Resource Actions

Its been over 18 months since I found myself no longer part of IBM.

The actions that they were taking then were called 'LEAN'; I never did find out if that acronym stood for anything, but the effect was pretty apparent -- in the wave that bagged me, about three thousand people had their employment terminated. There had been more before, and more since; in talking to a friend who still works there, there's a round of layoffs occurring right now, though their impact is spread out over time. The phrase they're using is 'Resource Action'; that phrase was around when I was there, too. It has a nice, neutral quality. Nothing personal, you understand, this is just a resource action. Who could be mad at something like that?

IBMs not the only company doing it, of course -- even that paragon of New Age and Enlightenment, Google, has had layoffs ( wonder if they call those actions anything special, or if they actually use clear words to describe the activity?). Microsoft, too, has announced layoffs. Further down the food chain, smaller companies (not that they're all that small) are chucking people. As I've said, I'm telling my wife that I expect her job to be evaporated some time this year. We won't like it, and I'm sure we'll panic over it - just sitting here, I know of no resources to help cope with such an event; I'm sure they exist -- but I think we should expect that its coming. It's the trend. Cut. Cut. Cut.

I think that the thing which gets me the most is that when these things occur, they're secrets -- no one is willing to admit that they're going on; when they get into the news, companies clam up, or make comments that any fool could see through. For example, I recall IBM saying that the exodus of people was a normal event; people came and went all the time. They didn't mention that most of the people leaving were in the United States and Europe; most of the people coming were in India and such. This was considered to be secret, internal information, of no interest to anyone else. Or so they said. Of course, they knew better; so did the people involved. But the fiction was maintained.

Companies have acted in much worse ways. Some have refused to pay severance pay until you trained your replacement. Some abruptly stopped paying retirees. Some, born and bred in this country, and now operating internationally, have let it be known that they no longer consider themselves to be 'American' companies. Some - well, you get the idea. All of these actions were taken by well-dressed people who might have actually cared about those whom their actions affected, but - well, you know. It's business. Nothing personal.

Sometimes, though, even 18 months plus later, it is. I still like IBM, odd as that may be, and I expected better from them - then, and now.