Project Chrome, a massive layoff that IBM is pretending is not a massive layoff, is underway. At more than 100,000* people, it is projected to be the largest mass layoff by any U.S. corporation in at least 20 years.
Alliance@IBM, the IBM employees' union, says it has so far collected reports of 5000 jobs eliminated (//vny!://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/at-work/tech-careers/massive-worldwide-layoff-underway-at-ibm), but those are just numbers of those getting official layoff notices.
According to anecdotal reports, IBM appears to be abusing the performance appraisal system to cut additional employees without officially laying them off (//vny!://www.forbes.com/sites/robertcringely/2015/01/22/next-weeks-bloodbath-at-ibm-wont-fix-the-real-problem/).
"Layoff" is the most disingenuous patronizing goddamned thing these rich a**holes could say. Call it what it is: you don't want to give up a yacht this year, so you're firing a city the size of boulder Colorado. They are cutting top performers who are in their 50's and 60's and closing in on the longevity needed for certain insurance and pension benefits.
On the other hand, IBM has had 11 consecutive quarters (three years!) of falling sales. If they don't take decisive action to turn things around, the company will be gone and everyone will be out of a job. It sucks, but the truth is, IBM hasn't kept their customers happy, and with the customers leaving there isn't money to pay workers.
BUT, IBM instructed their management to give an "underperformance" review along with the termination date so they could cut the severance in half to 13 weeks or nothing when they put them on a "performance improvement needed in 30 days" plan. All of a sudden competent employees are being found incompetent, so that they can be fired.
* this number is in dispute. Some articles say 5,000, some say more. Robert Cringely (a guy who knows IBM inside and out) claims 26% (about 110,000).
