Thread regarding IBM layoffs

Exciting and enjoyable job with IBM you say?

Well there is no way in hell you work for IBM services in any capacity then.

Highly sought out = they know a s---er willing to work tons of extra hours

You take that offer before someone else does. I worked at IBM for 5 years and left at the end of 2014. Believe me if you're the type of person willing and capable of taking on more responsibilities your "lateral move" won't be lateral for long. Life is short. To work in an environment where the odds point to you being part of the next layoff is not worth it. Again, no position is a guarantee however in today's IT environment you need to be mobile and you need to always be looking. Corporate loyalty went out the door once pensions were eliminated, benefits reduced, etc.

IMHO you need to look at where you are financially, and what level of financially security/stability the new company will offer. While IBM has a lot of stress with job security, they are by far not the only ones these day. And in truth, they are VERY generous with giving you, depending on the situation, between 2 weeks and 3 months layoff notice. Most companies will give you the "perp walk" to the door with whatever you can fit into a box on the same day they lay you off.

So you need to determine if you financial situation is oriented to move from company to company, with little/no chance of any type of pension, and perhaps limitations on what type of long term savings retirement the company has. In other words, realize for the long run that they do not care about your financial security, only you do.

So if you are doing all of those things that are giving you a sound financial foundation now, a move for an increase salary can be a good thing, as it can allow you to enhance that foundation. But if not, remember that unless your move is with a signed contract, nothing is guaranteed, and it will matter more on the track record the company has shown to past employees it has hired from other companies.

No question... Leave IBM in a heartbeat...

I think the answer really depends on your family circumstances and how well you deal with stress and uncertainty.

While I've got over 30 years at IBM -- and don't particularly care if IBM RAs me or not at this point -- that wasn't always the case. When my children weren't grown, through college, and self-sufficient, I found it incredibly stressful to work at IBM. I was too old to be attractive to other employees and would have been facing at least a 1.5 hour commute even if I could find a job after being fired. I really believe the large middle period of my career has stressed my body and mental health in very negative terms.

FWIW, I've been a Band 10 for quite awhile and held senior management and non-management positions. But, as you know, avoiding an RA these days has little to do with actual employee worth and much more to do with age, salary, and division.

I really don't see IBM changing anytime soon. Ginny is trying to cut her way to Wall Street appeasement but that only works when you do a one-time layoff and have senior execs with a clear vision. That simply isn't the case here.

I'd really think long and hard about this decision as your ability to move will diminish over time, no matter how well you do at staying current on skills.

If you tried using leverage for an increase at IBM it could work, but you would have a long waiting period waiting to see if your managers promise to match or exceed the outside offer is honored. They won't give you anything in writing most of the time so its going to be about your trust.

I have seen several promises broken by IBM in similar situations and by then the outside offer is long gone. What if you stay with IBM and get RA'd a month later?

You will be kicking yourself in the arse if that happens.

Providing its not a huge relocation expense my advice would be to take the other offer.

IBM is doing horrible now and Watson is in total disarray. Blockchain won't save IBM

2 without a doubt. I left several months ago of my own accord and have zero regrets. I was asked if I would stay with a pay raise and I declined. I worked with amazing people, but it is a huge relief to not constantly wonder about who will be hit in the next RA.

Run like hell!

Even highly sought out employees are being laid off. There is no logic to who gets cut so everyone is at risk every day. Also remember that IBM is always finding new ways to be stupid. It will take YEARS of NO layoffs and NO dumb executive moves before any IBM employee can start thinking about building a long-term career there.

Option #2... no doubt.

I think it's fair to say that most people assume that when targetted for redundancy, the alternative job process is just IBM paying lip service to a legal requirement (in the EU at least). However, I was one of the few (seemingly) who was offered a full-time role when my current position was supposedly redundant so it is possible in theory. Despite this, as a PBC #1 performer with no forewarning of any previous or recent performance issues, I was so dismayed at being put at risk, more specifically the process that was used, (i.e. assessed against specific, undisclosed criteria producing a score on a spreadsheet that allegedly put me below an arbitrary threshold) that I declined the offer from IBM. Although traumatic at the time, this was literally the best decision I ever made because, as many have said, you simply cannot appreciate what a hellish place IBM has become while immersed in the madness and it will only get worse. So my rather long-winded answer to the question is an unequivocal LEAVE IBM and take back control of your life.

I just make a move, I have resigned and leaving IBM after nearly a decade going through lot of retrenchment spotlight which could have seen the most in my life of working in the IT industry.

Run Like The Wind! Don't Look Back! Smile Broadly In 5 Years When You're Still Employed!

Run