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General Motors (GM)

Engaged Employer

Love/Hate Relationship - Software Developer General Motors (GM) Employee Review

3.0
May 24, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I want to preface everything I say here by saying that GM IT is very large and diverse. The experience that one person has isn't the experience that other people will have because it will defer from manager to manager. GM IT is still relatively new. A few years back they hired thousands of people all at once, and there were some real growing pains. It's getting better, but there's definitely still room to grow. Because GM is an old car manufacturer people assume that the IT environment here is very formal. It's not. It doesn't have the techy environment that you see from typical large software shops like Google. There is a bit of a balance. Very relaxed working environment. The work life balance here really can't be matched. Again this depends on the team you are on, but for the most part work life balance seems to be what people like about here the most. The health insurance is good. You get some money on your HSA card every year for a physical. They do pay a few thousand per year for education reimbursement. Which is nice if you decide to go to grad school.

Cons

I came in as a college hire. When the company hired all the people at once there was no real vetting process. It was as if they hired anyone that can turn on a computer. Over the years these people have stuck around. It can be really frustrating to work with these people. What makes this more frustrating is that the company has a lack of opportunities for raises and promotions. So it doesn't seem to matter if you work hard or if you spend all day chilling. You will be compensated the same and given the same raise. This may be a positive for people who just want to show up at work and collect a pay check. But it stops people from going out and being ambitious and excelling at work. Because the company doesn't promote or provide opportunities for upwards mobility all of the good talent tends to leave for companies that do give these opportunities. These people are either never replaced or replaced with college hires. As a company we really should be doing a better job of retaining the good talent and letting the bottom people go elsewhere. However it seems to be the opposite. So I'm not looking forward to what GM IT will look like in a few years. The last thing I will say. The salary isn't great. I would say it's at the bottom level of competitive. Like if a competitive salary in the area is between $x-$y then GM is paying you $x on the dot.

Explore other reviews about General Motors (GM)

5.0
Apr 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Work life balance is great

Cons

Decent but slow burn layoffs

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General Motors (GM) Response
2mo
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We would like to thank you for your continued contributions to GM and appreciate the feedback!
3.0
May 6, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

GM offers above-average benefits compared with many employers, including solid healthcare, retirement, and time-off options. Compensation is generally competitive and aligned with market value, especially for engineering and technical roles. The hybrid work schedule at the Tech Center is a positive, offering better flexibility than fully onsite roles while still allowing collaboration with teams in person.

Cons

GM’s current performance management culture can be a major morale killer. The stacked ranking approach and forced distribution create an environment where employees may feel they are competing against peers instead of being evaluated purely on performance. There also appears to be a cap on how many employees within a group can receive higher performance ratings. A manager may tell you throughout the year that you are exceeding expectations, but the final review can still come back as “meets expectations” because of calibration, quotas, or internal politics. Like many large corporations, it can be easy to feel like a small cog in a very large machine. Decision-making is often driven heavily by cost reduction, investor expectations, and headcount efficiency, sometimes at the expense of morale and long-term employee engagement. The “Workplace of Choice” messaging can feel disconnected from the actual employee experience, especially when performance ranking, headcount reduction, and workload expectations do not align with that message.

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