Working at Kyndryl means being part of a massive global IT infrastructure company actively forging a new identity after its 2021 spin-off from IBM. The employee experience is centered on "The Kyndryl Way," a formal cultural framework emphasizing collaboration, respect, and a people-first approach, championed directly by leadership. While navigating the complexities of a large-scale business transformation, the company demonstrates high internal alignment, with 88% of employees reporting their managers embody the new culture and an overall employee respect score of 90%.

What is it actually like to work at Kyndryl?

Working at Kyndryl means operating at a massive scale. As the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider—a title it claimed upon its separation from IBM in late 2021—the company employs over 80,000 people, known internally as "Kyndryls," across more than 60 countries. Its core business involves designing, building, managing, and modernizing the complex, mission-critical information systems that the world’s largest enterprises depend on.

For employees, this translates into an environment defined by two major forces: the stability and complexity of serving a global, blue-chip client base, and the dynamic energy of a multi-billion dollar "startup" carving out its own identity. The company is deliberately moving away from the more bureaucratic processes of its former parent, aiming to be more "flat, fast, and focused." The employee experience is intentionally structured around a new cultural framework called "The Kyndryl Way," which serves as the blueprint for how employees collaborate with each other and serve customers. This makes working at Kyndryl an exercise in navigating both legacy enterprise systems and a new, evolving, people-centric culture.

Source: Kyndryl Investor Relations

How does Kyndryl pay compare?

As a global enterprise technology firm, Kyndryl's compensation is designed to be competitive in the markets where it operates. Salaries are structured based on role, level of experience, geographic location, and specific skills, particularly those in high-demand areas like cloud computing, cybersecurity, and data & AI. Based on self-reported data, salaries for technical and project management roles at Kyndryl are generally aligned with or slightly above the median for the U.S. IT services industry.

For example, roles like IT Architect and Cloud Engineer often command salaries above the industry median, reflecting the company's need for high-level technical expertise to manage complex customer environments. Project management roles also appear competitive, which is critical for a services-led business dependent on successful delivery.

Role	Kyndryl Average Base Salary (U.S.)	U.S. IT Services Median Base Salary	Source
IT Architect	$146,500	$141,000	Glassdoor (self-reported, 2024)
Project Manager	$118,200	$109,500	Glassdoor (self-reported, 2024)
Cloud Engineer	$123,000	$120,000	Glassdoor (self-reported, 2024)

Compensation also includes variable pay components, such as annual bonuses tied to company and individual performance, and in some roles, equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), reflecting its status as a publicly traded company.

Source: Glassdoor (Kyndryl Salaries)

What benefits and time-off does Kyndryl offer?

Kyndryl offers a comprehensive benefits package typical of a large, global corporation, designed to support the health, financial security, and work-life balance of its employees. While specific offerings vary by country, the U.S. package is robust.

Key benefits include:

Health and Wellness: A choice of medical, dental, and vision insurance plans. The company also promotes wellness through various programs, resources for mental health support (EAP), and health savings accounts (HSA).
Financial Security: A 401(k) savings plan with a company match. Kyndryl generally offers a competitive match to help employees save for retirement. Other financial benefits include life insurance, short-term disability, and long-term disability coverage.
Time Off: A flexible time-off (FTO) policy for many U.S. salaried employees, which does not set a fixed number of vacation days but allows employees to take time as needed, with manager approval. This is supplemented by company-paid holidays.
Parental Leave: The company provides paid parental leave for mothers, fathers, and adoptive parents to bond with a new child.
Flexibility: Reflecting its modernizing culture, Kyndryl supports remote and hybrid work arrangements for many roles, acknowledging that talent is not confined to a specific location. This flexibility is a core part of its strategy to attract and retain skilled professionals.

Source: Kyndryl Careers

Culture, leadership, and DEI at Kyndryl

Kyndryl's culture is its most deliberate strategic asset. Post-spinoff, the company had a unique opportunity to define its values from the ground up, culminating in "The Kyndryl Way." This isn't just a corporate slogan; it's an operational framework introduced in 2022 to guide behavior, anchored in principles of being restless, empathetic, and devoted. The goal is to create a flatter, faster, and more collaborative organization than its predecessor.

Leadership has been the primary driver of this cultural transformation. Chairman and CEO Martin Schroeter has been a vocal champion of a people-first ethos, stating, "As a services business, Kyndryl puts people at the center of everything we do." This vision is cascaded through a massive investment in leadership development. The company trained nearly 6,000 people managers in dedicated "Leadership Behaviors" workshops to ensure they could model and coach the new culture. This investment has shown clear results, with 88% of employees reporting that their manager’s behavior is consistent with The Kyndryl Way.

Employee voice and respect are also central pillars. The company uses an Annual Engagement Survey as a key tool for feedback, and internal data indicates a 90% employee respect score and an 85% 'Love of Workplace' score. These metrics suggest that the cultural initiatives are resonating with the workforce.

On Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Kyndryl frames its approach around "Inclusion, Diversity & Equity," placing inclusion first to emphasize the importance of creating an environment where all employees feel they belong. The company has several active Inclusion Network Groups (INGs) to support diverse communities and drive inclusive practices throughout the business.

Source: Most Loved Workplaces® Certification Profile for Kyndryl

The hiring and interview process at Kyndryl

The hiring process at Kyndryl is structured to assess technical skills, business acumen, and, critically, alignment with The Kyndryl Way. While processes can vary by team and role, candidates typically experience a multi-stage process.

Application: Candidates apply through the Kyndryl Careers portal. The system uses AI to help match candidates with open roles that fit their skills and experience.
Recruiter Screening: A recruiter conducts an initial phone or video call to discuss the candidate's background, interest in Kyndryl, and the specifics of the role. This is also an opportunity to discuss logistics like salary expectations and work authorization.
Hiring Manager Interview: The next stage is usually an interview with the hiring manager. This conversation dives deeper into the candidate's professional experience and explores how they would handle role-specific scenarios. Behavioral questions focused on collaboration, problem-solving, and adaptability are common.
Technical/Panel Interviews: For technical roles, this stage involves one or more interviews with team members, including senior engineers or architects. These may include technical deep-dives, case studies, or whiteboarding exercises designed to evaluate practical skills in areas like cloud architecture, network management, or cybersecurity.
Final Interviews & Offer: The final step may involve a conversation with a senior leader or department head. Throughout the process, interviewers are evaluating not just what a candidate knows, but how they think, communicate, and work with others—assessing their fit with a culture that values empathy and restlessness.

Source: Candidate reports on Glassdoor and Indeed

Career growth and learning at Kyndryl

Kyndryl positions itself as a place where employees can continuously develop skills, a necessity in the fast-evolving tech landscape. The company's strategy for growth is heavily dependent on the expertise of its people, and it invests accordingly.

The primary vehicle for this is Kyndryl Vital, the company's collaborative design practice, and the broader push for advanced certifications. Employees are strongly encouraged and supported to gain certifications from major technology partners like Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and AWS. Achieving these credentials is not just a personal benefit; it's a core business strategy that enables Kyndryl to deliver advanced services to its clients. The company has publicly stated its goal of significantly increasing its number of certified experts.

Formal learning is delivered through Leadership Development@Kyndryl, a resource hub that supplements the manager training with workshops, on-demand courses, and tools. For all employees, the company rolled out Leadership Behavior training and a digital badging system, allowing Kyndryls to demonstrate their proficiency in the cultural principles of The Kyndryl Way.

Career progression is supported by a strong culture of internal mobility. As a massive organization with diverse service lines, opportunities exist to move between projects, departments, and even countries. This aligns with data from healthy workplaces, where employees are highly engaged in internal opportunities—92% of employees at Most Loved Workplaces® apply for roles when openings arise.

Source: Kyndryl Signs Strategic Partnership with Google Cloud

Risks, criticisms, and what to watch

While Kyndryl's cultural transformation is a significant achievement, candidates should be aware of the business realities and challenges the company faces. As a public company spun off from a legacy organization, Kyndryl is navigating a complex turnaround.

Financial Performance: Since becoming public (NYSE: KD), Kyndryl has been focused on shifting its business mix toward higher-margin advisory and implementation services and away from lower-margin traditional outsourcing. This transition involves significant investment and has put pressure on revenues and profitability in the short term. The company has been transparent about its three-part turnaround plan: stabilizing the business, growing revenue, and expanding margins.
Legacy Systems and Processes: Separating entirely from IBM's decades-old systems and processes is a monumental task. Employees may encounter friction or redundancy as new Kyndryl systems are built and old ones are decommissioned. This can be a source of frustration but also an opportunity for those who thrive on process improvement and transformation.
Restructuring and Workforce Adjustments: Like many large tech companies undergoing transformation, Kyndryl has engaged in restructuring efforts to align its workforce with its strategic goals. This has included layoffs in certain areas while hiring aggressively in others (like cloud and data). Candidates should inquire about the stability and growth prospects of the specific business unit they are interviewing for.

Working at Kyndryl means joining a company in the midst of a high-stakes evolution. This creates a dynamic, sometimes uncertain, environment. For proactive, adaptable individuals who want to be part of building something new at a global scale, it can be a compelling opportunity. For those seeking a more stable, predictable environment, the constant change could be a challenge.

Source: Kyndryl Investor Relations Annual Reports

Most Loved Workplaces® Context: Kyndryl is one of over 1,800 companies certified as a Most Loved Workplace®, a designation based on analysis of over 2.8 million employee surveys and interviews. Top-tier Most Loved Workplaces® see 4× higher revenue growth than their industry peers and benefit from 48% higher employee retention. These healthy workplaces are defined by the SPARK framework, which measures Systemic Collaboration, a Positive Vision of the Future, Alignment of Values, Respect, and Kindness.

How we researched this report: This report was compiled by the Best Practice Institute Editorial Staff. Our reporting is based on our own proprietary data from the Most Loved Workplaces® certification process, supplemented by primary sources including company career and investor pages, SEC filings, official news releases, and reputable trade press. You can learn more about our methodology here.

What Is It Really Like to Work at Kyndryl?