A Disheartening Employment Experience at Microsoft - Principal Software Engineer Microsoft Employee Review

1.0
13 Oct 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

My tenure at OneDrive and SharePoint group at Microsoft was marked by disappointment and frustration from start to finish. Having spent around two decades in the workforce, I can confidently say that this was the worst employment experience I have ever had. No Pros, Only Cons (1/5): Regrettably, I cannot identify any redeeming qualities or pros of working at Microsoft. The organization failed to provide a single aspect of the employment experience that could be deemed positive or rewarding.

Cons

Interview Process (1/5): The initial stages of my employment journey with Microsoft set a discouraging tone. The interview process was anything but professional. Communication was often lacking, with delayed responses and disorganized scheduling. The interviewers seemed unprepared throughout. Offer Negotiation (1/5): The offer negotiation process was also very Demoralizing. It was clear that Microsoft was more interested in lowballing candidates than offering competitive compensation. The lack of transparency and flexibility in negotiations left a sour taste in my mouth. Microsoft's HR department proved to be utterly useless. They were unresponsive, unhelpful, and displayed a remarkable lack of empathy. My attempts to seek assistance or clarification on various matters were often met with indifference or confusion. Management Bias and Dishonesty (1/5): Throughout my time at Microsoft, I witnessed a troubling pattern of bias and dishonesty among the managerial staff. Managers appeared to have their own agendas and were quick to dismiss valid concerns. Their blatant dishonesty only added to the overall toxicity of the work environment. Incompetent Coworkers (1/5): In the development teams, it was disheartening to see coworkers repeatedly making significant errors and blunders. The lack of accountability and quality control was astonishing and detrimental to the overall success of projects. Poor Listening Skills (1/5): Higher management at Microsoft displayed abysmal listening skills. Constructive feedback and suggestions often fell on deaf ears, contributing to a culture of frustration and stagnation. Overall Experience (1/5): In my 20 years of professional experience, my time at Microsoft stands out as the most disheartening and regrettable. The unprofessionalism, lack of transparency, and disregard for employee well-being make it an organization I would strongly discourage anyone from joining. Even after leaving the company, it is disconcerting to hear that my departure has left my former manager feeling insecure. This only further underscores the unhealthy culture that pervades Microsoft, where insecurity and mistrust appear to be the norm. In conclusion, I cannot emphasize enough how deeply unsatisfied I am with my employment experience at Microsoft. It is a place where professionalism, transparency, and respect for employees are sorely lacking. Most other organizations offer a vastly superior employment experience.

Explore other reviews about Microsoft

5.0
30 June 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Love it you are surrounded with smart people and complex problem to solve

Cons

Lots of new features and roll outs happening hard to keep pace

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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