IBM Consulting has issued a directive requiring US employees working near IBM or client offices to be physically present at least three days a week.
Employees who live near an IBM office are covered by the policy. Employees who work exclusively from home are exempt, although they are encouraged to visit an IBM office to strengthen relationships, promote learning, and spark ideas.
IBM Consulting responds to FAQs on the issue says, “We see value in a hybrid model of both working remotely and being face-to-face with clients, whenever possible.”
“We want to address the pent-up demand that we see coming out of the pandemic because we see some of what we lost in a remote only world. We know coming together in person can spark ideas, the innovative thinking that we’re known for, and tacit learning for the next generation of consultants by working together with more experienced colleagues. In-person time is also about creating trust and building long-term relationships with clients,” IBM Consulting SVP John Granger said adding that employees will not be penalized if they are unable to go to work.
The move doesn’t seem to go down well with employees, with one employee saying IBM is creating “voluntary attrition so they don’t have to RA (that’s Resource Action, IBM’s euphemism for a layoff)” in response to revised work rules on IBM’s Fishbowl app, which is used for internal discussions.
Another wrote: “These bozos just cannot stop signing leases. They need to accept it, nobody wants to commute to an office and sit there for ten hours to justify managerial roles and sit in meetings all day.”
The sources for this piece include an article in TheRegister.