IBM – “IBM has sweatshop culture”

I disagree with IBM IBM Wife. Senior Management has been doing a pretty good job of cutting the staff that are unproductive or who do not have the skills necessary to compete. I think they need to continue doing more of this. I see plenty of staff that could be cut with little or no impact to the bottom line at IBM.

I generally agree with the review. Although currently employed at IBM, I've seen dozens of highly skilled, enormously talented people let go. Sure, we've gotten rid of some slackers, but many of those let go have been great employees, who I've been proud to work with. Frankly, I will be glad to leave IBM and move to the next thing. The people running IBM can't see beyond the end of the current quarter.

I'm a current employee still in the sales area. With the upcoming quarter end senior management is entertaining a push to the clip frency. Also in sales its all about numbers and no manager cares about personal relation to staff, or personal advancements. All the do is to cover their a$$, and kick the Siebel based mess down to the emloyees in sales. Not a great place to work - keep out if you find alternatives.

I disagree with Current IBMer. All the groups I've encountered are cut to the quick with too much work and not enough people. While there may have been slackers in many departments years ago. It hasn't been like that for a good number of years. All the people I work with are dedicated, hardworking people trying to make a good situation from something unbearable, all the while knowing their jobs are on the chopping block each and every quarter.

I totally agree with "a 25 year ibm vetran". I don't know where "Current IBMer" works, maybe in Armonk with the execs, because I also don't see anymore dead wood. I know people who were "1" performers (top 10%) get replaced by global resources. It's a lie when IBM says they are rebalancing their skills and getting rid of those with obsolete skills and replacing them with current, high value skills. They are getting rid of highly skilled, conscientious workers and replacing them will low cost, low skilled workers. I have to work with many of these global resources and they don't come close to being able to perform anywhere near those they replaced.

When I was advised in January 2009 that I was being let go after nearly 25 years with IBM, I wasn't overly surprised (my management of a multi-million dollar project was being transferred to a team in India). What appalled me, however, was when a few days later I received a call from a former secretary of mine who had 30 years with IBM and had been rated a "1" (walks-on-water) performer three years in a row (less than 10% of IBMers are rated a "1" in any year, and many never see a "1" rating), yet the day before she too had been told that she was being let go as part of IBM Research's desire to dump 100 employees (which included top researchers with PhDs), regardless what their ratings, skills, or former contributions. When her manager dropped the bomb on her the day before she burst into tears and had to be driven home by a colleague. IBM had set a number of "headcount" to be removed from the business based on the algorithm they filed a patent for that determines the optimum number of American workers to let go per quarter to maximize the stock price, and she was one of the casualties. So the earlier comment that, "Senior Management has been doing a pretty good job of cutting the staff that are unproductive or who do not have the skills necessary to compete," is BS -- and not at all on the mark. Even IBM Distinguished Engineers, who are appointed by an executive board, have been terminated to "reduce costs" and pad the pockets of senior executives whose stock options will soon mature (IBM's stock price always goes up when American workers are laid off). Believe me, if someone who was rated a "1" performer three years in a row, and who was the only person who had the history she had in the organization, and was known by everyone to be an outstanding contributor, was let go just to make a number -- you can be sure IBM Senior Management are not just cutting "the staff that are unproductive." So don't be fooled by plants who try and cover for IBM executives' ruthless and soon to be disastrous (for IBM and its customers) actions.

"So don't be fooled by plants who try and cover for IBM executives' ruthless and soon to be disastrous (for IBM and its customers) actions."

So right. The plants are VERY active these days. Apparently people are finally taking notice of the way in which IBM treats its employees.

The IBM Italy workers stood up for themselves when their bonuses were cut. I am the wife of the IBM employee so I cannot do much. I suffer the consequences though just as bad. Me and our 11 month old son always have to entertain ourselves without daddy because he works all the time. that is literally ALL THE TIME: mornings, mid day, afternoon, evening, night, midnight, weekend. The only time in the day he's not lost into his computer screen is maybe midnight to 7-8AM. I am a secondary victim to this SWEATSHOP called IBM.
 But you IBM workers, YOU could do a lot. First by voicing your opinion everywhere you can. talk to everyone, anyone who cares to listen. Write letters to senior management, local representatives, workers unions, create a Facebook profile refusing to accept IBM's work culture, create a virtual strike in Second Life like IBM Italy workers did:
http://ibmslprotest.blogspot.com/
Take initiative IBM workers, do not let the greedy wheels of corporate 'outsorcing' and 'reorganizing' decide your career and life's future!

To IBM wife, that is sad that your husband works that many hours. However, he is not helping himself by setting boundaries and limiting the work and hours he does. And do not give me crap that he has to do it or he will lose his job. Tell him to be a man and stand up for himself, work a set amount of hours and stick to it. It is this kind of cowardice that IBM breeds and loves.

He is working this many hours bc.
1.there are deadlines on top of deadlines that need to be met and with the few people remaining in their group (out of 7, 4 were laid off) they have to push the envelope to meet the deadlines
2. the supervisor expects them to participate in the weekend meeting and asked oficially for them to log in on the wkend.
3. everyone else is working the same, he would look bad if he left at 6PM while everyone else is working the crazy hrs, don't you think?
I never said this is the case accross all IBM> but in his group it is and know a few others it it.

IBM is creating a culture that is driving the best talent away. The values that built the reputation of excellence have been abandoned by the current and most recent management teams, and both employees and customers are treated far differently than they were in the times that created the IBM of old. Do not believe the company's promises or guarantees, simply look at their words versus their actions over the past decade to understand what you are getting into if you either by an IBM product, or consider being an IBM employee. As a 30 year IBM 'er, I would ot recommend either course of action.

"It is this kind of cowardice that IBM breeds and loves."

You got it. Will the employees stand up and unionize before they are fired?

Guess.

"Current IBMer" doesn't know what they are talking about. I've worked with IBM for over 10 years. For the last 2 years IBM has been sending our work to India, Argentina, or Brazil. The people in these countries don't have the skill levels to do the job so we have to train them. Once we train them we are fired. And just so you know, they DO NOT take into consideration whether you are productive or not. They terminate the people who were on the account that was sent overseas.
We work 10-15 hours a week overtime because they have cut us so much we don't have the people to do the work.
I don't know what "Current IBMers" wife does but it's obviously a management position because all of us worker bees are getting killed.
And to "10 year IBMer"....shut up. "Be a man and stand up for yourself"!?!?! Are you kidding me? You have no idea what you are talking about. If you say no then you are terminated and with the economy the way it is no one can afford to be terminated. It's a matter of survival...not having the balls to 'stand up' to management.
IBM DOESN'T CARE HOW HARD YOU HAVE TO WORK...THEY WANT TO SEE PROFIT"!!!!!!

"by Current IBMer:
I disagree with IBM IBM Wife. Senior Management has been doing a pretty good job of cutting the staff that are unproductive or who do not have the skills necessary to compete. I think they need to continue doing more of this. I see plenty of staff that could be cut with little or no impact to the bottom line at IBM."

The senior managers have done a poor job of it by laying off a "number" of people without taking any look at productivity. If I am wrong in this, how come the sycophants have survived?

Skills necessary to compete? Compete with whom? And isn't it IBM's responsibility to train people if there is a small deficiency in skills? How did they come to IBM without "skills necessary to compete"?

Bottom line? That's one word, "bottomline" - so much so for your skills necessary to compete.

And looking at the bottomline over everything else (including future position of IBM in the market) is proof that the senior management has no idea of what's going on in the company and is not even interested.