IBM

IBM is huge, which, in theory, means there are opportunities in diverse areas for growing or changing your career. The benefits package, while no longer great, is still better than many companies can offer. The rest depends significantly on your department; some offer a great deal more flexibility than others.

Once known as a family and employee-valuing company, IBM has completed the transition to a bottom-line corporate mentality. People are no longer valued any more than a piece of hardware on your desk. The company offers no loyalty to employees and expects "work-life integration" from them, which basically translates to the employee being available around the clock to meet IBM's global needs.

To survive, IBM must make a profit – we all understand that. What we don't understand is how IBM can tell stockholders we are making great profits and turn around and tell employees that we aren't making enough profits to even cover the cost of living, let alone compensate people for all the extra hours and work they give to the company.

As an employee, I have seen my income relative to the cost of living decrease each year for the past 10 years, and that was as a top performer. As a stockholder, I find the company practice of offshoring jobs to less qualified, lower-performing people overseas and expecting the remaining to put in more and more hours supporting and doing the work for these people without compensating them for the extra work/hours and dedication with salary increases and job security abhorrent.