Company: IBM
Date: 2009-04-01
Overall rating: 3/5
Employment status: current

Like it or leave it.
Pros: Relative job security - in a tough environment IBM will weather the storm better than others.
Cons: There is little employee representation at IBM, and no Union that can be spoken of.  Performance ratings [PBC] are often used to justify separation and avoid redundancy payments.  

There is a forced distribution on performance ratings across GBS whereby over 60% of staff must come up as "average performer".  As a resuly your objectives [which are forced onto you, not negotiated as such: an email from the MD tells you what to write] are more or less binding depending on what rating the "management team" wants to give you.