IBM Rochester reviews

4.0

89% would recommend to a friend

(333 total reviews)
avatar

Arvind Krishna

76% approve of CEO

73% positive business outlook

Employees in Rochester have given IBM a rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 333 company reviews on Glassdoor. This indicates that most employees have a good working experience in Rochester. The IBM employee rating in Rochester is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Information Technology industry (3.9 stars).

Reviews by job title

333 reviews
2.0
Aug 26, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Work/life balance and work at home option are most likely the best in the industry providing for increase flexible home life and decreased expenses being able to avoid drives to the office and being able to eat at home office. The pay from my research is near the top of the ranges for each job category and the potential for bonus (variable pay) and awards can be significant. I've seen that there is alo great possibility for career growth & advancement (IF local management support it) and that is the biggest problem as some groups allow employees to transition to other areas and job functions and support education.

Cons

HOWEVER, some divisions of IBM do not have the same level of education funding or management flexibility in growing employees and allowing them to move on. The division I'm in has constant funding challenges and has laid off many US employees, but this causes management to not allow remaining employees to look elsewhere in the company for work or provide for any kind of education funding or time. There is also increased use of Global Resources (offshoring), frequent layoffs, huge differences in culture and management handling of career growth and education. The level of red tape and politics can be massive, but expected in such a large company

2.0
Aug 23, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Employee competance, in my experience, is outstanding. Engineers and most management personnel are very intelligent.

Cons

Workload is extremelly overwhelming most of the time. It is uncomfortable to address this issue because all employees, including management, are in the same boat. Many times management is not on-site, which makes confronting workplace issues difficult.

4.0
Jun 13, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The best reasons to work for IBM are the competetive pay, community, and flexibility. As an intern, I am paid far beyond what most others my age with similar education are being paid. Very far beyond. IBM strives to create a sense of community, especially with interns who are being evaluated for possible full-time hire. There are organized tours, classes, meetings, and events for interns and we are strongly encouraged to attend. IBM is also very fair and flexible when it comes to scheduled and unscheduled time off- even for employees who are being paid hourly. Illness and emergency days have never been an issue.

Cons

Some of the downsides of working at IBM are the "nerd factor," the cultish-ness and arrogance of some employees, and the fact that the attempts to build community are sometimes overbearing. Most people who work at IBM are very nerdy and socially awkward, which can make them uncomfortable to be around and hard to communicate with. IBMers also fully believe that they are the best and their company is the best and that just because they are working at IBM they are somehow better than any other people in the technology field. Another downside is that sometimes IBM doesn't realize that employees have their own lives and friend and don't want to go to lunch, happy hour, and paintball with co-workers. There is sometimes pressure to attend optional activities outside of work hours.

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