IBM: The Gold Standard for Hiring World War II Veterans

​“We have an obligation to our men and women overseas—nearly 5,000 in number—who have all been guaranteed jobs when they come home from the service of their country.”

​​Thomas J. Watson Sr., IBM Systems Service Classes, Endicott, April 9, 1945

Hiring back all its former employees upon their return from service during World War II was only the beginning for the 20th Century IBM and Tom Watson.

After World War II, IBM developed job training and job adjustment programs for the handicapped. 

​Thomas J. Watson Sr. and his shareholders implemented a policy of giving the returning veterans one- or two-weeks’ vacation between the time when they reported back to the company after the war and when they started work—a wartime to peacetime readjustment period paid for by the company.

Tom Watson was also proud of the fact that the company prioritized hiring back servicemen who had not worked for the corporation.

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Veterans Day 2021: the Corporate Gold Standard On Rehiring Veterans