Thread regarding Kyndryl layoffs

@3vha This comment struck a chord “if you’re in the right clique, you’re considered good/valuable.” That was exactly what I observed. And being in the right clique in my organization required Olympic levels of brown nosing to a very insecure SVP. It really can e down to a choice between that and your own self-respect. I chose the latter.

There aren't bench warmers in Kyndryl. Senior management are simply culling roles from "shared service" teams and moving work into "Account pods" whilst culling their teams at the same time. I've not been able to work on a client account for months (for the 1st time in 25 years) simply because we have no new signings and the execs are demanding all work is performed by India rather than locally. We will pay the price in terms of quality of delivery and not putting our best people in front of the client but the people driving the benching are solely focused on removing people from the organisation. I would have preferred an IBM style announcement or an opportunity to express an interest in leaving rather than a fake "opportunity to upskill"

I am done with kyndryl. I will be leaving at the end of the month. I found employment in a smaller company. I can't take the negativity of this company any longer. I will be moving back to my home state. I regret ever letting them push me out of IBM. I let myself be fooled into thinking Kyndryl was actually a good opportunity. New company fresh start, sure I'll move a couple states over. Just so I could be stuck in Raleigh NC. I should have just tendered my resignation, when I was approached about relocating to Kyndryl in NC. Not really angry at Kyndryl it is doing what it does. IBM on the other hand go f yourself. That basically sums up twenty six years of my service.

There is few jobs for Kyndryl US people. It is better off leaving Kyndryl, which seems to be poised to get rid off high paying US employees and favor early career (new graduates) hires from India. You have to reinvent yourself with the marketable skills and it can be a tough road to get hired by a good company with a good pay. You can do it, you will come out of this mess find yourself stronger and happier with Kyndryl and IBM behind you. Best luck to everyone.

Moved to the bench? Don't fool yourself. This is the new reality at Kyndryl! I was benched and laid off in April 2023, despite receiving the best reviews a year earlier and a 20% increase in salary, with comments highlighting me as a top contributor. It's ironic that my skills and experience weren't the issue. Rather, I came to realize that I wasn't part of the select group consistently favored by the same management. As a mentor at IBM once told me, "You're considered good if you're in the right clique." That's what it all came down to in the end: cliques and favoritism.

From time to time, I like to come here and read the latest on Kyndryl. I have been gone from this company for more than a year. I left behind some real good co-workers. I come with the hopes that Kyndryl has turned it around or at the very least improved the work environment of my former work friends. ( NOPE ) This honestly will be the last time I check in. I see things seem to be only getting worse. Plus it just drags up the negative feels I was feeling while I was an employee. The best thing I ever did was take advantage of the hot job market a year ago. The scariest thing I ever did was initially push the send button on my first resume to an external employer. My new employer puts emphasis on employee well being. Reminds me of how IBM use to be. My advice is the job market is still decent don't put up with Kyndryls BS move on there is fresh pasture's out there.

i just came here to read comments because a great former co-worker of mine told me he was benched and today is his last day. I was RA'd in 2015. It is so ironic that the new role I took, soon outsourced to IBM which became kyndryl (stupid f'ing name) a year later. They won't be around long...the account is already a mess.

I genuinely appreciate your response.

I came in through the IBM apprenticeship program and am nowhere near retirement age. I would say my FLMs left much to be desired. One told me he didn't need to help with support issues when no one else would, that wasn't part of his job as my manager and that he'd done more for me than anyone else would. I asked to be transferred back to my old FLM because I trusted her from my time in the apprenticeship program only to find out she'd changed drastically during the Kyndryl transition. I'm assuming she'd also been beaten down by bosses who didn't support her and it trickled down.

Unfortunately, it seems Kyndryl wants to sing these great leadership values and thinks they're being put into practice. However, I have experienced this is not the case in many ways. Whether directly through employee treatment or how we handle client issues. I can't count how many times I tried to champion for my clients to do right by them and stick to Kyndryl standards and practices, only to be told to stand down so we could "go around proper Kyndryl practices for a faster response" and then I myself got my hand slapped for not being a team player.

I'm frustrated for trying to my best and following the principles Kyndryl has only to be coached by my FLM because someone didn't like me even though my response and approach was correct. It seems anything can be made into an actionable offense if your manager is willing to eat a little bit of pride. I had evidence to back up my claims of financial mishandling and nothing mattered. Nothing mattered.

They say don't take it personal. It feels personal when you've put in the time to do what the company wants - upskilling, the hyperscaler certs you're not actively going to use given your assignment, trying to submit "opportunities" that again don't matter based on your role, and none of if matters because we're all numbers.

I am beyond burned out from Kyndryl. I am tired of trying to treat people with respect, kindness, and following proper procedure, for others to come in and treat me with such disrespect and no one cares. No one cares how others treat you - whether peers or management. No one cares if we're following proper procedure. No one cares if we're treating clients right. No one cares if we're handling financials correctly.

Because as long as it's small enough it can be swept under the rug....that's what time at Kyndryl has shown me at least in the PM side of things. FLMs are there to protect other FLMs - not subordinates. HR is there to protect Kyndryl - not employees. Personally, I just wish I'd had realistic expectations of what this company was.

I apologize, if my post came off as to harsh in-regards to bench warmers. I truly do not wish anyone in that situation il will. I am and was a long term IBM worker transplanted to kyndryl. I have done everything I possibly could do, to cement my position at kyndryl until I can hit my retirement age. I am just frustrated at the indifference and anger by my fellow IBM legacy transplants. I have spent hundreds of hours of getting my skills more current and aligned with what kyndryl needs from me to keep me. I have had many a conversation with this very subject of being useful and relevant. Only to be told that management are id--ts, and they intend to do nothing more for this company. The only goal is to make it to the retirement line. WOW!!!!!

so if bad attitude is: to tell honestly that you as person you think that you want to upskill to diff. team with some new techstack and want to escape from maintainig legacy environment with bunch of eosl devices, micromanagement

• and you see a lit burned out people or even without any motivation to fix problems, be proactive do some best ..

So this then equal to be benched as well as u were honest with your feeling

• once u are benched from one day to another without any information that u are aware of it, and everybody is asking you were worked together whats going on, as you was great part of project and your flm dishonesting you with lies to those people, that you went to better position :)

= bad attitude of whom then ?:) i simpli will bet on out of reality momentum of current managament who support this toxic managers to do so and behave like that and they are aware of it, specially bench managers heard for sure multiple stories from benched employees …

• reality of brno location

based on real

• thats their brand marketing to promote their values ..

It's easy to assume "benchwarmers", are you call us, are there for a reason - until you're on the bench and realize, most aren't. You're attitude toward benchwarmers is exactly our worry when trying to find a new role. I'd been telling my FLM for 6 months minimum I needed more work - but there is none being signed. Well there is, but managed services is cheaper than Consult and we have "infighting" of who gets to work what is being signed.

The PM I mentioned has a great attitude, came in the office (when we had one) everyday, came to events to network, did PM education classes, mentored new people. They are highly certified in security which is in demand right now. It isn't always about attitude. Unfortunately, right now it's all about utilization. If you have a good FLM, they rank their team appropriately and send the bottom performing to the bench, but who is making sure that's how they're ranking people? When I literally continue working on accounts I've KT'd to someone and then help KT to another PM as I'm about to be separated, it doesn't leave me a lot of hope Kyndryl and it's middle management knows what they're doing.

Perhaps, when it was the IBM bench this was true. At IBM I watched people sit on the bench (at my location) who didn't seem to mind they had no work and didn't care to upskill. Yes, that was a problem. That is not the bench of Kyndryl. Now the bench is an easy way to "separate" people with little justification. One manager knows the process is broken and tries to get eyes on the process to work on it but no one cares because it's doing it's job. The new bench is a death sentence for your job - whether your good or not.

Did it ever occur to you. That maybe they are benched for a reason. From my own experience and interaction with some of these benchwarmers. Most of them have the same things in common ( bad attitude, underskilled, IBM legacy hirers with no intention to add to their skill set or do anything company oriented ) If kyndryl wants to continue to exist then these people need to go or really start contributing to the company.

In Brno there were 3 bench managers, who did not care much. After 3 month on the bench all were layed off. When question was raised with senior management what is the fate of those on the bench, will there new roles opened the reply was always: ask your bench flm. Bench flms do not care much.