Posted on 05/21/2017 1:57:15 PM PDT by RoosterRedux
International Business Machines is giving thousands of its remote workers in the U.S. a choice this week: Abandon your home workspaces and relocate to a regional office -- or leave the company.
The 105-year-old technology giant is quietly dismantling its popular decades-old remote work program to bring employees back into offices, a move it says will improve collaboration and accelerate the pace of work.
The changes comes as IBM copes with 20 consecutive quarters of falling revenue and rising shareholder ire over Chief Executive Ginni Rometty's pay package.
The company won't say how many of its 380,000 employees are affected by the policy change, which so far has been rolled out to its Watson division, software development, digital marketing, and design -- divisions that employ tens of thousands of workers.
The shift is particularly surprising since the Armonk, N.Y., company has been among the business world's staunchest boosters of remote work, both for itself and its customers. IBM markets software and services for what it calls "the anytime, anywhere workforce," and its researchers have published numerous studies on the merits of remote work.
In the past, IBM has boasted that more than 40% of employees worked outside traditional company offices, and a May 4 post on the company's Smarter Workforce blog stated that "telework works."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxbusiness.com ...
I’ve done telecommuting (although I used my own speakerphone for the phone calls.) But you have to require folks to use the company’s equipment for access instead of their own. Otherwise it becomes a nightmare during discovery for litigation. And you still have the problem of inadequately secured hardware, worker’s comp issues, and man in the middle issues.
Their one growth business is Watson apps. And they still have the mainframes. But really, IBM is a big outsourcing company. Other companies outsource whole systems with their employees. Then IBM will reduce headcount and send whatever it can to India.
Logical fallacy...specious reasoning.
Didn’t IBM have strict dress codes even on into the 1960s and 1970s? When a lot of high tech firms by the 1970s had casual dress codes, I heard that IBM apparently still required ties (as what you mentioned) and other rules pertaining to dress codes.
US patents last 17 years.
BIG mistake,IBM
LOL
380,000 people that have become used to not dressing before work, not showering regularly, and setting their own schedule.
Yeah, that’s gonna re-integrate to office life easily.
Doesn’t matter what you think. 23 years at 300 hours per month, attested by my wife, means I have been one hell of a lot more productive than you.
Compute it. I am normally charitable, but that was an idiotic statement.
I get a lot more done at home rather than being endlessly interrupted by people with oral diarrhea. People suck.
I get a lot more done at home rather than being endlessly interrupted by people with oral diarrhea. People suck.
yep. He’s got it down.
My new boss is more of a hands-on micro-manager guy. Under the guise of wanting me to “build my career” into an architecture role he wants me to start coming into the office more. He’s a smart and decent guy but Indian and much more big picture oriented and wants me to get back into management...
However I’m a Lead Software Engineer with a specialty on an IBM enterprise software tool, and largely the only guy at the company who knows how all the integrations work for banking, payroll, etc.
My previous two bosses said “Mr TechWorker”. You are twice as valuable at this company as me. We have so many business processes using your app and you are the only expert... Me on the other hand I’m just a manager and much more replaceable than you.
So I can’t really get interested in going to the office more than once every 2-3 weeks. For now it’s not a problem but I can see someday when we aren’t so busy the need for more PowerPoints, and Management docs, haha.
I actually was considering the jump to IBM someday, but now I’m not so sure. I can’t stand being around Trump “Haters”, gay celebrations, etc. And we are a defense oriented company, in a swing state that swung Trump. But the former H1-Bs are all big-time Dems and I just want to get my crap done without having to tell them how stupid they are....
“but established metrics that defined the productivity of these home workers, as less than desirable.”
I found through experience that a few days a week for some type of employees, such as computer programmers, is very productive, but any more than that and communications is usually delayed and that delays projects.
So, yes, I expect IBM did do a time survey and found work at home employees were overall less productive.
“Logical fallacy...specious reasoning. “
Getting to an office isn’t to terribly difficult. Millions do it every day. Those that can’t are usually the lazy and unproductive bunch always with excuses. Experience speaks louder than emotion.
“23 years at 300 hours per month, attested by my wife, means I have been one hell of a lot more productive than you.”
23 years? That’s it? What a kid!
No, you are not hell of a lot more productive than anyone else.
This is going to backfire.
Many of these people will now demand raises or leave.
I work with one such person who was just called back into the office after working for 2 years at home. He liked it and was able to do his job and be at home - he was also underpaid by about $30-50k per year, but was okay with it, as he was able to work from home.
Now that he has to go to the office, he’s going to look around and he will find something for $30-50k more very easily in this job market.
I imagine there are many others in the same situation.
“Getting to an office isn’t to terribly difficult.”
Well,,,, I have a friend who works from home for BOA. Does a lot of international stuff. Lives in New Joisey. Taking trains and cabs to the office in NYC would involve a great deal of time! He must be doing a good job as he’s regularly promoted. But, as he’s international, being in the office would probably not be particularly benefit the company anyway.
Not only that you can freep at home and pet your cat
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