Down Angle Symbol A symbol in the form of an angle pointing downwards. “We require executives and human resources managers in the United States to be in the office at least three days per week,” an IBM spokesperson told Bloomberg. Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
- According to Bloomberg, IBM wants its U.S. managers to work in person at least three days a week.
- Employees who do not comply with this requirement may lose their jobs.
- IBM CEO Arvind Krishna previously said he would not force employees to return to the office.
IBM wants its managers to reduce remote work to keep their jobs.
The tech giant is requiring all of its U.S. managers to report to an office or client site at least three days a week, according to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg. The Jan. 16 memo said the company would use badge-in data to “assess individual attendance.”
A person familiar with the new requirements told Bloomberg that employees would have to live within 50 miles of an IBM office or customer site.
According to the memo, employees must finalize their relocation agreements by August. Employees who cannot comply with the requirement or obtain a remote position will be required to “disconnect from IBM,” according to the memo.
An IBM spokesperson confirmed the contents of the memo to Bloomberg, adding that the company is “focused on providing a work environment that balances flexibility with personal interactions.”
“Consistent with this approach, we require executives and human resources managers in the United States to be in the office at least three days per week,” the spokesperson told Bloomberg.
The policy change marks a shift for IBM. In May, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna told Bloomberg that he would not force his employees to return to the office.
However, Krishna said at the time that remote employees were on the losing side when it came to promotions.
“In the short term, you can probably be just as productive, but your career will suffer. “Moving from there to another role is probably less likely because no one is watching her in a different context,” Krishna told Bloomberg in May.
“It will be more difficult. Not impossible, but probably much more difficult,” he continued.
IBM representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.