IBM's ‘enough is enough’ message to its managers: ‘Move near an office or…’
IBM said that all managers must immediately report to an office or client location at least three days a week.
International Business Machines Corp. gave a companywide ultimatum to managers who are still working remotely: move near an office or leave the company as the company said that all US managers must immediately report to an office or client location at least three days a week “regardless of current work location status."
Badge-in data will be used to “assess individual presence” and shared with managers and human resources, Senior Vice President John Granger wrote in the note as per a Bloomberg report. Those working remotely must relocate near an IBM office by the start of August, according to the memo- which means within 50 miles (80 kilometers).
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Managers who don’t agree to relocate and are unable to secure a role that’s approved to be remote must “separate from IBM,” John Granger wrote, adding, “IBM is focused on providing a work environment that balances flexibility with the face-to-face interactions that make us more productive, innovative and better able to serve our client. Consistent with that approach, we’re requiring executives and people managers in the United States to be in the office at least three days per week.”
IBM's Chief Executive Office Arvind Krishna has earlier talked about the importance of in-person work. Earlier he told Bloomberg that promotions will be rarer for those who aren’t on-site. In November, the company told employees in the infrastructure business unit to show up at company locations at least three days a week with “managers and executives expected to be in more.”
IBM has slimmed its operations to focus on software and services in recent years and closed a number of offices since the onset of the pandemic including facilities in Philadelphia, central New York State, Southbury, Connecticut, and Iowa.
