IBM

It can be an easy life if you're happy staying on the same salary forever. But mainly because no one seems to be in control of what's going on. This brings downsides with it.

There's no real sense that anyone's interested in your progression. The progression system is overly cumbersome and feels designed to delay or put you off of advancement more than anything. And you have to ask for it – there is no 'recognition'; you have to apply and provide evidence, which makes it feel like less of a reward for hard work, which can already be demonstrated elsewhere. It's all about 'playing the game' in terms of progression at IBM. But for some people, this is very discomforting, and you'd achieve more, faster, by simply finding another job and seeing if they come back with a counter-offer.

There is also a total lack of any sense of community or belonging. It can be a very lonely job, and you will feel like a contractor at times (without the financial benefit that brings).

Your line manager will be a random person you'll rarely see, who has no knowledge of the work you're doing. So, they will be unable to carry out traditional line manager duties, such as coaching or mentoring, career guidance, or discussing performance, etc.

Management seem to be aware that the business is hemorrhaging talented staff but powerless to do much about it because IBM is a rigid, global organization. This adds to the impression that IBM is a place you work for a couple of years because it looks nice on your CV, but not worth staying much longer, as you'll end up locked into a system of progression which requires you to be constantly begging for crumbs for months at a time.