Company: IBM
Date: 2015-01-07
Overall rating: 2/5
Employment status: former
Experience level: Senior

Uninspired and Timid
Pros: Some interesting engineer opportunities.   Great tradition.    Comfortable chairs.
Cons: Uninspiring engineering leads.  Everyone seems defensive and afraid of the next round of layoffs.   Marking time.

Annual review is a gladiator fight where the losers end up as '2' performers waiting for the axe.   Offices are from Dilbert.   Benefits reduced year to year.   Executives want 'wild ducks' but timid middle-level managers don't.

Anecdote: For his annual performance appraisal, one Distinguished Engineer told me his process looks like this. Hears form above what the top 5 initiatives are and writes down he is an expert in these areas.  His executive signs off and he continues as a '1' performer.     Hasn't contributed anything meaningful in years.