Thread regarding IBM layoffs

IBM stands for 'I'm By Myself'

Sounds like all of you are tired, beat up, and abused employees by your managers. Stand up for yourself.
Oh, no culture no unifying theme. Seriously. How about this for a unifying theme. Make money. IBM's #1 goal is to make money. Just like every other business in the world.

If you did nothing to change things in your world stop complaining. If you did do something and your were still RA'd. Then you did the wrong thing. Actions or lack there of have consequences. Just like my brother who was RA'd about 10 yrs ago. His lack of continuing to get educated, grow his skills, and not stay in the same group for 10 years. Oh, and if you are on an Strategic Outsourcing contact. Contracts end. Contracts change. Open you eyes and pay attention to those kinds of things in your next job and you will see these things coming.

This isn't your grandfather's IBM any more and that is the same for all of the other companies out there in the world.

If you think you can join IBM in one role and stay there until you retire. Then don't even apply. That is not how this world works anymore.

With all of that said. I am so sorry that you were impacted by the RA and I know the impact that has on a person and there family. If b–ching and moaning are you way to deal with it then go for it.

@nit+155eHUu9 "There seems to be no mission here at IBM. It is just a big cash flow machine."

This is sadly correct. IBM's top priority is maintaining dividend yield. This is achieved through a mix of acquisitions, layoffs, and share buybacks. There is no organic growth, no capital investment, top line revenue just declines quarter after quarter year after year. Everyone knows it's not a sustainable model, so some fraction of that cash flow gets diverted to Marketing and PR to convince Wall St that IBM is transforming itself into a leader in whatever the hot new tech is while nothing ever actually changes. But eventually there won't be enough revenue coming in to maintain the ruse, those in charge just hope it will happen after they're gone.

Management by criticism is how it works where I am. Not anyone specific mind you, everyone was managed by criticism equally by several boorish managers.

As a result of these layoffs there is some serious work that will not get done on time. It will get pushed back further and further and the managers will criticize those who aren't there anymore.

Yes. The lack of decent leadership, managers, is a huge problem at IBM. It truly feels like there are many more managers than actual worker bees. I was RAd today from Silicon Valley Lab. I was Caught off guard this time, but like most, I knew my day would come.

Having worked in the tech industry for a long time before IBM, it became apparent to me after a year or so of working here at IBM that there was NO real pervasive culture. Perhaps in the past, IBM had a true culture and perhaps a strong one. I literally didn't know what IBM stood for in the tech world. The culture only existed in small pockets of the company where there was a solid (or even strong) leader. As the saying goes, "culture eats strategy for breakfast". IBM was and is all (attempted) strategy and very little culture.
I found that there was really nothing to believe in at IBM that was big and exciting. This is strange to me as most successful tech companies have a strong belief and pride in themselves and in a bigger mission. There seems to be no mission here at IBM. It is just a big cash flow machine. I just did my job to fulfill my promises to customers or local teams but with no feeling that I was contributing to any greater purpose or good. I truly felt I was By Myself a lot of the time. In fact, after a while I even developed a low opinion of IBM as a whole.
There is no feeling of greatness at this company. There is also an unfortunate and serious lack of people-oriented leadership at all levels of management. Combine weak leadership with weak or no culture and you have a dying IBM. And even worse, IBM has become a boring company due to the lack of leadership.

IBM leadership encouraged its employees to take their unused vacation days not to avoid post-quarantine break revenue impacts, but to reduce the financial liability all that unused vacation would cost IBM when they executed on this RA.

Wishing you the best you as you move forward!