IBM

Solid benefits, good internal training (provided your manager can afford it), varied career paths, employee discounts on business-partner goods and services, very good work-life flexibility, and knowledgeable coworkers.

This is not the same company it was five years ago.

Poor compensation, questionable job security (especially long-term), and an ever-diminishing sense of community contribute to a massive morale epidemic.

Gone are the days of pot-lucks and office pools. Now are the days of over-the-phone performance evaluation with a manager you know only by name, and "virtual teaming" with people you will never in your life meet face to face.

While the IBM name looks great on a resume, non-managerial skills are crippling. Ten years of IBM middleware technical experience gives you terrific qualifications. To work for IBM.

Financial raise and bonus pools have dried up in recent years despite recent profit gains.

US-based hires are few and very far between. College recruiting is a memory.

Global resources, while just as pleasant and able as domestic resources, can be stifling at a professional level. The length of conference calls depends entirely on the moderator's ability to wade through accents. Emails and SameTime messages arrive in a variety of languages.

Far more middle management, mandatory training, and conference calls than is efficient.

LEAN has led to job apathy and customer dissatisfaction. Short-term profits are great for shareholders, but at risk is IBM's renowned innovation and service record. This will become very clear as the global compensation market normalizes.

Narrowing company scope on support services while reducing (and eliminating) focus elsewhere puts too many eggs in one basket. Was the PC Group truly irreconcilable?

Increasingly substandard compensation opens the door to job poaching and pushes even non-superstar performers to greener pastures. Current focus on global resources neglects the emerging domestic talent who will drive tomorrow's innovation.