Company: IBM
Date: 2017-03-09
Overall rating: 2/5
Employment status: former
Experience level: Senior

Great opportunities at a price
Pros: IBM as a global employer offers lots of opportunities to grow and to change career tracks over time. There are still many bright and engaged people around. If you work for a great, supportive leader, you can work on exciting opportunities around the world.
Cons: In light of constantly shrinking revenue, the IBM business model has mutated into upholding EPS and, thus, a strong focus on cost cutting. As a consequence, employee benefits keep getting reduced wherever possible. Expect this trend to continue.

Formerly supportive of generous remote working privileges, there is now an initiative underway to force people to work from the office, not necessarily at the place where they live. Expect to be "offered" to move, with the alternative of being let go. Some voices claim this is an imposed hardship with the intent to reduce the workforce without the need to pay severance.

If you are being let go (a constant low-level activity across all units of the corporation), expect to be offered the legal minimum in your jurisdiction.

Another consequence of the cost focus is constant infighting between management lines. As an employee, this does not directly concern you but expect missions and projects to be yanked away without obvious reason at a moment's notice if funds dry up or get redirected.