26 yrs service, always top performer, had just informed manager was retiring at the end of the year the week before. Really happy to be out but sad they didn't have the decency to let me go end of year. Like that really saved them $. They're going to write it all off Q4 earnings anyway. Long gone are corporations with a soul.
There is no
"Respect for the Individual"
I'm not surprised, just disappointed.
Zero chance I’m telling them when I retire. I want the package. Hopefully you got that.
You’re right, corporations don’t have a soul. Most people in today’s world have the same mentality as that comment that asked why you’d stay at a company for 26 years. I just passed my 25th anniversary this year and the number of teams and projects I’ve been on have varied so much it was almost like I worked at 10 different companies. I think what surprises me more is that there are people like me who chose to stay with IBM despite getting paid in peanuts compared to moving around. I guess I’m just lazy :)
I really do not want to sound offensive. I understand getting laid off is a stressful thing. But, why did you stay at IBM for such a long time, i.e., 26 years? There have been so many good new companies that have risen during that time. Why did you never switch and try to gain some new different experience? Maybe you preferred to stay in your comfort zone too long?
Again sorry about all those people getting laid off, but I really believe staying 26 years in one company is way too long, especially knowing that the company has not been doing very well over the past few decades.
I'm in the exact same situation as you and taking it well, since it pretty much gives free salary into January without actually working
26 years too
Given 30 days yesterday
This place has turned into a joke
Older workers are definitely targeted and this was no different
It’s a financial decision based on age, salary, pension, and whatever else
When you are dealing with corporate crooks and thieves like Alvind and the Pipmunks, you know that decency and respect have no place in the conversation.
Palmisano and Rometty were no better but Alvind beats them all at the game !
No matter - it will catch up with him and those near and dear to his stone cold heart.
At the end of the day, they need to make the shareholders happy by going above the expected earnings per share estimate from analysts. If they don't meet above expectation numbers then the share price would go down. This is the only thing the board members, CEO, Cxx, and shareholders care about. Real human employees no longer matter in corporations cause eventually majority of humans will be replaced by AI. The AI robots will sit around a table and talk about how humans got rid of humanity. They will have the last laugh!
Well at least IBM won't sc--w with your pension.
Oh, wait ...!
Laid off during COVID after 25 years of service. They always go for the older workers. Even if you take the severance, you are still entitled to arbitration and there are a lot of firms with suits against ibm for age discrimination. You should look into it.
You would have been selected for the layoff ~1 month ago, well before you mentioned your retirement. It is highly unlikely that your manager could have done anything to change it when s/he heard of your retirement. Even if it could be changed, you and your team are better off by not changing it - since you are getting paid severance into January (when you would have been gone), you will end up with more salary this way, and someone else who would have let go instead gets to keep their job a while longer.
Another way to look at it is you “retiring” a couple months sooner than expected saved someone else’s job. For now.
Enjoy your retirement!