IBM asks managers to move near an office or leave company

IBM employees who are working remotely and don't live close enough to commute to work have been asked to have been asked to relocate to an area closest to a company office by the beginning of August.

Software giant IBM has issued a companywide ultimatum to managers who are still working remotely, asking them to move to a location that is nearest to a company office or leave the organisation, a Bloomberg report said.

As per a memo issued on January 16, all managers working in the United States have been told to report to a nearest office or a client location at least thrice a week "regardless of current work location status."

Additionally, badge-in data will be deployed to "assess individual presence" and the same would be shared with managers and human resources, senior vice-president John Granger said in his note. Managers who don't agree to relocate and are not able to secure a role that has been approved to be remote must "separate from IBM," Granger wrote.

"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."

"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," a company spokesperson said.

IBM employees who are working remotely, with the exception of those in the military service or with medical issues, and don't live close enough to commute to work have been asked to relocate to an area closest to a company office by the beginning of August. As per a person familiar with the rule, the distance implies to an office that is within 80 km.

In August last year, IBM India CEO Arvind Krishna had said in an interview  that employees who were not working on-site may find it hard to get promoted in their roles.

IBM is not the first organisation, in recent times, which has stressed on the need to work from office. In September last year, Tata Consultancy Services informed their employees to start working from office on all five days of the week from October 1.