Move near office or leave job: IBM issues ultimatum to managers working remote

International Business Machines has given a companywide ultimatum to managers who are still working remotely: move near an office or leave the company.

All US managers must immediately report to an office or client location at least three days a week “regardless of current work location status,” according to a Bloomberg report. 

Badge-in data will be used to “assess individual presence” and shared with managers and human resources, the firm told its managers in a note.

Those working remotely, other than employees with exceptions such as medical issues or military service, who don’t live close enough to commute to a facility must relocate near an IBM office by the start of August, according to the memo. That generally means within 50 miles (80 kilometers), the Bloomberg report said.

Managers who don’t agree to relocate and are unable to secure a role that’s approved to be remote have been asked to “separate from IBM.” 

“IBM is focused on providing a work environment that balances flexibility with the face-to-face interactions that make us more productive, innovative and better able to serve our clients,” a company spokesperson said. “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.”

Chief Executive Office Arvind Krishna has long touted the importance of in-person work. In a May 2023 interview with Bloomberg, Krishna said that promotions will be rarer for those who aren’t on-site. Some teams within IBM had already instituted office attendance requirements. A November memo told employees in the infrastructure business unit to show up at company locations at least three days a week with “managers and executives expected to be in more.”