If my foresight were as clear as my hindsight, I should be better off by a damned sight.
If my foresight were as clear as my hindsight, I should be better off by a damned sight.
IBMers Aren't Buying What IBM Is Selling |
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Published July 30, 2021
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There is enormous strength in proprietorship—people develop strong attachments to the things they own, especially if they can influence whether those things succeed or fail—and it seemed imprudent to let the ownership of a business rest with people [capitalists] and institutions [bankers] that are not directly involved.
Remedying this situation would have to be an evolutionary process, but as I imagined it, gradually, over two or three generations, a business would, by law, shift into the hands of employees.
Thomas J. Watson Jr., Inception of IBM ESPP in 1958, "Father, Son & Company"
The caveats are: (1) employees must be empowered to influence success and (2) the company is worth owning. IBM's 21st Century leadership is failing the employees and the corporation on both counts.
IBMers Aren't Buying What IBM Is Selling
- Touching an Employee's Heart and Mind
- Research Produces an Employee Engagement Report Card
- The IBM Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Touching an Employee's Heart and Mind
The only way to know if you have truly touched a man’s heart is when he reaches into his back pocket for his wallet. An Old Televangelist Witticism
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Research Produces an Employee Engagement Report Card
Customers invest money, time and energy in products anticipating future returns on the investment. When a corporation loses customer engagement, revenues fall. Shareholders invest dollars and cents expecting dividends and a stable or rising stock price. When a corporation loses shareholder engagement, share prices fall. Employees invest time, loyalty and careers expecting a lifetime of opportunities. When a corporation loses employee engagement, productivity falls.
When looking at these employee investment numbers in IBM's and its competitors' employee stock purchase plans (ESPP), consider that Wall Street believed that IBM was a “dead man walking” in 1993. It seems only IBMers believed in the company—and themselves. They were still engaged, employee-owners in the corporation, and the employees were right!
Consider this new, two-decade-long employee trend when deciding where to deposit your next investment of time, loyalty or money. Fear of unemployment or poor appraisals may silence IBM's employees on social media, but they are speaking loud and clear with their wallets.
When looking at these employee investment numbers in IBM's and its competitors' employee stock purchase plans (ESPP), consider that Wall Street believed that IBM was a “dead man walking” in 1993. It seems only IBMers believed in the company—and themselves. They were still engaged, employee-owners in the corporation, and the employees were right!
Consider this new, two-decade-long employee trend when deciding where to deposit your next investment of time, loyalty or money. Fear of unemployment or poor appraisals may silence IBM's employees on social media, but they are speaking loud and clear with their wallets.
The IBM Employee Stock Purchase Plan: 1993-2020
According to IBM's 2020 Annual report, "Employees purchased approximately one million shares under the ESPP during each year ending December 31 2020, 2019, and 2018."
How much further—each successive year—is the corporation rounding "up" the number of shares?
How much further—each successive year—is the corporation rounding "up" the number of shares?
