IBM Reviews in Austin, TX Area

Pros

Flexible, innovative, working hard, great team spirit, can influence business outcome

Cons

working hard, More personal contact necessary fro job feedback and sounding boards

Advice to Senior Management

Less fire-drills by better management planning. Use tools IBM sells. Clean-up overhead and duplication of tasks

Pros

Get to work on world class products

Cons

IBM is too large of a company and I feel they care too much about profit margin.

Advice to Senior Management

Take a chance on new ideas

Pros

* Leading edge technologies.
* Good place to get a start.
* Good support if you need time off work.

Cons

* No longer a good long term employer. Older employees are targets for layoffs. Check out how many people make it to retirement from this company today -- very few. This was very different in the past.
* You can no longer trust managers to watch out for you. Your career is now entirely your responsibility. If you get assigned to a "bad" project, you could get let go through no fault of your own. Watch your back - once again, very different from the old IBM.

Pros

Work from home, Internal movement and transition is encouraged, flexible scheduling and work hours, good benefits, great job security, stable company.

Cons

Lotus Notes, hard to make a difference and add value to the company, very old style in getting work done, poor middle management, bureaucracy & red tape, pointless meetings.

Pros

Lots of opportunities for high performers

Cons

Bureaucracy. IBM can be like a small government so it's difficult at times to get things done.

Pros

Large company with good products.

Cons

people are treated like a number no employee appreciation. focus to drive stock price up.

Advice to Senior Management

Create a pay on performance model, not TIME with the company

Pros

Awesome perks and fun people to work with.

Cons

Things get done really slowly.....

Advice to Senior Management

More direction.

Pros

The work can be stimulating and challenging, but it depends on the organization. The pay is decent (they claim they're competitive). Many areas encourage employees to work from home. Good benefits.

Cons

Due to its size, different areas can be run very differently. If you're in a bad area, it can be hard to get out. Many areas micromanage expenses to the point where it's really rather ridiculous. Employees are just another commodity and the easiest way to reduce expenses fast is to let them go. If you get anointed, you stay anointed whether you deserve it or not. If you don't get anointed, it seems like nothing you can ever do will get you anointed. ("If he/she were good, he/she would have been promoted and rewarded before this...")

Advice to Senior Management

Develop a spine and do the right thing for the employee and the business, not because the manager above you has issued a decree.

Pros

Learn how a global company works to deliver products in 100+ countries

Cons

Too many approvals needed and very hard to get consensus

Pros

Great diverse community with a rich history. I have met great people there and really learned so much.

Cons

Large company weighed down in bureaucracy. Advancement is a slow process at IBM.

Advice to Senior Management

Talk more with employees before handing down decisions, not just after.