will be worth it all to escape this hell hole. Life is much sweeter without IBM but those that have experienced the machine must let those who are about to be clobbered know exactly the facts how they treat their minions. Mention employee unions to IBM and you will be treated as a traitor and a trouble maker where in fact those companies that respect and welcome employee union representation are the best and treat their employees with dignity and fairness. The simple fact is that if IBM had been unionised, they would never have been allowed to carry out their criminal and unlawful offloading of tens of thousands of experienced, older employees.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So many shores.....

    Off-Shore, On-Shore, Near-Shore, Geordie-Shore?

    And of course, the obligatory Dilbert:

    http://dilbert.com/strip/2011-04-17

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: So many shores.....

      Off-Shore, On-Shore, Near-Shore, Geordie-Shore?

      Pauly Shore?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: So many shores.....

        Dina Shore?

        1. Korev Silver badge
          Coat

          Re: So many shores.....

          Not so shore?

      2. Robert D Bank

        Re: So many shores.....

        Fore-Shore

    2. NLCSGRV

      Re: So many shores.....

      Or if you fancy lawyering up, Alan Shore.

      1. Stumpy

        Re: So many shores.....

        Surely though, in the case of the IBMers this time it should be Un-Shore?

  7. The Force

    IBM Never fail to find new depths of Human Unkindness

    So glad I jumped, the stress the company was causing me, was causing me illness.

    In addition, so many years of zero pay rises had also left wages at 75% in real terms of what they had been too. Moving jobs meant that the statutory pittance was less than the pay rise to get back on track elsewhere.

    Good luck to all my ex colleagues who are still getting screwed over in finding a life elsewhere than IBM while their sanity and finances still hold together.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    You forgot to add Capita to the list of outfits to avoid. Folks are running out of decent places to work...

    1. CujoDeSoque

      Another loser?

      CSC is at least as bad as IBM.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    And DXC Technologies

  10. kain preacher

    Makes me wounder how IBM gets employees.

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Makes me wounder how IBM gets employees.

      It acquires 'strategic assets' - then locks the doors

  11. Erik4872

    Glad I don't work there!

    The company I work for also has a lot of long-service employees, who would definitely be affected if the company opened up voluntary redundancy and then pulled it back. The thing about our workplace is that it's very easy to let yourself get settled into a nice quiet corner as you build up tenure. If you aren't keeping up, especially if you've been around forever and are expensive, you get tossed at the next bloodletting interval. People who keep up get to stay for the most part. It's the nature of the business...as you gain experience you get better and build up your industry connections, making you more useful. Sometimes there are capricious firings, offshoring attempts, etc...but usually they're fads that don't last beyond one CIO iteration. IBM seems hell-bent on removing any sort of labor cost from their books lately. Just a couple decades ago, I remember IBM, AT&T, GE and others being very paternal corporations that essentially offered lifetime employment...no more I guess!

    It's interesting that IBM does appear to recognize that they can't offshore everything to the cheapest rent-a-coder or rent-a-sysadmin shop, and are keeping some people from leaving voluntarily with a package. But I can't imagine how bad employee morale is there...if you're good, you're basically surrounded by everyone who hasn't been able to pull the trigger on leaving...and who is probably going to have a hard time finding a similar job.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Glad I don't work there!

      That kind of thing has happened before. When the steel mills in the US were shutting down, since the labor employees were unionized layoffs were done in reverse ordering of hiring - the newest guys went first, the senior guys were last. So the market got saturated with labor, wages were driven down, then when the senior guys finally got let go (with the package they'd stuck around to get) there were no jobs to find. It took years, decades really, to sort out.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Glad I don't work there!

      I left nearly 3 years ago and morale was pretty much rock bottom then. Or so it seemed.

  12. Bucky 2

    I'm trying to figure out how they managed to get the process so confused.

    Surely keeping track of these things would be something an expert in "cognitive computing" would be able to do with its eyes closed.

    Either they lack the expertise in information management necessary, or else it wasn't a good-faith offer in the first place.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Good faith?

      Hahahahaha - Good-faith offer from IBM. I must remember that one.

      Have you thought about going full-time into standup comedy?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "Either they lack the expertise in information management necessary, or else it wasn't a good-faith offer in the first place."

      Bucky 2, if you manage to say the above and keep a straight face you have a great future in Sales / Personnel Recruitment or as a Poker Player.<Grin>

  13. earl grey
    Flame

    on-shore = 0% - off-shore=100%

    job(s) sorted

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    cloud, analytics, security, and social and mobile technologies

    If you had these skills... why would you go and work for IBM of all places???

    IBM’s only hope of having people with these skills is retraining the people they already have... the one option they have never considered!

    1. CujoDeSoque

      Re: cloud, analytics, security, and social and mobile technologies

      Don't be silly, they don't want people with a track record of being able to adapt and learn new technologies, that's expensive. They want "new collar" people who are cheap, replaceable and will spare them the trouble by leaving as soon as "IBM" is on their resumes. That way they can hire Elbonians to replace them.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    A possible solution to showing your hand.

    Whenever IBM "offer" RA, every member of staff should complete an EOI after all it is not a commitment. This will allow all those that want out to get out and more importantly it will make IBM rethink their strategy. Unfortunately it will also create a much higher HR overhead. It is up to the individual to accept the offer if it is right for them.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: A possible solution to showing your hand.

      A couple of Problems with your idea:

      1) Convincing the 'Majority' to do this for the 'few' is a problem as there are advantages if you are seen to be 'supporting the Team' i.e. you are one of the few who do not complete the EOI as you are 'Happy' with your position (or so you will say if asked).

      2) Completing the EOI gives IBM a nice big list of people to choose from. The Voluntary nature can quite quickly be changed to something more 'Involuntary', if you get my meaning, for the people *they* choose.

      3) Often the few chances to get out with an 'improved' package are usually over-subscribed which gives the comapny the option to reduce the number offered as there is always someone who just wants out and will take anything that is going. Usually the number of positions that can go as Voluntary Redundancies is not revealed and the number is decided by IBM after analysing the received forms etc.

      Nice idea for the Majority to help those that want to go but too risky for most to blindly go along with it.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: A possible solution to showing your hand.

        I can assume you don't work for IBM.

        At least one RA I know of generated so many EOI's that it shocked management. It hasn't stopped them.

      2. David Neil

        Re: A possible solution to showing your hand.

        re. point 2 - if they choose you, you'll be out whether you'd expressed an interest or not. The days of laying low and hoping they miss you are gone

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    How bad can it be...

    When they can't even get the RA process to work for them anymore?

  17. Alligator

    Escape

    A friend escaped IBM last Wednesday and is about to go on holiday for a couple of months. He looked and sounded the best he had for a long long time on Wednesday evening.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Our clients expect no less"

    But the moment we lower their expectations, we'll deliver that too!

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Tupe Terms

    A large number of in scope employees in GTS will be on enhanced redundancy terms as part of the TUPE conditions. These conditions are voided should you volunteer. and you have to accept the statutory terms.

    Every case is personal and different but I can't believe the numbers would increase that much.

    The cynic in me believes IBM are looking for as many people as possible to "fall on the sword" to keep the payoff costs down to a minimum by ticking people off by reopening the EOI.

    This to me sounds like desperation.

    1. Sector7G

      Re: Tupe Terms

      I don't know about overseas but the package here in the US is 1 months salary...

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Death of big blue

    Nothing surprises me anymore IBM treats staff with no respect. Their reputation is so damaged they will struggle to pick up new business. If they do, the manority will terminate the contract when they realise they are the worst IT company in the world with nothing to offer apart from very poor systems and offshore support staff

    How the mighty has fallen. Give it 3 years they will no longer exist. All employees should try to leave and work for a company that looks after it's staff and it's customers.

    CEO needs replacing to give them fresh blood at the top.

  21. I.B.Me

    I.B.M. continues to fail it's customers and it's staff.

    From the first day I joined IBM, over 15 years ago, the shedding of staff has been a regular past time. They acquire a company, tupe people, and then shed the people that have shown them loyalty over the years. They started to off shore jobs to India, Poland and a variety of cheap workforces, where some had never seen a computer before walking into an IBM building. UK people were expected to train the very people that would replace them. UK companies were initially not given any say as to whether the staff that they were paying big bucks for were in the UK or elsewhere. Even when the customer complained, is was worded as such that IBM couldn't provide the service in the UK, with out a significant price hike. Meanwhile anyone in the UK was expected to absorb job after job, leading to stress, depression and breakdowns. This naturally lead to people fearing for their jobs, as weak 'resource' in the next round of job cuts. Customers started to realise that they were paying over inflated prices for someone in a far off country, and decided they could cut out IBM and get the same service for a lot cheaper. IBM maintained its prices and lost large numbers of customers from it's service side. This was all driven by the increasing demands to increase profit and hit the $200 a share target. This may explain why those people that have been loyal to IBM are being offered the UK legal minimum redundancy pay, regardless of them stepping forward for EOI. At the moment IBM is the sinking ship and It's 'resources' are the rats wondering whether to jump and swim, or wait for the day when that carving knife visits them. You can not fight your redundancy, with out it costing you more than your redundancy pay, I looked into it. My advice to anyone still in IBM is jump ship when you can. Life outside is better, yes some employees do care. Heck even if you reinvent yourself and learn new skills (which IBM wouldn't allow you to, without you adding 4 hours to your 12 to 16 hour day), it's worth it. You're intelligent, IBM made you a job offer, go do it.

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