Company: IBM
Date: 2014-03-02
Overall rating: 2/5
Employment status: current
Experience level: Senior

Its a big machine
Pros: - Opportunities for growth and career change. There are some 400,000 jobs at IBM and if you can fight through red tape you can get to one you really want.
- Work/life balance is good from some positions, though it varies wildly. Some people do almost no work while others put in constant 80 hour weeks.
- Well respected company with some good products
Cons: I'm sure this is a problem with lots of large companies, but having everything driven by shareholders is ruining IBM.
I'll get some minor gripes out of the way - When I started 10+ years ago there were pensions and free healthcare. Of course pensions were phased out long ago and a good plan now costs $600+/m for a small family. The company continues to cut costs everywhere they can. In the time I have been there they phased out free sodas, then free coffee, then paid coffee in break rooms, then water coolers. We do still have running water in the sinks, though. Cafeteria food is extremely high priced. There are no office supplies. Another major gripe is the 401K matching. They moved the date of matching to late December. So even though they say they are matching the 401K plan if you leave the company in November you don't get any matching.
The PBC ratings for employees needs an overhaul. I feel you should be motivated by doing a good job, not competing and undercutting your teammates. Pay is average at best. Raises are almost non-existent and can be influenced by other teams all over the world you've never heard of but are lumped into your group.
Too many layers of management. Management seems to think their job is to be on conference calls 8 hours a day that go nowhere. Projects that everyone knows are meaningless and fail are fast tracked while important ones are lost over years of feet dragging.
Innovation is suppressed by bureaucracy and red tape.
All that being said, there are some good jobs at IBM if you can find them. As always, if you know how to/are willing to play the game you'll get ahead.