HN user
Second "The Effective Manager", that's one of the best management books I have ever read - and one of the very few totally practical ones. It also gave me a significant head start in managerial life because most of the people above me have no idea how to do any of the things clearly laid out in this book.
Do you want the real answer? It's because computer programmers don't fit, culturally, among artists.
Profit sharing is especially tough at service level jobs. The truth is, most of the folks who do work at that level don't understand the long-term value of getting stock options/profit sharing bonuses/etc.
A friend of mine tried to implement profit sharing to reward employees and to stop theft at his restaurant. Basically paying out a monthly bonuses based on how well the restaurant did that month, but which would go down by the amount of theft.
Theft actually increased because no one really understood the bonus program (even though the bonuses would have paid more than the theft!)
I guess what I am saying, there are no easy answers and a lot of the most 'logical' incentives are only really incentivizing to a certain demographic.
This, more than anything, is why I trust them and recommend them to others.
Regardless of the rigthness/wrongness of the situation as a whole, how is shutting off someone's power in the summer not cruel and unusual punishment?
It's only bad if the company is working toward some sort of an exit strategy. IBM isn't looking to sell itself, so putting in benefits and pay outs that encourage long-term retention makes a lot of sense.