IBM

• Work with enterprise clients.
• Work-life balance is good.

No bonuses. £250-500 is what you get once a year.

Stingy HR: no car scheme, expenses limited to the bare bones, salaries are lagging way behind the inflation rate. For the last 5 years, salary increase was 1% versus inflation of 20%. Pension contribution is up to 5%.

Difficult to experiment, as expenses are obstacles again.

Relatively expensive rates and software deter customers, making us easy prey to smaller competition.

False savings - IBM is one of the most stingy companies I know.

Starting with small things like IBM-branded stationery, moving onto the difficulties to get a proper backpack (consultants are like turtles – they carry their office on the tube, train, bus, taxis, hotels, etc.), continuing with the lack of a car scheme, and on to bigger things like there being no parity between inflation rates and salaries, and virtually no bonuses even for grossly successful departments.

Well done – we saved a few million and wasted time and image for billions.