IBM reviews

3.9

78% would recommend to a friend

(107,219 total reviews)
avatar

Arvind Krishna

76% approve of CEO

68% positive business outlook

IBM has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 107,219 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The IBM employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Informatique industry (3.9 stars).

Reviews by job title

107K reviews
5.0
Jan 29, 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

IBM is open and fair and pays well. I worked there for 9 years in Europe and they are extremely flexible to their employees, no managers breathe down your neck for petty things like vacation time, where you are working every day, free time, etc. They focus on where it matters - your job performance. Business goals are captured and measured twice a year in an online system. The collaboration between employees is exceptional because of the real-time collaboration tools. Most employees are able to manage their own time, work where and how they like, as long as of course they meet their business goals. The approach is fairly hands-off, which increases the self-imposed pressure to perform and meet your goals.

Cons

They are so big that sometimes you can get lost in the crowd. If you are like me you may want to move fast and find quick ways to close a complex global deal, for example, but you will have to work with many entrenched bureaucrats in their multiple fiefdoms to do anything in a non-standard creative way. Sometimes you have to deal with employees who realize that they can do the minimum effort, come to the office everyday, and basically rot away until they retire. Most of these fortunately are beginning to retire, but you still have some lifer-types who would need two months to work themselves out of a paper bag.

5.0
Sep 30, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

IBM has a culture of collaboration, integrity, and performance. Individuals are given contribution targets and are expected to achieve them, but working with others is a prerequisite for success. The company often manages by matrix, meaning that you can have objectives from different managers with different objectives; e.g., manage costs and grow revenue. This tension makes for better overall performance, in my opinion. I have worked at firms that belittle their clients when they're off-site and IBM doesn't tend to be that way.

Cons

You can get lost in the matrix if your manager isn't covering for you. It's a big company and you need to have some political savvy as well as the ability to "cold call" within the organization to find the help you require.

4.0
Sep 14, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

IBM has a trememdous Brand, Global presence, and can provide great opportunities around the world. I do think the senior executive team is quite strong (despite wat many might say)

Cons

Big company, easy to get lost in shuffle.. too many people who are riding their careers out and have lost real skills.

Viewing 106909 - 106911 of 107,219 Reviews

Glassdoor has 131,642 IBM reviews submitted anonymously by IBM employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if IBM is right for you.