Does Microsoft pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Microsoft employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.9 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Microsoft. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Microsoft?

77% of Microsoft employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Microsoft 3.9 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.9 for culture and values and 3.8 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Microsoft?

Software Engineer (6633) , Senior Software Engineer (1748) , Program Manager (1399) , Software Engineer II (1040) , Software Development Engineer (888) , Senior Program Manager (860) , Product Manager (723) , Intern (689) , Technical Support Engineer (686) , Software Developer (668) , Software Development Engineer (SDE) (631) , Consultant (546) , Software Engineer(Internship) (534) , Director (531) , Project Manager (479)

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

"They provide great benefits and you get a lot of exposure if interested in full time corporate role" ((in 6323 reviews)); "Work/Life balance is good and entirely up to you make it what you want it to be" ((in 5352 reviews)); "Some really great people working in the Inside sales teams and the building is fantastic." ((in 4295 reviews)); "Office had a lot of talented folks when I left in 2023 and a great culture." ((in 4048 reviews)); "The Good pay and bonus and they're always finding ways to give money to employees." ((in 2101 reviews))

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

"Bad managers abound and there is not much remedy for that except for leaving the job." ((in 1435 reviews)); "life balance in hardware due to frequent unplanned work travel and evening calls; bloated meetings; some poor management" ((in 1186 reviews)); "Frequent layoffs and zero job security regardless of your performance" ((in 772 reviews)); "Long hours you have to wait till the last customer leave it’s energy consuming some of the customers are unrespectful" ((in 484 reviews)); "Too much politics and exchange of favors rather then meritocracy seriously affect the possibilities to grow and develop inside the company." ((in 315 reviews))

What are employees saying about Microsoft layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Microsoft layoffs and their outlook for job security at Microsoft in 2026.

Microsoft reviews

4.0

77% would recommend to a friend

(53,925 total reviews)

Satya Nadella

77% approve of CEO

71% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Microsoft has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 53,925 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Microsoft employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Informationstechnologie industry (3.9 stars).

Reviews by job title

54K reviews

3.0

Mar 14, 2013

Working at Microsoft for more than a decade

Premier field engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good total compensation package Good vacation Work from home flexibility

Cons

Staring to micromanage employees Company is too "corporate" feeling now Death by metrics Most job opportunities are in Redmond, WA and most job opportunities are limited outside of Redmond.

1.0

Feb 12, 2013

Once great.

Executive assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Free Mountain Dew. Cheap software. Huge bonuses for salaried employees if they are stack-ranked into the right box. An ever-changing review system that's like Sudoku, except that the numbers don't have to add-up. There are offices in the same building as Neiman Marcus and Louis Vuitton...so, I guess that's a pro if you sold your stock before Vista came out.

Cons

Regular RIFs (Reduction in Force) that are labeled "re-organization." RIF-ed positions subsequently become contract positions if they do not disappear altogether. Employees regularly refer to the company as the Titanic: too big a ship to turn around. The place lost it's ability to get things done quickly and is instead just a big, red-tape-y, uninspiring bore. It is NOT the place it was when BillG was there, despite SteveB's enthusiasm for kicking @$$. The stock is as stagnant as the innovating.

2.0

Feb 7, 2013

What once was great is no longer - my 10 year tenure is now coming to an end!!

Senior support escalation engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Pay is average to above average and is competitive for the industry. Health benefits are still pretty good after moving to PPO model in 2013. Discounts on Microsoft software and XBOX.

Cons

"Rank and spank" stack-rank review system is a nightmare and is now driving out the tenured & talented people in droves. Couple this with the changes to health benefits and MS is going to be hurting having no one to support their products outside of the jokes in India. Everyone is miserable due to the ranking system and horrendous lack of any work/life balance. Management is a joke and they offer no real help in career progression or development.

Viewing 838 - 840 of 53,925 Reviews

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Microsoft reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Working at Microsoft for more than a decade

Once great.

What once was great is no longer - my 10 year tenure is now coming to an end!!

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Jobs at Microsoft