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Great team, terrible environment

Software Engineer
Current Employee
Has worked at IBM for 4 years
February 17, 2017
Cambridge, Massachusetts
2.0
Doesn't RecommendNeutral OutlookDoesn't Approve of CEO
Pros

I work on a team of really great people, and I enjoy working with them.

I get compensated very well, and my job is very secure.

IBM also provides good benefits.

Cons

IBM is an old school, misogynistic boys club. The representation of women in technical and technical management is very small from what I've seen. I've also personally experienced sexism in the office from senior management.

Most long-timers are complacent to be mediocre, which is very frustrating. IBM also does not invest in training their employees.

  • They won't pay for in-house training.
  • Rules for tuition reimbursement programs are incredibly strict and near impossible to use.
  • When my manager asked to send our team to a developer's conference that would have been great for our professional development, it was a flat-out no.

They are also loathe to hire new people, preferring to move people around from other teams to fill gaps or hire recent grads since they can pay them less. There is also a ton of bureaucratic BS that gets in the way of progress and efficiency, even though management claims it's supposed to make things better.

Advice to Management

Listen to your employees when they say things aren't working, and don't just cave to upper management if they push back.

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