GE reviews

Given the flat organization structure, you can be a the same level for many years. You'll get pay increases, but not necessarily a title change. Their performance review process is too rigorous - there's just no getting around the "bottom 5%" situation with them. If you're graded as "least effective", you should get back in the job market, fast. You're expected to stay in a role for 18-24 months, and that is rigorously enforced. Even if you're the best candidate for an opening, if you haven't hit that milestone, you can forget about changing jobs. (Caveat - unless you're considered" Top Talent" in the annual Performance Management derby). Annual reviews are done, and a huge amount of time goes into this - almost bringing other work to a halt. However, your pay increases aren't necessarily annual - for Top Talent, it is 12 months, if you're considered "Highly Valued" - the middle 85% or so of employees, it is between 15-20 months. If you're "Least Effective" there is no raise. GE provides great benefits, but the tradeoff is that you will work very, very hard and very long hours. Have a kid, plan to be back on line within days, even if you are taking maternity leave. There's not a lot of empathy about dealing with family matters. The expectation is that you are available 24/7, even in non-customer-facing roles.

Time Vouchering is the most inhumane thing ever. They expect you to account for every 15 minutes, and it must be chargeable to a project. On the other end, they only give you a finite amount of time to complete a project, and the allotments are exceptionally lean. You must charge 8 hours every day and there aren't charge codes for typical work things like checking/answering email, discussing with coworkers, taking a 10 minute break after working 2 hours straight, or even pursuing a potential novel idea. They literally want every second to be laser focused on work and have the accounting system in place to enforce it. If you don't complete your work in the allotted time you have to report it to your team lead, your manager, and the project manager. It's like going to the principal's office except everyone is an adult. If this sounds insane it's be cause it is. This isn't just clocking in and clocking out. This a systematic way of looking over your shoulder and making sure you are working at 100% efficiency at all times. Your bonus and your pay raise are dependent upon how quickly you complete your assignments.