IBM

Benefits

• Work at home (though this can be a detriment since IBM no longer gets groups together periodically, which is important for a sense of connection)
• Smart people in some groups... nice to work with smart people.

IBM does not value employees. Since the days of Gerstner, they have been considered liabilities on the books rather than assets, and it shows.

I believe that because they have access to less expensive labor in other countries, they, as a rule, do not care about keeping U.S. employees happy, or keeping them at all for that matter.

There is a constant squeeze to spend NO money on education, travel, etc. Salaries are generally stagnant, though IBM is making record profits.

There is a general sense, even among some amazingly capable people, that IBM does not treat them with respect and does not value them.

The result for me was, I stopped caring about my job and my company, though I did like the technical work. The overall experience was dehumanizing.

I left for a very small company where I felt that I mattered.

IBM needs to believe that their employees matter, because after all, we are human, and this is a basic human need: dignity. The hard part is, it is impossible for a company to fake this, and I don't know what would bring about such a monumental change. I was appraised well, so this is not a personal gripe, but ultimately I was so unhappy I had to leave.