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• Families USA: How HSAs Can Drain Your Wallet and Harm Your Health [PDF]. Excerpts: HSAs and high-deductible health plans represent a tremendous gamble for health care consumers: While such plans may benefit people who remain healthy, people who become ill often have a hard time paying for their care. People may forgo care due to cost, only to find that they have a serious condition that would have improved with earlier treatment. Even if people save a significant amount of money in their HSAs, they may not have sufficient funds to pay for care when illness strikes. And lower-paid workers have less ability to save money in HSAs than higher-paid workers.
  Although HSAs and high-deductible plans are often marketed as ways to give consumers “control” over their health care budgets, people who are sick actually have little control over their health care costs. What’s more, after they meet their plans’ deductibles, they often face high out-of-pocket expenses for services that are not covered by their plans and for out-of-network care that, especially in an emergency, may be unavoidable.
• Washington Post editorial: Inequality and Health Care. Two fixes for middle-class insecurity. Excerpts: The rise of inequality over the past generation calls for a rethinking of tax and education policies, as earlier editorials in this series have said. But it also calls for reform of the health system. Because of a historical accident -- wage controls during World War II drove employers to compensate workers with perks such as medical insurance -- the health system is tied to corporations. This exacerbates inequality.
  In most countries, rising medical costs are shouldered by taxpayers. Because tax systems are progressive, this means that the extra cost is borne by those who can afford it. But in the United States, where health spending per person has doubled since 1975 (after adjusting for inflation), the non-poor and non-elderly are expected to pay their own way. This is most clearly the case for Americans who lack a company health plan and must pay directly out of pocket. It's increasingly the case for Americans who have corporate coverage that comes with high deductibles and co-payments. But even workers who have generous, all-you-can-eat health plans end up paying indirectly, since their wages are held down to offset the cost of the plans.
  This individualistic system goes a long way toward explaining the "middle-class squeeze" so frequently invoked on the campaign trail. Workers' total compensation may be rising, but health benefits gobble up an increasing share of that, so wages lag. Equally, out-of-pocket medical expenses are believed to cause at least 425,000 bankruptcies annually, and one in six working-age adults carries medical debt. [...]
  The health system is a huge problem in its own right, irrespective of inequality. The United States spends almost twice as large a share of its economy on health care as do other rich countries, yet it still has lower life expectancy; it still has 47 million uninsured; and future health costs threaten crippling budget deficits. But the rise of inequality provides an extra reason to tackle the health challenge. Struggles with medical bills and fears of losing coverage are at the root of middle-class anxiety, and that anxiety creates pressure for misguided populist policies that would spread the dysfunction of the health system to the broader economy. So long as a third of the workforce lives in fear of losing access to doctors, nobody should expect the nation to believe that a rising tide is lifting all boats.
• Washington Post: Senator Wants Universal Health Care Plan. By Matthew Daly. Excerpts: Several business and labor leaders on Wednesday hailed a proposal to provide health care coverage to all Americans through a pool of private insurance plans. A dozen years after Congress rejected a Clinton administration plan for universal health care, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden offered a plan he said would provide affordable, private health care coverage for all Americans, except those covered through Medicare or the military.
  "Employer-based coverage is melting away like a Popsicle on the sidewalk in August," Wyden said. Wyden, a Democrat and a member of the Senate Finance health care subcommittee, said his plan would "guarantee health coverage for every American that is at least as good as members of Congress receive and can never be taken away."
• New York Times: Last-Minute Inserts Offer Benefits in Medicare Bill. By Robert Pear. Excerpts: By slipping four sentences into a big bill passed last week, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert secured a major change in Medicare policy avidly sought by a few health insurers, in particular a multinational company with headquarters in his home state, Illinois.
  In the final hours of the 109th Congress, the Senate Democratic leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, also got special treatment for a hospice in his state. The bill did not name the hospice, but specified the Medicare provider number for the intended beneficiary, the Nathan Adelson Hospice in rural Pahrump, Nev.
  Representative Bill Thomas, Republican of California, inserted a provision earmarking $40 million for a valley fever vaccine sought by his constituents, while the Senate Republican leader, Bill Frist of Tennessee, obtained tens of millions of dollars for hospitals in his state.
  These examples illustrate how power is exercised in the final, chaotic hours before Congress adjourns. Obscure provisions of interest to just a few lawmakers were quietly stuffed into a grab bag of legislation, with no indication of their parentage or purpose.

• Scrooge is alive and well at IBM. Full excerpt: IBM employees are telling the Alliance that Holiday parties and Spirit events are being cancelled at the last minute at many IBM locations, except corporate headquarters.
  According to employees, Fishkill site management bought 7000 lunches and ended up having the vendor donate the food to local charities.
  Events have also been cancelled in Poughkeepsie Charlotte and Boulder. Burlington decided to reschedule the holiday party but now employees have to pay for it.
  In IGS other last minute cost cutting is taking place in Education and Thanks awards.
  A note from an IBMer puts it this way, “If the times are tough I don’t think anyone would have a problem with cutting these expenses if it helps save jobs. But what takes this beyond belief is that Corporate HR made the decision to keep holiday parties at 3 headquarters buildings in Armonk and Somers at an expense of over $100k. Does this mean that the largely executive population deserves this little perk but the peons at other sites do not?"
• From the Job Cuts Status & Comments page
  • Comments 12/11/06: I am a recent statistic of an IBM resource action in STG, Hopewell Jct. I used to laugh at the whole Alliance thing, but now am thinking of joining. The nonsense at IBM must stop, with resource actions, outsourcing, etc, we must do something. It might start with going to local county executives, John Hall, Elliot Spitzer, Clinton to name a few. I have already started writing to them, but maybe we need more forceful actions...a rally, a town meeting, whatever. What really pisses me off about the whole thing is that I was only given 30 days notice. Then to be told by IBM managers for jobs I applied for, that"We cannot hire anyone". Bulls***!!!
    And the icing on the cake...you ready for this? I was 30 days shy of being able to bridge to retirement...30 days!!! IBM new this, and planned this so I would have to wait 4 years for my pension, if there is anything left. That's my story. I have been reading all the notes here, and I knew I was not alone. Oh, another fallacy of IBM is that cutting people makes them more productive. No it doesn't! Where do they come off with this kind of thinking? More later..... -Jeff-
  • Comments 12/14/06: Around the SDC We(r)st, all I hear is how next year's IGA budgets are ridiculous and more "challenges" keep coming. This can only mean one thing for next year. Yep, they are oiling up the turnstiles! Sammy needs a new home in the Hamptons it seems. BTW, the GR DBA we got is a complete failure. Doesn't know DBA or English. You call that a strategy? -Anonymous-
  • Comments 12/14/06: what i heard about the ricoh transition was that it was scheduled for 12/15/06, but had been pushed back for some reason (unknown). i'm sure that the good folks in management would like to see this done before the holidays, since peoples spirits are high, and there's less chance for an "incident." sort of like the movie "office space." -gadfly-
• From the General Visitor's Comment page:
  • Comment 12/11/06: For anyone part of the overtime lawsuit that was recently won. I called the lawyers involved last week to make sure I was on the list and she verified that I was. She also indicated in February or March I would be receiving a form in the mail to fill out concerning the case. Then the payout for lost overtime would be calculated and distributed this summer sometime. If you are wondering if your part of the case you can call 415-956-1000 x3393. Good luck to all involved. -Anonymous-
  • Comment 12/14/06: I worked for IBM Endicott a few years back, and IBM sold us off, near the holidays to EIT. EIT is a sinking ship and I left that for a very small company. I started with this little company in November.
    The week before Christmas i received my weekly check in the mail. I open it and found 2 regular pay checks! Being from IBM, I assumed the home office made a mistake and contacted them about accidentally get two weeks pay... I was told, "That's not a mistake...that's your Christmas bonus check! Were glad to have you with us."
    Needless to say I was happy to see the spirit of Christmas still did exist! I'm glad to be done with big, cheap IBM. There is many smaller companies out there that still treat their employees like humans, not just cogs in a machine...
    IBM and it's greedy execs need to change their ways, their deeds on earth could catch up with them! There was a time at IBM that the spirit of Christmas was alive and those were wonderful times, with happy employees and managers...Cheer was all around. Profits were high and loyal employees eager to start a new year at IBM. Today I'm sure this is not the case at IBM. -IBMChristmasGhost-
  • Comment 12/15/06: Spare no holiday party expense for Armonk and Somers, eh? That these sites are treated special and got a holiday party when other sites had theirs cancelled is truly despicable. Getting coal in their stocking would be too good for the IBM executives that are at these sites! They all deserve to be left out in the cold for the New Year with actions like this. -Santa_is_watching-
  • Comment 12/15/06: Here in Ireland people are afraid to join a union.They see more and more multiflex being brought in and less full time staff. You see IBM are doing this because that way they have control without the worry of IBMers joining unions; and they can get rid of staff knowing they are still covered by sub contracted staff. They win we lose. -Anonymous-
• From the Pension Comments page:
  • Comment 12/11/06: I heard that when Russian law enforcement raided IBM offices over pension theft, that the raid was broadcast live on TV... IBM had better watch out, cheating workers outside the USA may not be given a blind eye, like here in the USA. Humm, I wonder what workers in China, South America, or India will do, when IBM cheats them in some way??? I think that,IBM execs there better have a good escape plan and security best be high at shareholder meetings. IBM cheating the workers around the world, may not be a smart thing to to do. -Anonymous-
• IBM employees on employee raises
  • Comment 12/14/06: Salary = 93000; Band Level = 7; Job Title = Sr IT specialist; Years Service = 8; Hours/Week = 50 to 55; Your Gender = Male; Div Name = SO; Location = USA; Message = What a waste of 8 years in IBM. Goldman Sachs is handing out big, fat holiday gifts to its employees this year, with an average 25 percent hike in pay per employee, resulting in a record-high compensation package. Goldman's $16.4 billion total compensation package was mentioned as part of this week's fourth-quarter report, in which the firm disclosed a surge in quarterly profit. The package will be divvied among 26,467 employees, resulting in an average annual compensation, with pay and benefits, of $621,906 per worker. -JealousFreak-
  • Comment 12/14/06: Salary = 50k; Band Level = contractor; Job Title = Software Engineer; Years Service = 2; Hours/Week = 40; Your Gender = Male; Location = RTP; Message = 10 yrs experience before joining -Anonymous-
  • Comment 12/14/06: To the person talking about Goldman Sachs, this is from the Daily News --"The merry moneymakers at Goldman Sachs will end the year with $9.5 billion in profits, and they'll divide $16 billion in bonuses - about $622,000 for each employee. We do not begrudge these conquerors of capitalism, but we note two points.
    First: Gov. Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg lavished Goldman with subsidies so it would build a headquarters near Ground Zero. The giveaway grows more obscene as Goldman rakes in ever more money.
    Second: Goldman's numbers offer a vivid example of the growing gap between the rich and everyone else in America. In the city, 1.5 million people live below the poverty line of $16,000 a year for a single parent with two kids. Goldman's bonus pool could raise each of their incomes by more than $10,000. Something is wrong when one firm's bonus pool is big enough to end poverty in America's largest city." -Anonymous-

• "Relativity" by "yeahsure". Full excerpt: I see a LOT of lack of perspective here. Everyone is complaining against a magical place that USED to exist. It sounds like all the whiners at ACN after we went public. Get over it, that place doesn't exist.
  Compare it with TODAY. These "perks" (not the right word) are better than anywhere I have been. Matching, insurance, discounts 70% are better than the other consultancies I have been with.
  The 30% that are worse? Per diems, raises (although I am taking your word for it, as I haven't been here long enough) and vacation. It was a cool benefit to roll over vacation, and when you quit, you got a decent bonus, that sucks here...
  So what's the bottom line? I think I came out ahead, but just barely, but it's no where near as bad as everyone is portraying.
• "Perspective" by "jb40967". Full excerpt: Maybe you need to broaden yours. The point of many in this board is that why settle for IBM when you can get a lot more elsewhere (consulting or otherwise). We're not comparing the current IBM to a magical place that used to exist. We're comparing the current IBM to a very REAL place that exists ELSEWHERE.
  For example, I left IBM (and consulting) this year but I'm doing exactly the same PM job I had with IBM. I make more money, just got a raise, and I'm entitled to a real bonus. I get 22 vacations days (aside from 7 additional days off since we don't work during the holidays). On average, I work 45 hours a week. I get 100% tuition reimbursement, Retirement matching 2 for 1 ... and so on and so forth. Now those are real perks.
  And I'm sure there are many other companies out there aside from mine that offer the same.
• "In case you missed it before" by "Wok N Off". Full excerpt: Here is why I stay (at IBM):
  • 10. Grabbing my ankles, bending over, and yelling, "Thank you sir, may I have another" is my favorite activity.
  • #9. Fulfilling career development opportunities to manage offshore resources in my native language 'round the clock abound.
  • #8. My people manager cares about me as a human being...really.
  • #7. I love the travel policy, which is flexible and affords me the most luxurious travel accommodations, be it hotel, auto, and daily living allowances. I appreciate being able to stay at five star hotels, renting a lincoln, eating surf-n-turf at every meal.
  • #6. I am often reminded by caring executives that I should be grateful to have a job here at the greatest technology company that ever existed.
  • #5. I enjoy the freedom and opportunity to innovate, share my creativity, and have my ideas pilfered by any of several willing hyenas.
  • #4. Culture, culture, culture!!! My masochistic tendencies are a perfect fit for my sadomasochistic colleagues, who are diverse, tolerant, and welcoming, thus assuring an appropriate fit for all, whatever your preference (i.e., sado, maso, or anywhere in between...or at the extremes come to think of it). We even reimburse for the leather accessories!!!
  • #3. I am assured of work/life balance cause that's what the policy says.
  • #2. I really enjoy the overhead of IDPs, PBCs, PAs, PDFAs, PDs, PCBs, LSDs, GEDs - did I miss any?
  • and the number one reason I spent more than a few weeks at IBM... the money, the fame, and ultimately-the chicks!
  **Disclaimer** - Any statements made herein and believed are not the responsibility of the author, but rather the idiot that took such author seriously. Author understands that there are many who need this disclaimer and will be patient with such folks, as he will be with the first smart-a** reply recognizing that there are 3 components in #1, but are ultimately all part of the same package.
• "Some final words before my exit from IBM" by "ubisububi". Full excerpt: Dose, past, present and future IBM'ers:
  I wish you much success and upward mobility, most likely with another company. I recommend heeding the advice on this message board. I was skeptical of the veracity of the postings and had to see for myself. Let's just say that I learned the truth the hard way. I'll miss the IDP's, PBC's, PA's, PDFA's, FSA's, MTF's, and ABC's of IBM.
  Dose, thank you again for your insight. I'm heading over to BAH as a Level III. They matched my salary here, but to me that's the least of it. I'm looking forward to joining a true management consulting firm.
• "Are we making life miserable for you?" by "civilliberty". Excerpt: I've worked for about 20 years. I have never worked at a worse company than IBM. They have deliberately deceptive remuneration policies - they basically breach the trust of their employees ALL the time. That's why so many people are pissed off. And their appraisal system is out of this world for manipulating outcomes.
• "From the numbers guy" by "Dose of reality". Full excerpt: Wonder - I agree. The tit for tat on this is a bit tedious. The key point is the general theme that things have been taken away with no consideration for the economics, or impact on staff.
  More importantly, having the cell phone reimbursement of $600 is the equivalent of a $900 reduction in salary due to the tax effect. This is why this type of change is so stupid. It only costs IBM a theoretical 65 cents on the dollar to get you the equivalent in net compensation. Of course, the IBM effective tax rate is a lot lower than the nominal corporate rate, but let's not bring up that rather unpleasant "tax planning/tax minimization" topic. Executives can actually go to jail for some of that. Then again.....might not be such a bad idea!
• Last week's highlights included a three-part post by a recent new hire titled ""A year in the life of a new hire" by "band6er". This post by "pwned", titled "talk to people who are jumping ship", comments on "band6er's" messages. Full excerpt: Hi band6er, thank you so much for articulating a year in the life of an undergrad at Big Blue. I'm in the same boat as you; came in as an enthusiastic and fresh graduate, now looking for a way out. I'm only 23 years old but feel so jaded and used up. I've talked to friends who work at other companies and none of them have been treated the way I have, so it's not just a case of me being a whiny young kid. This company really does treat its people like crap.
  My advice to you is to attend all the farewell parties that you can. You mentioned the 5 types of team leader that you may be assigned - this type is the one that could actually be very helpful to you:
  "4. Someone who is currently interviewing for other jobs or leaving any day now and doesn't give a crap about the project or you."
  The people who are leaving are often people who have been genuinely screwed over by this company. At their farewell drinks, they're often very happy and generous. They'll even get into long, serious discussions with lowly grads such as myself and provide great career advice :) They give out useful info such as dishing out dirt on which of the PMs/team leads are extra-incompetent both technically and socially(seriously, the lack of people skills of many managers in this company is at an insane level).
  I've even gotten a couple of job offers at their new companies at people's farewell drinks. And they're serious job offers, not "I was so drunk that I was offering everybody the world at my farewell drinks" kind of offers. They've rung me up a few weeks at work after they left and asked me to forward them my CV. The jobs pay a lot more than my pitiful Big Blue salary and for one of the jobs, the work hours are 40 to 45 hours per week with no weekends(I've lost count of the unpaid weekends I've given to Big Blue). I'm currently in the process of checking out how the roles compare to what's out there in the job market.
  And although you say that you're not a good liar, there's really no other choice than to learn how to become a good liar to make the most out of your experience. Writing up BS isn't something that comes naturally to me, so I've asked for tips from co-workers who have the amazing ability to pad out their PDFs/PAs/PBCs/CVs with so much hot air.
  Again, these co-workers who are generous enough to share their time and information are usually the jaded cynics who are about to move on. I've found that the people who resign or leave are treated like lepers by their managers and colleagues who still want to cling to the company like it's the only place that will employ them. Of the RMs, PMs and team leads that I've had that fit this "I'm staying here to climb the Blue ladder" mindset, all have given me very useless advice and support. Honestly, sometimes I feel like they're just reading off one of the executives' "we did well but didn't meet our targets" emails that we get spammed with. They never reveal anything of their own way on how they succeeded because they're so afraid you'll steal their roles out from under them. I've seen fellow grads being denied a rating of 1 because of jealous managers and team leaders, i.e. the people who have spent the better part of a decade just to get to a band 8 and aren't too happy to see people getting promoted faster than they did when they first came in.
• "also..." by "pwned". Full excerpt: The most important thing to do is to take some time to really figure out what you want from life. I thought it was a really tedious motivational speaker cliche, but didn't realize how miserable I was because I was just drifting around, letting whoever was my current team lead or PM dictate almost every single hour of my week(i.e. doing unpaid overtime for b!+chwork). I had no long-term plan, all I had was "this sucks, I don't want to do this" instead of having a clear view of what kind of role I wanted to do.
  So make whatever work that's being assigned to you a distant second priority to navel-gazing and figuring out what you want. 18 months ago, when I was assigned to my first project, I was overenthusiastic and did the work given to me to the best of my ability and even volunteered for more work. I even tried to network and schmooze and do extra-curricular activities like helping to organize work drinks/team breakfasts and talking up how wonderful this place is to the newer recruits at the grad network functions. And like you said, it didn't matter because I was given a rating of 2 anyway!
  Now I just do the bare minimum, and spend the rest of my time pretending to be super-busy when I'm navel-gazing/reading news sites/sitting at the office kitchen flicking through job ads in the paper, and guess what? I still got a rating of 2!
  Also a big thank you to Dose of reality for helping me and so many others with our wake-up calls! He's right - this place really does give you bad habits and mess with your outlook on life. Good luck with your exit plan, band6er!
• "Congratulations!" by "Dose of reality". Full excerpt: Thanks for posting, and for the excellent tips and advice regarding job search. I am sure that many will find them very useful.
  Sounds like you have turned the corner, and soon the page, on your career. The fact that you can still articulate your IBM experience the way you have tells me that you haven't become jaded at all, but instead have learned an important lesson about career and company choices. Better now than in your thirties.
  I don't think the idiots running this place will ever come to understand the implications of their grading/curving/compensation policies. You have acted quite rationally. The only suggestion that I would make for the next recruit coming in is that they realize what it is they won't get for their efforts, and just get ahead of the curve. Do the bare minimum from day one, and spend all your time developing skills on IBM's dime - not for us or our clients, but for yourself.
  Or better yet - don't come here at all! Best of luck to you!