Working for IBM always seemed to be a dream of mine, but now that I am here I've been terribly concerned with the leadership and direction of the company.
I'm still trying to wash off CA calling all sales people beautiful and romanticizing the idea of coming into the office. In some cases they are not only destroying work/life balance by this ask, they are actually taking some seriously meaningful time out of the work day to be effective. This should absolutely be flexible and not mandatory. Do your homework.
Unless you are fully aware of the negative impacts and that is the goal, then just say that. I'm gagging trying swallow all of the fabrications and misinformed postures about it.
If the issue is you don't trust people to do their jobs, then there are other means at weeding those people out.
They want us to be fully bought into IBM being "new" and innovative but the leadership is pulling out methodology and references that quickly exposes their ages.
To be honest, with all the visionaries, thought leaders, books, and more that introduce modern procedures, techniques, and strategies; I'm convinced that none of our leadership has consumed any of it. Or even tries of that matter.
There is no way that a company that truly wants to be relevant outside of its legacy bread and butter should be operating how they are today. CA is mentioning his time (years and years AND YEARS ago) about meeting someone in an elevator as a relevant or even meaningful reference as to why everyone needs to come into the office when WORKING FOR A GLOBAL TECH COMPANY we have every resource we ever need to connect to ANYONE in the world within moments.
Then in light of trying to make office culture "enjoyable", you are actually requiring me to waist more time while also creating an environment that isn't even productive.
Monitors scattered, desks broken, loud environments, spotty wifi, constant exposure to Covid (because apparently that doesn't matter to them anymore and won't have cleaners clean desk, or can't even keep soak stocked in the bathrooms) and more.
We have sales leaders that the only selling they have ever done was during their interview into IBM. We have leadership that thinks we operate on punch cards still. We have leadership that treat DE&I incredibly performative. There is so much internal disarray among the teams and product sets. Where is the ecosystem? Why can't anyone explain who their whole team is? Oh and btw that is NOT something you learn in your local office when your team is either across the US or across the global.
We have leadership more concerned with checking ambiguous boxes and protecting themselves instead of planning for meaningful work. The list goes on...
At some point you have to ask, who in IBM really is empowered to drive revenue and not simply cut costs and save their own job?
I guess I said all this to say that if IBM wants to be the grand IBM they want us to believe they are- start acting like it. Start making meaningful sound decisions based on NEW research and data. Scout your talent properly and do all you can to value the ones that show up, do the work, and do it well. Stand behind tangible and real DE&I programs and policies instead of having two cis, older, males talk about DE&I for a camera. Cut the fluff, get out of the way for the employees that are actually trying to drive revenue. I would hate for my lack of enthusiasm or willingness to participate in things that make it harder to get my job done, be the exact reason why I face consequences or "laid off".
Be a thought leader .
Be the IBM they say they are and not just who they think they are because I haven't worked for a tech company that was any further from the mark.
Best of Luck. God Speed.