Company: IBM
Date: 2008-08-06
Overall rating: 5/5
Employment status: current

Excellent employer that offers employees rich and varied careers
Pros: IBM offers good career development guidance and support, allowing employees to move among job roles and make for a very long and challenging career. There is a lot of encouragement among senior leadership to pursue opportunities that allow you to stretch your capabilities and develop new skills. IBM is also incredibly flexible and understanding of employees' needs to balance family and children with careers. Working from home is a great benefit and doesn't take away from opportunities, and isn't a problem considering everyone is connected and able to work remotely given our technology and collaborative tools. Great place to work.
Cons: As with any large company, it is incumbent upon employees to establish themselves within their job roles and take responsibility for their own career development and mobility. For an individual who is shy or not comfortable with taking matters into their own hands, this could be perceived as a downside. While I personally do not find this to be a downside, there is also the matter of organizational structure and permissions, which some could call "red tape." Given the task of managing tens of thousands of people, employees do have to adhere to some practices that can be somewhat cumbersome.