IBM

The local people management here in Germany is, from what I have experienced, very good. The two first-line managers I have had here were both very understanding and interested in me, not just as a working resource. I have always enjoyed enormous freedom, be it with working hours, home office, or hacking side-projects. This was due to mutual trust. Good stuff.

The fellow workers are very skilled to extremely skilled, and the local people-to-people climate is usually pretty good.

Work is more "development" than "research and development," as the sign in front of the house says. But there can be interesting research aspects every now and then.

The actual kind of work you do, of course, depends a lot on the product you work on. But generally, it is hard-core IT and usually fun.

Top-level management is focused on their bonus and sees you as an annoying, costly resource. Management is done without a lot of sense of realism ("build the best product in the world in two days"). Dilbert comics are very commonly glued to office doors; that should say it all.

Also, colleagues in America and India are sometimes capable and often not.

Pay is definitely not above average. Bonuses and all kinds of goodies are virtually non-existent, as soon as they cost money. Not infrequently, local managers pay for things (grill parties, e.g.) personally. For example, we had a wonderful team hiking weekend – paid by ourselves.

Trust in people instead of driving them out.

Invest in people instead of in stock buy-backs.

Be realistic and don't try to achieve with force what is obviously out of reach.