Company: Microsoft
Date: 2012-02-28
Overall rating: 2/5
Employment status: former

Integrity and Honesty
Pros: *  Microsoft is an amazing place to learn from others and, if circumstances allow it, grow professionally within the company.
*  The company has above average health benefits.
*  Excellent Continuing Education and Self-Study Resources
*  Excellent Self-Service Mentorship Program
*  Overall compensation is above average when you add all the fringe benefits and services an employee obtains since Day 1 working in Microsoft.
Cons: Many of the following observations are rising trends that in my opinion started after Bill Gates departure in 2006; and now increasing at a much higher pace ever since the company entered in a "never-ending" reorganization / reshuffling loop at the end of that same year.

*  Middle management, in some groups more than others, do not observe Microsoft's code of conduct.  They appear to exemplify the phrase: "The end justifies the means".

*  Honest hard work may go unnoticed if you are not politically connected to the right people.

*  Managers are empowered to decide upon their direct report's fate within the company - having almost uncontested authority to promote or fire anyone reporting to them.  Moreover, the system lacks of appropriate check and balances to effectively apprehend potential managerial misconduct.  

Therefore, the KEY to succeed and grow within the company is: Instead of looking for a new role within the company, you should always be scouting for good managers that could potentially hire you into their team.  In other words, having a good manager matters more than landing upon your dream job.

*  On several occasions, over a period of 6 plus years, I've seen how HR sides with management instead of objectively assess what could be at stake in any given situation or complaint.  Employee morale and passion keeps declining - the majority adopts a "See no evil, Hear no Evil" attitude in order to survive or spare retaliation from management.

*  It was of great disappointment not only to witness highly-unethical behavior coming from middle management, but to see how upper management looked the other way.

* Although Microsoft is still a great company to work for and to list in a resume, I would recommend that if looking for a new workplace, to look at other great companies that will probably enrich more anyone's professional career.  If you are already working for Microsoft, then take pride in what you do while understanding that the company is going through a challenging phase - and always keep in mind that the best thing to do is to do the right thing.