Working Overseas

IBM has been getting some bad press over the past week for their plan to help redundant US employees relocate to developing markets where the company has openings. According to Information Week, under a program called Project Match, IBM will help workers laid off from domestic sites obtain travel and visa assistance for countries in which Big Blue has openings. Mostly that's developing markets like India, China, and Brazil. Internal memos indicate that workers will be paid according to prevailing norms in the countries to which they relocate. In many cases, that could be substantially less than what they earned in North America.

I think this is a fantastic, creative idea that IBM should be applauded for. It obviously provides a benefit to the company (all good business decisions should) but it also provides a benefit to the employees that will far outlast their next work assignment. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity several years ago to spend 5 months working in London with an international team from across the globe. I can say without a doubt that this was one of the most formative experiences of both my career and my life (other than getting married to Deb and having Connor). It forever changed my perspective on both America and the world. Is it inconvenient to move across the globe, leave family and friends behind, adapt to a new culture, etc...of course it is. But I can almost guarantee that the benefits will outweigh the inconveniences for anyone who chooses to enter the program. During my 11 years working for an international services company I knew many people who had the opportunity to work overseas. Not one of them regretted it and all of them would do it again, myself included.

I think anyone who is criticizing IBM for this policy has never been fortunate enough to work overseas. And on the pay issue, which seems to be one of the critics biggest complaints, when I worked in London the exchange rate was $1.86 per British Pound and the local pay scales were 40-60% higher because of that cost differential. However, my company continued paying me my US Salary in US Dollars. I think it would have been much more fair if I had been paid in local currency based on the local pay scales and I bet the critics of IBM would agree with me. You can't have it both ways folks.