IBM

I have enjoyed the past 35 years with IBM due to the nature of the work, followed by the professional group of coworkers and a solid management team. The technology growth has been challenging and fun. The workload has been great, but the team support has allowed us to meet very aggressive schedules. The sensitivity of the management team has provided me and my family with a balanced life. The benefits package is very good compared to our other competition. My plan is to retire at the end of 2009 with a very rewarding career and a good pension.

All major companies have areas that could be improved. I have found that the budgeting process for each department and division needs some improvement. Also, at times, the management team has a tendency to assign more people to do the same job. This could and is being addressed by eliminating redundancy.

There should also be more skip-level meetings with the senior management team to get a better understanding of the divisions' business strategy. This would help the team work toward a common goal.

Some managers tend to micromanage their areas. I realize they are under the gun and always require information on an hourly basis, but they should put more pressure on the team leads or senior people. Have a little more faith in your team.