Listen to your Mom

My mom writes letters. Sometimes, I type up an email, print it off, and mail it to her. She doesn't do email. And my Dad, who is a computer geek, is obnoxious (ok, that is a bit strong) about it. He will only let her look at it over his shoulder on his laptop. That is just not comfortable for an elderly person! Sometimes I will insist: Please print this out for Mom. Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't.

I was brought up in a family that wrote letters. My Aunt Judy, who was a teacher, was my first pen pal! I had many others, some whom I never met, through the Girl Scouts of America. OK, if you don't think I'm geeky enough already. . . . Well, then again, you are still reading!

You can only imagine how excited I was when email came around! Actually, I worked for IBM starting in the 80s, and they had their own version of email. It was called PROFS (for Professional Office System - yeah!). Frankly, it had all the same problems/advantages as email.

If you screwed up and copied the world, you had an embarrassing situation to fix. You could go crazy on the "profs notes" . . . all of us who were in sales training were in contact in the fastest, cheapest way imaginable. Ah, those were the days . . .

But I digress. Here is what my very astute mother observed: She sent me a clip from the Sarasota Herald Tribune, dated 3/6/09. "Quiet layoffs escape notice, but still sting." She noted in writing that IBM, my husbands employer, was one of these companies. I had already told her that we were waiting to hear about Steve's job. I am sure that worries a parent, considering we are all getting older, and we are the sandwich generation, taking care of children as well as parents.

In her note, she also wrote:
"It doesn't make me very happy - sounds cruel to me. Fingers crossed."

Part of the article talks about how IBM made "strong quarterly profits in January", followed by Sam Palmisano, CEO, issuing a letter stating that "while other companies were cutting back, his would not."

On the other hand, J. Randall MacDonald, IBM's senior vice president for HR, said it was "routine for the company to lay off some employees while hiring elsewhere."

I get that. I believe that. Do you know what is crazy?

I'm an IBM fan. After all these years. I still think someone there is following the dream of Herman Hollowith and the punch card, and the Watsons. Let's support big biz during this downturn in the economy. If Steve loses his job, well, that's what the big gal upstairs wanted anyway. We have other options. He is brilliant.

One more thing that my Mom said, and take note, because she is so right on this: This is regarding another sad, frustrating situation that I am in, not related to IBM whatsoever:

"Maybe you should have inspirational speakers for the employees (note to self: I have one in particular in mind). How to get along in the business world. Everyone doesn't have to be your friend, but there are ways to treat people, and ways to not treat people. These are manners, and do unto others, and turn the other cheek, and smile!"

Well, doesn't mother know best?