IBM wants its managers to cut down on remote work to keep their jobs.
The tech giant is asking all of its US managers to report to an office or client location at least three days a week, per an internal memo seen by Bloomberg. The memo, dated January 16, said the company would use badge-in data to “assess individual presence.”
A person familiar with the new requirements told Bloomberg that staff would have to live within 50 miles of an IBM office or client location.
According to the memo, employees must complete their relocation arrangements by August. Employees who can’t comply with the requirement or obtain a remote position must “separate from IBM,” per the memo.
A spokesperson for IBM confirmed the memo’s contents with Bloomberg, adding that the company was “focused on providing a work environment that balances flexibility with the face-to-face interactions.”
“Consistent with that approach, we’re requiring executives and people managers in the United States to be in the office at least three days per week,” the spokesperson told Bloomberg.
The change in policy marks a shift for IBM. In May, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna told Bloomberg that he wouldn’t be forcing employees to return to the office.
Krishna, however, said then that remote workers would be on the losing end when it comes to landing promotions.
“In the short term, you probably can be equally productive, but your career does suffer. Moving from there to another role is probably less likely because nobody’s observing them in another context.” Krishna told Bloomberg in May.
“It will be tougher. Not impossible, but probably a lot tougher,” he continued.
Representatives for IBM did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.
