Is IBM a good company to work for as a Staff Software Engineering?

Staff Software Engineering professionals working at IBM have rated their employer with 3.6 out of 5 stars in 518 Glassdoor reviews. This is a lower than average score with the overall rating of IBM employees being 3.9 out of 5 stars. Search open Staff Software Engineering Jobs at IBM now and start preparing for your job interview by browsing frequently asked Staff Software Engineering interview questions at IBM .

Does IBM pay Staff Software Engineering employees well?

Staff Software Engineering professionals rate their compensation and benefits at IBM with 3.5 out of 5 stars based on 518 anonymously submitted employee reviews. This is 2.8% worse than the company average rating for salary and benefits. Find out more about Staff Software Engineering salaries at IBM.

How happy are Staff Software Engineering professionals working at IBM?

71% of Staff Software Engineering employees at IBM would recommend their employer to a friend. This rating has increased by 1% in the past 12 months. Staff Software Engineering professionals have also rated IBM with a 3.9 rating for work-life-balance, 3.8 rating for diversity and inclusion, 3.4 rating for culture and values and 3.5 rating for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at IBM?

Software Engineer (4358) , Applications Developer (2914) , Software Developer (2428) , Project Manager (2325) , Senior Software Engineer (2042) , Consultant (1847) , Senior Consultant (1847) , IT Specialist (1111) , Application Developer (1110) , Associate Systems Engineer (1034) , Business Analyst (1027) , Systems Engineer (871) , Manager (851) , Managing Consultant (849) , Intern (826)

What are the pros of working at IBM according to real employee reviews?

"Good work life balance and good to be able to work from home although that’s often at the discretion of your manager" ((in 11049 reviews)); "The people are great and the Extreme Blue program was excellent for learning principles of product design." ((in 5012 reviews)); "IBM Canada provides flexible work hours and one can work from home almost all the time." ((in 4444 reviews)); "1. Extremely good work culture 2. Packages are good 3. Direct contact to senior level employees" ((in 3420 reviews)); "Good benefits; IBM prides itself on being a leader in Healthcare Benefits and incentives for healthy living." ((in 3344 reviews))

What are the cons of working at IBM according to real employee reviews?

"Low salary and the increment was less than 2% even top performer unless you got band promotion" ((in 5418 reviews)); "• Hard to get a promotion unless you have a good manager that is respected and fights for you" ((in 2178 reviews)); "The pay is low and not much hope it will get better even through hard work and delivering results" ((in 1995 reviews)); "No Salary hike.No On site opportunity.Very few are lucky getting visas and traveled to on" ((in 1731 reviews)); "Poor leadership: One senior exec's ego is much larger than his brain; no longer values employees." ((in 615 reviews))

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IBM Staff Software Engineering reviews

3.6

71% would recommend to a friend

(518 total reviews)

Arvind Krishna

72% approve of CEO

65% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.9

Work/Life balance

3.8

Diversity & inclusion

3.5

Compensation and benefits

3.5

Career opportunities

3.4

Culture & values

2.5

Senior management

Staff Software Engineering employees have rated IBM with 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 518 company reviews on Glassdoor. This indicates that most Staff Software Engineering professionals have a good working experience there. IBM is rated in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) by Staff Software Engineering professionals compared to other employers within the Information Technology industry (3.9 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

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Reviews by job title

518 reviews

3.0

Nov 27, 2025

R&D Declining in North America

Staff software developer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Lots of different products / projects. Promotes learning, innovation.

Cons

Has been transferring R&D positions to less expensive countries. No more growth in North America.

2.0

Nov 13, 2025

Hire and Fire

Staff software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Competitive Salary Joining Bonus WLB (Totally based on project and seniors/Manager) Hybrid work culture Free courses to learn Yearly events and parties

Cons

Hire and Fire policy, every year or two year once mandatory layoffs will happen...will be picked by PM based on some random criteria and tagged as Low performer and force people to put down papers.(No option of internal transfer also) Too much favouritism. Internal politics. No proper HR team, anything required should go through some AI bot which will take eternity to get what we need. No proper KT will be given here as they are scared that people will learn and replace them.

2.0

Oct 30, 2025

Good Benefits, Poor Leadership & Communication

Staff software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Honestly, I couldn’t identify any real pros during my time here.

Cons

Internal politics — reports of a political culture, high turnover depending on leadership.

Viewing 10 - 12 of 518 Reviews

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IBM Staff Software Engineering reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

R&D Declining in North America

Hire and Fire

Good Benefits, Poor Leadership & Communication

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