Great opportunities; can be political at times - Operations Program Manager Microsoft Employee Review

4.0
26 Jun 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

PTO and benefits are excellent. Depending on the role, work-life balance can be very good. My role, for example, allows me tremendous flexibility in my work schedule, so I can accommodate my personal life. I'm also able to work 100% remotely. Salary and annual perks (bonuses + stock) are very good. Microsoft may not be as hot a name as Google or Apple, but they are on the cutting edge technically, and they compete hard. I get to work with cool technology as a result.

Cons

Redmond-centric. Despite being a global organization, there is still a strong pull toward Redmond, and unless you live there, some job opportunities just aren't available to you; that can limit growth. It is unclear what you need to do to get a promotion, and management can seem capricious when it comes to promoting. Closed-mindedness about the strategic landscape. This is not universally true in the company, and I feel that our current leadership is much more aware of the landscape in which Microsoft operates and what we need to do to succeed. But amongst the rank-and-file it's not uncommon to run into those who decry any product that isn't Microsoft's as sub-par, or deride anybody who chooses to use a competing product in their personal lives. The attitude can be frustrating for people who simply love technology, wherever it comes from, and enjoy using hot products, even if they come from the competition.

Explore other reviews about Microsoft

5.0
7 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Interesting and varied work. Seasonality to the job allows for rest period

Cons

Less stability than there used to be makes people afraid to take risks

4.0
28 Jan 2013
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

1. If you love tech, this is a great place. No doubt you'll talk tech (mostly the MSFT stack) from enterprise to consumer - from PCs to phones to Xboxes - from datacenter to desktop. 2. What were GREAT benefits are now VERY GOOD (took a small step down) but still probably better than you'll find at 99% of large corporations. If you've got family - the value of the benefits is even higher. 401k match is nice. 3. Even with it's struggles MSFT is still a cash printing machine. This means if you can keep your nose clean and do reasonable work, you can have a stable job, pay your bills, feed your family, and not worry (too much) about layoffs. The stock you own likely won't tank, but probably won't go up much either. You'll get a bonus each year and some stock. It's a decent life if you aren't looking to light the world on fire.

Cons

Brand on Your Resume: After many years of losing market share and struggling to be at the front end of innovation and the fact that there's 90,000 employees, don't think MSFT is necessarily going to be attractive on your resume to more agile and smaller companies. Managing Your Career: Make you say this out loud so it registers - 90,000 employees work there. Double that for vendors. It is VERY hard to "stand out" and move up in the company. Don't expect your manager to be much of an advocate or enabler to help you meet your career goals - they are basically trying to survive the stack rank every year too. Not familiar with the stack rank? Check out the 2012 Vanity Fair article called "Microsoft's Lost Decade".

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