IBM

For a majority of the time I was there, I worked for one product line.

Some areas of the company have good local managers/leadership, which helps to provide a good working atmosphere where an employee can feel fulfilled with their contributions.

Salary seems to be a little better than average.

IBM is currently undergoing a complete transformation of its business. Businesses it deems 'not in its core' are being dismantled, with little regard to the intelligent resources that it affects.

Outwardly, IBM states that it invests in its employees and will allow them to move between divisions/products. In reality, it provides little support to those attempting to get education to keep up-to-date technically or professionally (tuition support is touted but seldom is provided).

Severance for those "let go" is now down to 4 weeks maximum. Employees who are newly hired are given a 2-year grace period, which keeps them from being included in job actions, but after that, they can be targeted.

401k matching is only done on a yearly basis, so if you leave the company during the year, there is no compensation.

Raises are minimal and depend on the area of the organization you work. Personally, I had received no raises for 5 years, although my performance reviews were between exceptional and acceptable all 5 years.

IBM is in the process of attempting to collocate resources into key offices, with little to no ability to work remotely. This has also affected work-life balance within the company.

First-line managers have little ability to reward key employees. As a first-line manager, I felt frustrated many times attempting to get employees rewarded or attempting to give employees opportunities to expand their knowledge base, while remaining productive.