A rather spicy lawsuit is staring IBM in the face at the moment as they’re being accused of discriminatory practices against their older employees , seemingly wanting to phase them out and replace them with millennials.
Within those already iffy goals are some cruel comments made by two executives in particular who called their older workforce a species that ought to go extinct.
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IBM is currently facing an age-discrimination lawsuit based on a number of comments reportedly made by executives.
Well, former executives now, as this lawsuit is being filed after the two in question had left the company in 2020. Their exact names and positions remain anonymous, but the sentiments exchanged between them have been made public.
The lawsuit features a chain of emails that contain some disturbing comments.
In the initial email, one of the executives “describes his plan to ‘accelerate change by inviting the “dinobabies” (new species) to leave’ and make them an ‘Extinct species,'” the filing said.
“In another email, [name redacted] describes IBM’s “dated maternal workforce—this is what must change. They really don’t understand social or engagement. Not digital natives. A real threat for us.”
They were given a warning, too.
Another person included in the email’s recipients said, “‘I’m sure you all know this but as a reminder, keep data on age very limited and when in doubt check with legal,'” according to the lawsuit.
Of course, IBM claims they do not share these views.
In a statement provided to Ars Technica , IBM said, “Some language in emails between former IBM executives that has been reported is not consistent with the respect IBM has for its employees and as the facts clearly show, it does not reflect company practices or policies.”
However, more uncovered emails suggest otherwise.
Internal communications described in the lawsuit reveal IBM’s desire to increase their millennial workforce population, saying they’re trailing behind competitors. One email in particular explained that “the percentage of millennials at IBM will increase once certain of IBM’s ‘resource action’ (layoff) programs are complete.”
They even discovered potential tactics used to rid themselves of older employees.
These methods include requiring employees to relocate elsewhere in the country to work out of an IBM office, knowing this would be more difficult for older employees and thus make them more likely to leave instead, as well as laying off older employees under the guise of their skillset being out of date, only to hire them back as contract workers with a lower rate of pay and fewer benefits.
h/t: Ars Technica
