Thread regarding IBM layoffs

@2gbc

So true

Great move even if life is difficult. IBM would never had let you reach age 55 and had access to retiree benefits like the Future health account. it's kind of like non-guaranteed money on an NFL contract...no one ever gets it. IBM would have cut you in an RA with 6 months to 2 weeks left and no amount of going up chain would ever change that. You made the right decision.

@anonymous post @SvZUR9w-trc . My post is genuine and I believe many others are as well.. As "5 months gone" says it is the hardest decision to make for anybody that has been with IBM for all if not most of their career. I appreciate that people stay because they can't afford to leave.. But many stay like myself because we are afraid to. IBM is our family, and like all families it has problems and some people do things you don't like.. If you're problem is you can't afford to leave. then when/if the push comes you will be in a much more difficult position than if you choose to leave.. If you want to stay, then make sure you are constantly reinventing yourself with the skills and experiences that the new IBM needs Understand and align yourself with the Strategy (you don't have to like it, but you have to support it ), This is what I did and like ' 5 months to go' my management did not want me to leave . But in the end there will be a much slimmer IBM (as many posts pertain too possibly half of what it is today).. Ask yourself if you see yourself as part of that new IBM ... if not look outside .. (also take out income insurance)..

I started working for IBM as a Co-op. It's the only company I had ever worked for. I was laid off in the Jerome York Purge of 1994, but came back. It's the only company I had ever worked for, for close to 30 years.

But, like the OP, I grew tired and frightened of the constant RAs - which have no rhyme or reason - and seeing too many good people sent packing. I wasn't even 50 years old, but I could feel the target on my back. So I began a stealth job search. It took me more than 3 years, but I finally found a fantastic job that leverages my skills, and I have co-workers that I love, and a management chain that supports me.

It was the hardest thing I'd ever done to make the decision to leave and then tell my boss that I was leaving IBM. My heart was beating a mile a minute. I'd never quit a job before! It was terrifying! Fortunately, my boss was supportive (he was not a lifetime IBMer) and we still keep in touch. I even helped him find someone to replace me.

I think the reason you see these posts, -trc, is that those of us who made the move out of IBM successfully want those who are left behind to feel that there is some hope. You don't HAVE to stay at IBM and be miserable. Life's too short for that. There is life beyond IBM. You have to be willing to go look for it, though. It won't fall out of the sky.

Best move I made was leaving IBM in 2014 after five years of service. Everyone please note, MANY companies are weening themselves off of "anything IBM". THINK about it. If your were a CIO why would you invest in the products and services of an organization making all these cuts? What kind of "warm fuzzes" would you have that proper monies are being allocated to the products or services you're considering? What "warm fuzzes" does or should one have staying here? The writings been on the wall to see for 5-6 years now. For the sake of your health and well-being, make the effort to see what's out there to make a move that works for you. All the best of everything to my former IBMers.

And for all those who aren't eligible for a pension or could never pay their bills with such a low income, this message is of no value.

I do find it odd just how many "I left _ and life is great!" type posts there are on this site tho. An unnatural amount, like they're being done purposefully.

I agree there is way too much stress in staying on with IBM.

The constant threat of layoffs while not receiving a raise in several years has become a dumb career choice by many.

Good luck to you going forward.