Company: Microsoft
Date: 2014-01-09
Overall rating: 2/5
Employment status: former
Experience level: Junior

Microsoft, best place to work!???
Pros: If you like technology and are ready to deal with lots of technical issues for your daily work, you may remain happy to live the changes from the inside.
Cons: Microsoft's culture in France is not the one it pretends to be, at least in the Services department. I have seen many people there very unhappy with their situation and insanely oppressed by their management, trying to make them responsible for lack of results they could not do anything about, while they were talented and skilled people.

Work/ Life balance is not compatible with what is expected from you if you want to perform well. You will often work for free and if you have UBI/ RBI incentives, the budgets will be used as a power you  will run after. I have been in major Editor companies before where work was organized intelligently and team work was encouraged and recognized. At Microsoft, you have to focus on your own goals and the way the commitments are set kills any collaboration behaviour unless you are safe with your quotas. It creates a selfish culture where you need to ask/give budget for anything you want to do, whatever the importance of the job. The various departments (MBS, EPG, MCS, ...) are in competition and the "One Microsoft" spirit is just some project trying to federate a nest of crabs. Many survivors did so by paying a high price on their personal life (divorces, intensive travels, ...)

Compensation is average compared to the market.