RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Workers at IBM report through social media and the Internet that layoffs began hitting Big Blue’s workforce in the US and other countries on Thursday. Some employees say they work in groups receiving special emphasis in CEO Ginni Rometty’s rebooting of the company to focus on analytics, Watson artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
“From reports I have been getting it seems quite large,” a former IBMer tells WRAL TechWire. “A manager from one organization said it would cut 1,000. That is just one org.”
IBM declined comment.
Some of the people laid off were perplexed, given their positions with the tech giant.
“Hi. 20 year IBM’er working on Watson was just told I was laid off. Over 40, woman,” posted one worker.
“So I was in cloud and was laid off, you were in Watson and laid off. I thought these were the new initiatives?” posted one worker.
“The saviors of IBM. They should have sold off the legacy businesses to US before they went off on this charade.”
“I’m in US tech sales hybrid cloud,” added another employee hit by what IBM labels a “resource action” or RA.
The layoffs come just a week after an investigation by website ProPublica published in partnership with Mother Jones accused IBM of targeting “aging” US workers and flouting age discrimination rules as it cut thousands of jobs over the past several years.
Apparently not all the notifications went smoothly.
Wrote one worker: “When the manager’s call was held, the clown that led the call started off by saying the following, ‘I look forward to working with you all throughout the year on this and other opportunities.’ Talk about a lack of situational awareness and a complete lack of empathy…shocking I know.”
Some groups were hit heavily, workers stressed.
“This is big”
“In the less than 60 minutes since I got the call from my BUE [business unit executive] informing me that I was being RA’d every single one of my coworkers that I’ve been able to connect to also got the call, including our manager. Sales persons as well. This is big. I’m shook as I will be 65 in less than 3 weeks and who wants an old person…”
Added a “Tech Seller” in analytics.: “RA like so many others. Aware of at least 6 more people on the team. Including manager. And the rumor is about 25% of the team is hit.”
“Many of us in the Technical sales arena are getting our walking papers on Thursday … with a 90 day notice period,” a worker declared.
Comments grew in number throughout the day Thursday at the Facebook site devoted to IBM called “Watching IBM.” Posters at the site also reported cuts in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Workers also posted layoff news at The Layoff website.
“My time has come,” wrote a sales rep at The Layoff. “After 22 years here I am scheduled to leave in June. I am in Hybrid Cloud Sales, US based, already had a call today and was given 90 days to look for a replacement job, I will not be doing it – do not wanto to go thru the same game all over again in a year. What they offer? If I cannot find an alternative position, I get separated on 6/27…”
No N.C. notice
Big Blue operates one of its largest campuses in RTP and employees several thousand people across the state.
No WARN notice has been filed with the state of North Carolina as of 3 p.m. Friday, according to a spokesperson for the N.C. Department of Commerce. A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification [WARN] notice is required if a company is making what is termed as a “mass layoff” or a plant is being closed.
Rometty has restructured IBM away from reliance on hardware to focus more on software, AI and related services. Her predecessor, Sam Palmisano pursued a similar track, selling IBM’s PC business to Lenovo. Under Rometty, IBM sold its RTP-based x86 server business to Lenovo.
A few workers said they were given 90 days notice before their jobs would end.
“Will this ever end?”
Several employees in Massachusetts reporting being laid off.
“I am a Digital seller working out of Littleton, MA. I received my 90 day notice today. I was not the only one and it was not performance based as we all were over 100% attainment for 2017,” one employee wrote.
“At least 10 people in Digital Sales out of Littleton today,” added another.
Layoffs also hit IBM in Georgia.
“Smyrna, GA call center hit heavily: All groups here it, including staff and operations jobs (including ALL desk side support),” the worker said.
A worker who identified herself as a “57 -ear-old female” working in storage in New York said she was cut.
A male who said he was between 55-60 and worked in analytics in the southeast said he too was cut.
One worker’s frustration was quite clear.
“I know a lot of my friends will be affected again. Will this ever end?”
