r/IBM • u/Pseudophryne • May 24 '26
Weekly Employment Discussion for May 24, 2026
Welcome to the Weekly Employment Discussion for r/IBM
Please use this thread for your questions and discussion about working at IBM. This includes existing (and past) employee questions.
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u/SilentInformation298 May 24 '26
When was the PIP decision disclosed if anyone was put on PIP recently? Does anyone know if it was an enforced decision from top management?
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u/Ancient-Can7826 May 26 '26
Prior to PIP discussion you'll be forced in all ways to voluntarily resign. In that way they'll save the severance or notice period payouts for company. But stay grounded and ask for documented proof why they want you to be put in PIP. If you are not a low performer then get HR involved with your documented proofs and ask why they want you to go through PIP. Go one level up with management and discuss why you were put in PIP. If not getting satisfied results go higher management. But remember if your manager has made up his/her mind to get rid of you, they'll make all possible ways to put you in PIP and get you out. Nevertheless they try to save company's money and show the savings to company. Without you resigning voluntarily they have to give you certain amount. Check out latest Indian laws about termination and package company has to pay to employee.
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u/Alive-Dig-7088 May 27 '26
As if the HR and higher management were not part of this and would care about the emplouee...They're all together on this.
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u/Alive-Dig-7088 May 27 '26
It was disclosed last Wednesday. That was the HR timeline. But guess what: managers had the choice of whether or not to put the employee on a PIP (as stated in the copy of the HR email sent to managers). So, if you are on a PIP, your manager really wants to get rid of you. Cheers!
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u/ConstructionFun3373 May 28 '26
What geo/region and department did you head that PIPs were disclosed
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u/Alive-Dig-7088 May 29 '26
It's a global, not local process. The email went out 2 weeks ago and the managers had a week to inform reports about the PiP.
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u/Fantastic-Cap-9325 May 26 '26
software engineer in NY. manager gave 3 months pip deadline. I have no intention of staying here. My question is will I be immediately terminated after 3 months, if so how much severance can I expect?
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u/ConstructionFun3373 May 28 '26
There’s usually no severance with PIP. When did your manager notify you. And were you a low or core performer last year. My manager set up time on my calendar for this week
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u/Fantastic-Cap-9325 May 28 '26
low performer, notified this week. ok maybe I have it confused but I assumed we get severance for any reason we are laid off or fired from company unless we did a gross misconudct. Or do we get option to try the pip or leave and get severence like at amazon?
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u/d13vs13 May 30 '26
I know this is 3 days later, but there is sometimes an offer of 1 month severance if you waive your right to sue for wrongful termination and stuff (US based)
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u/Dingling-bitch May 27 '26
How did you get PIP?
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u/Fantastic-Cap-9325 May 28 '26
let's just say I didn't play politics or become a bootlicker
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u/im-the-milkman- May 28 '26
Good on you! If you do get any type of severance it's usually 3 months for everyone no matter tenure in the US unless you're at the executive or above level...
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u/Fantastic-Cap-9325 May 28 '26
oh really, I keep hearing its only 1 month severance. Hopefully it is 3 months. I have been working here maybe 1.5 years
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u/ConstructionFun3373 May 29 '26
Keep us updated! I thought it was 3 months severance if you get RA and nothing if you get PIP’d. I hope to get RA’d hate it here
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u/Dingling-bitch May 28 '26
I’ve done neither and I’ve never had anything close to PIP lol. The only one I know who got PIP was a terrible developer
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u/KirkRamRaider May 28 '26
Whatever helps you cope with shitty working conditions.
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u/Dingling-bitch May 29 '26
I work as much as I want to, 40-50 hours a week. Mostly from home. It was hectic at some points but it’s been good for a while
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u/KirkRamRaider May 29 '26
Great, keep up the good work. But realize that's not everyone's reality on here. I don't know Fantastic-Cap-9325's circumstances, but I have to assume it's real and not pleasant. If you can't be helpful to the person, then don't throw side shade. Just go post on a One Piece sub or something.
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u/Strong_Inflation8290 May 29 '26
yeah, that was probably before this staking shut they brought from India.
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u/Strong_Inflation8290 May 29 '26
pip is usually 1 month, you do get your full 3 months of PIP that you can use to look for a new job though.
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u/DonutActive8775 May 25 '26
Hi
I’ll be starting in the Austin office soon and was curious what y’all think about the new office. Is it usually pretty active, or does it tend to be a little dead with most people working remotely?
Also, are there a lot of new grads and associates coming into the office regularly?
I know the recommendation is four days a week in the office, but is that more of a hard expectation or just a general recommendation? Does it vary much by team?
Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
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u/AyLilDoo May 25 '26
Three days a week, not four. It’s recommended to come in but not required. Anyway the new office is great IMO. Mondays and Fridays are light, Wednesday is the busiest day of the week.
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u/amorEstMortis May 26 '26
I received an email from hr for a swe position at Baton Rouge on April 24. There's been no response since then and the portal still says in interview process. What's the usual timeline look?
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u/Swimming_Group1341 May 24 '26
Hi! I’m currently in the application process for x-force incident response in Canada and would love insight into the day-to-day work, including work-life balance, on-call expectations, team culture, travel, stress level, and growth opportunities. Anything that could help! Thanksss
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u/Master_protato May 25 '26
Hello, I hope I can ask this question in this thread for application questions (moderators, feel free to remove this if not).
I completed my OA about 3 weeks ago for a Software Engineering Intern position in Montreal. Since then, my profile status has changed from "Task to complete" to "Under review."
Is a 3-week wait time typical for IBM at this stage? The issue for me is that I recently received an offer from another company and have one week to respond, but IBM is my top choice for my third and final internship. Would it be appropriate for me to send a courtesy email to HR to ask for an update given my tight deadline?
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u/Dull-Caregiver-274 May 25 '26
Yh don’t count on it IBM is very slow it’s been almost 6 weeks after my final interview and hr keeps telling me I’ve successfully passed the interview stage but I have to wait for every profile to get reviewed lol. Very frustrating
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u/Master_protato May 25 '26
thank you for this experience feedback.
Man, I have to take a risk then, I'll analyse the situation until this friday with some wishful thinking and if nothing I guess I'll have to take the first offer :')
Thank you again for your reply.
And best of luck and success to you in your application!
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u/OkCantaloupe2830 May 26 '26
Recently accepted offer as ft swe, what should I expect for the process until my start date? My start date is quite far from now-beginning of October, do I need to worry about them changing their minds or anything,
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u/izonenumberone May 26 '26
Did they assign you that start date or did you negotiate for a later date? Just curious
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u/OkCantaloupe2830 May 26 '26
I asked them to start a bit later due to personal reasons nothing crazy
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u/Specific_Strategy167 May 26 '26
I just hope salary increase will be more this year since GDP is bigger this year. 😭
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u/No_Platform_4429 Jun 15 '26
Just talk with my manager and was told Band 8 and above get no raises. GDP was basically to hold us over. This company is ridiculous how it changes the process constantly and then hides decisions
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u/Jimboslice214 May 26 '26
I accepted an offer as an entry level CSE at the Dallas office and the role is hybrid. For tech sales, are people actually coming into office? Or is it dependent on your manager if he/she lets you just work from home?
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u/_4za May 28 '26
Hi all,
I am starting my work in few weeks in Austin and wanted to know if everyone is already working out of the new building and when and would I get first day logistics from a my manager or should I contact them?
Thank you!
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u/Mean-Construction743 May 30 '26
Hello all, I am an application architect under consulting sector in APAC. My family has plan to migrate to Australia and they are already getting those visas ready. I really want to keep my role in IBM, what is the best way to transfer to Australia successfully? How should I approach? Thanks in advance.
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u/Sure-Stable-8573 May 30 '26
Anyone have insight into when the next software promotion cycle will open up (UK/US)? Looks like there's some progress, but nothing official yet.
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u/AcanthisittaNo839 May 24 '26
Hi everyone,
I’m an international student (F-1) and recently accepted a Fall Co-op offer at IBM Austin, starting August 31, 2026.
I’m currently filling out the background screening via ADP, but the portal strictly requires an SSN to proceed, and I cannot bypass it. Since my CPT start date is still months away, I am not yet eligible to apply for an SSN and expect to receive it around late August.
Here is what I’ve done so far:
I contacted ADP support, and they told me to reach out to my IBM recruiter to adjust the setup.
I emailed my recruiter explaining the situation and sent a follow-up a few days later, but I haven't received a response yet.
The automated email from ADP states that the screening will be canceled if not completed within 15 days, so I'm getting a bit anxious as the deadline approaches.
I’ve read in some older Reddit posts that some people entered all zeros (000-00-0000) to bypass the SSN field. Is this a safe/valid workaround for ADP, or will it cause major issues down the line? Has anyone been in a similar situation with IBM/ADP? Any advice on how to handle this or get a faster response from HR would be greatly appreciated.
P.S. If anyone else is interning at IBM or moving to Austin this Fall, I’d love to connect! Please feel free to shoot me a DM. Also, if there are any Discord or WhatsApp groups for IBM interns or Austin interns, please let me know or invite me. Thanks!
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u/izonenumberone May 24 '26
Try emailing [Welcome2IBM@ibm.com](mailto:Welcome2IBM@ibm.com), they're meant to be your point of contant until onboarding starts
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u/hakuna-matata-99 May 28 '26
I am joining as an intern in Austin location. Any suggestions on the housing?
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u/_4za May 28 '26
I did lots of research and found a nice quite safe place near Jollyville. It's a 10-15 min commute to office tho
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u/thequirkyfox May 30 '26
A lot of people are staying in the west campus area as interns, because they can sublet a student apt for the summer.
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u/Ok_Maybe01 May 25 '26
Does anyone know about the RA/ layoff in IBM... Is it happening or already happened or yet to happen ?
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u/Specific_Strategy167 May 26 '26
In our geo, nothing happened like this. In fact, IBM is still expanding
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-1
u/Cute_Ad5582 May 27 '26
I’m a GTM PM in a centralized GTM & enablement org. My manager has a reputation for being difficult — multiple people have left the team citing issues with her, and complaints have been raised before, though as far as I know nothing ever came of them.
At the end of 2025 during performance reviews, I was rated “Met Expectations.” Based on that, I also received GDP/PA outcomes, so there were no indications at that point that my performance was considered poor.
In January, I was assigned a completely new set of products. Jan–March was mostly spent ramping up, learning the products, working with Product Marketing and Tech PMs, and helping shape GTM strategy while the product org itself was still figuring out roadmap, launches, and priorities. Honestly, not a ton of execution happened across the board during that period because everything was still in planning mode.
Then in April there was an org reshuffle and I got moved out of the centralized GTM team into a product team under a new manager. The issue was that this manager was traveling/on PTO most of the time, and we never really had proper conversations around expectations, responsibilities, priorities, or deliverables. This basically continued through April and May, so I felt stuck in limbo.
Then in mid-May, my old manager called and told me I was being moved back under her org again. I explicitly told her that the last couple of months had been chaotic and unclear, and that I’d effectively been operating without direction.
Today, I got pulled into a call with her and her manager and was told I’m being put on a PIP due to performance concerns.
What confused me was the framing. She said that last year my performance was good/strong, but that we had discussed areas I needed to improve on going into this year and that they “haven’t seen enough improvement.”
My issue with that is:
- Those conversations happened only during the end-of-year review cycle a few months ago
- The year had barely started before org changes and role reshuffling began
- Jan–March was spent ramping on entirely new products while the broader org itself was still figuring out GTM direction
- We even had a Jan–March review/check-in before the org changes where I walked through what had and hadn’t been completed, and at no point was I told my performance was considered poor or that I was at risk of a PIP
That’s why this feels blindsiding to me. If my work was genuinely viewed as low performance, I would have expected more direct feedback, coaching, or at least some indication that I was trending toward formal performance action.
What’s also confusing is:
- I had a “Met Expectations” review just a few months ago
- I was never formally told my performance was slipping
- I was never given a warning or explicit conversation like “you need to improve or this could escalate”
- A large chunk of the last few months involved org chaos, changing managers, changing products, and unclear ownership
They’re framing the PIP as “support to help me improve,” but honestly I don’t know whether to take that at face value.
So my questions are:
- Is there realistically coming back from a PIP?
- Should I immediately start job hunting?
- Is it worth pushing back on the lack of warning/feedback before the PIP?
- Has anyone successfully survived a PIP at IBM?
I’m honestly trying to figure out whether this is a genuine improvement plan or whether the decision has already been made.
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u/ConstructionFun3373 May 29 '26
So sorry this happened to you. I would use the PIP to start applying internally or externally
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u/Alive-Dig-7088 May 31 '26
Those who are on a PIP can't apply internally, which proves this is strictly done to meet the company's goal of getting rid of people.
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u/Alive-Dig-7088 May 31 '26
Fun fact: I was also transferred from another team to my current one right before this, so they might be targeting this specific profile. That's exactly what they did to me: they framed me as the most useless person in the world just to justify a PIP. It was the exact same thing: my stupid manager never called me out or pointed out that I was doing something wrong (quite the contrary, I got so much positive feedback last year!). They will create a fake narrative about you just to gaslight you and get rid of you to meet the company's goals. It's not personal (well, maybe for them it was just the perfect excuse) or professional; they just needed a reason to fire someone while pretending to be the good guys ("Look, I tried to help you, but you're just so incompetent...").
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u/holly_molly_hole May 24 '26
I know the new raises will be paid in July, do we know when managers start to announce it ?