I knew it was coming, so I offered myself up for the 6 months severance pay day which worked well for me. I can confirm though the prior comments are all true. After 36 years and holding a senior position myself, & also knowing a lot of very senior people well who confirmed to me in the past that these are part of the post RA instructions to 1st & 2nd line managers and HR Partners.
Basically it's close to an act of God to get someone off that list. I feel sad for the company I loved and the people left. The stress on the people that remain is at boiling point. I spoke to someone recently who told me about people I worked with in the past and rated as tough as old boots, under intense stress and one that has been hospitalized with stress related issues. I get the transformation will be painful and strategies have to change but as it stands it looks like the heart and soul is being ripped out of the company. I think we all know there will be more RAs, Ginni will take her paycheck, bonuses and share options, dressing up poor performance up as success, she will build her ski lodge in the mountains, probably get fired at some future point in time, but not before taking my beloved IBM someway down the toilet. When "Shareholder Value" and keeping Wall St. sweet become more important than the clients and the lifeblood assets called employees, you begin to lose the critical factors that made IBM the success it was. You lose the tools to make the strategic plan operational. I only hope who ever picks up the pieces is able to put it back together into a phenomenally successful business again. My advice to the lady on the original post, do your job as best you can in the time you have left, but network, network, network with contacts outside of IBM (LinkedIn). Exploit every benefit (like Right Management) that IBM offers you, please DO NOT BE BITTER (as that will come through when interviewing) and take what you have learned at IBM and go "wow" a new perspective employer! There is life after IBM! I know so.