Working at Kyndryl means operating at the heart of global IT infrastructure as the world's largest provider of these services. The company culture is heavily data-driven, underpinned by an 84/100 SPARK score and 27 workplace certifications, including being named a Top 100 Most Loved Workplace® in 2023 and 2024. Employees report high levels of respect (90% positive sentiment) and a clear connection between their daily work and supporting mission-critical systems for major enterprises. As a large, recently-formed public company, expect structured processes and a focus on global team collaboration to manage complex client needs.

What is it actually like to work at Kyndryl?

Working at Kyndryl places you inside the engine room of the global economy. Spun off from IBM in 2021, the company is the world's largest IT infrastructure services provider, responsible for designing, building, managing, and modernizing the mission-critical systems that power banks, airlines, telecommunication networks, and manufacturers. With approximately 80,000 employees worldwide, the scale of operations is immense.

A typical day involves collaborating with global teams to solve complex technical challenges for enterprise clients. The work is not theoretical; it's about ensuring the resilience and performance of systems that society relies on. This direct connection between daily tasks and real-world impact is a significant cultural touchstone, reflected in the company's strong scores for purpose in employee sentiment surveys.

Kyndryl's heavy investment in workplace certifications—27 in total as of 2024—is a defining characteristic. This isn't just about collecting badges. It signals a deep-seated commitment to measuring and improving the employee experience. Certifications for Diversity, Inclusivity, and LGBTQ+ inclusion, alongside being named a Top 100 Most Loved Workplace® for two consecutive years (2023 and 2024), point to structured programs, executive sponsorship, and a culture that values data-driven accountability for its people practices. For an employee, this translates to an environment with formal mentorship programs, active employee resource groups (ERGs), and regular, systematized feedback channels.

Source: Kyndryl 2023 Annual Report

How does Kyndryl pay compare?

Compensation at Kyndryl is designed to be competitive within the global IT services market. While specific salary offers depend on role, experience level, and geographic location, publicly available data provides a useful benchmark. The table below compares user-reported salaries for common roles at Kyndryl with national medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Role	Kyndryl Average Annual Salary (User-Reported)	U.S. National Median Annual Salary
Software Engineer	~$121,987 (Glassdoor)	$132,270 (U.S. BLS)
Project Manager	~$107,261 (Glassdoor)	$98,580 (U.S. BLS)

Note: User-reported salaries on platforms like Glassdoor vary based on location, experience level, and specific role. The national median from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) represents the overall market average as of May 2023.

As the data suggests, compensation for some technical roles may track slightly below the median for the tech industry at large, which includes high-paying consumer tech firms. However, Project Manager salaries appear competitive against the national benchmark. Candidates should consider that Kyndryl, as an IT services firm, competes in a different market segment than product-led software companies. It's crucial to evaluate salary as part of a total rewards package that includes comprehensive benefits, bonuses, and significant investment in training and professional development, which are detailed below.

Source: Glassdoor, Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

What benefits and time-off does Kyndryl offer?

Kyndryl offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support employees' physical, financial, and personal well-being. This reflects the company's philosophy that a healthy workplace must care for the whole person. The offerings are structured globally but tailored to meet local needs and regulations.

Key pillars of Kyndryl's benefits program include:

Health & Insurance: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance plans for employees and their families are standard. The company also provides life insurance, disability coverage, and programs to support mental and emotional well-being.
Financial Wellbeing: In the U.S., this includes a 401(k) savings plan with a company match, tools for financial planning, and opportunities for employee stock purchase plans, allowing employees to share in the company's success.
Paid Time Off (PTO): Kyndryl provides a competitive vacation allowance, paid holidays, and sick leave. The company emphasizes work-life balance, encouraging employees to use their time off to rest and recharge.
Family Support: Recognizing the demands on modern families, Kyndryl offers parental leave for new mothers, fathers, and adoptive parents. Other family-friendly policies may include flexible work arrangements and resources for childcare and elder care.
Flexibility and Hybrid Work: Kyndryl operates on a hybrid model that blends remote and in-office work, offering flexibility for many roles. This model is designed to foster collaboration while providing employees with a degree of autonomy over their work environment.

Beyond these traditional benefits, the company's investment in learning and development is also a significant part of its value proposition, with dedicated platforms and budgets for employee growth.

Source: Kyndryl Careers - Benefits

Culture, leadership, and DEI at Kyndryl

The culture at Kyndryl is captured by its brand identity: "The Heart of Progress." This translates to a workplace focused on essentials, expertise, and empathy. The company's impressive 84/100 SPARK culture score from the Most Loved Workplace® research provides quantitative evidence of a healthy environment.

Breaking down the SPARK model—which evaluates Systemic Collaboration, a Positive vision of the future, Alignment of values, Respect, and Kindness—reveals Kyndryl's strengths:

Respect and Authenticity: With a 90% positive sentiment score for Employee Respect and 87% for Authenticity, the data shows that employees feel valued and believe they can be themselves at work. This is often a result of transparent communication from leadership, fair processes, and an accessible management style. The company is led by CEO Martin J. Schroeter, who has overseen its transition into an independent public entity.
DEI as a Business Priority: Kyndryl's multiple certifications in Diversity, Inclusivity, and LGBTQ+ are not just symbolic. They represent a structured approach to building a diverse workforce and an inclusive environment. This is operationalized through active Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), company-wide allyship programs, and the integration of DEI metrics into business planning and leadership scorecards.
Data-Driven and Continuously Improving: A key cultural trait is the use of data to make decisions—not just for clients, but for its own people. Kyndryl conducts regular, confidential employee sentiment surveys and uses the feedback to drive tangible changes, from refining benefits to improving team workflows. This feedback loop is essential for maintaining a healthy culture in a rapidly evolving organization of its size.

Source: Most Loved Workplace® 2024 Certification Analysis

The hiring and interview process at Kyndryl

Kyndryl's hiring process is structured to identify candidates with the technical skills, collaborative mindset, and resilience needed to succeed in a global IT services environment. The process is transparent and designed to be a two-way conversation.

Candidates can typically expect the following stages:

Application: Submit an application for a specific role through the Kyndryl careers portal.
Review: Recruiters and hiring managers review applications to match skills and experience with the role's requirements.
Interviews: This stage usually involves multiple conversations. An initial screening with a recruiter may be followed by technical interviews to assess expertise and behavioral interviews to evaluate alignment with Kyndryl's values. Behavioral questions often focus on collaboration, problem-solving, and client focus. For example, you might be asked to describe a time you worked with a cross-functional team to resolve a complex issue.
Offer: If successful, a formal offer is extended, detailing compensation, benefits, and start date.

To succeed, candidates should prepare to go beyond their resume. Research Kyndryl's business, its recent client successes, and its cultural tenets. Use the interview to ask informed questions. For instance, referencing their Most Loved Workplace® certification, you could ask, "Can you share an example of how employee feedback has directly influenced a recent company initiative?" This demonstrates your interest and shows that you have done your homework.

Source: Kyndryl Careers - Hiring Process

Career growth and learning at Kyndryl

Kyndryl positions itself as a company where employees can build a long-term career, not just hold a job. The company's investment in learning and development is a cornerstone of this promise, particularly given the fast-paced nature of the technology sector.

The flagship learning platform, "Learning@Kyndryl," provides access to over one million courses, articles, and other educational items from partners like Coursera, Udemy, and Skillsoft. This allows employees to continually upskill and reskill in critical areas.

Key opportunities for growth include:

Technical Certifications: Kyndryl heavily supports and funds employee efforts to gain technical certifications across a wide range of technologies, including cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google), cybersecurity, and networking. These certifications are essential for professional credibility and client success.
Structured Career Pathways: The company provides clear career frameworks that show potential paths for advancement, both vertically within a specialty and horizontally into different roles or departments. This allows employees to plan their long-term growth.
Mentorship and Onboarding: Formal mentorship programs connect new or junior employees with experienced colleagues. A structured onboarding process ensures that new hires are integrated effectively and have the resources they need to become productive quickly.
University Partnerships: Kyndryl collaborates with universities on research and curriculum development, which also provides employees with access to cutting-edge knowledge and academic experts.

For anyone in the IT field, the opportunity to be paid to learn and certify on the latest technologies is a powerful benefit that directly contributes to long-term career security and advancement.

Source: Kyndryl Careers - Benefits

Risks, criticisms, and what to watch

No workplace is perfect, and candidates should consider a full picture of Kyndryl, including potential challenges and risks.

Post-Spinoff Transformation: As a company spun off from IBM in late 2021, Kyndryl is still in a multi-year transformation. This involves detangling complex legacy systems, forging a distinct corporate identity, and optimizing its business for long-term growth. This can lead to periods of organizational change, restructuring, and evolving strategic priorities that can create uncertainty for employees.
Large Company Pace: With 80,000 employees, Kyndryl is a massive organization. While this provides stability and resources, it can also mean more bureaucracy and a slower pace of decision-making compared to smaller, more agile firms. Individual impact can sometimes feel less direct in such a large-scale environment.
Financial Market Pressures: As a publicly traded company (NYSE:KD), Kyndryl is subject to the scrutiny of financial markets and the pressure to meet quarterly earnings expectations. This can influence business decisions and resource allocation. Candidates are encouraged to review the latest investor communications on Kyndryl's investor relations website to understand the company's current financial performance and strategic outlook.
Intense, Mission-Critical Work: The nature of Kyndryl's business—managing the core technology of the world's most important companies—means the work is high-stakes. While this provides a strong sense of purpose, it can also be a high-pressure environment, particularly during client emergencies or major project deadlines.

These factors are not necessarily negatives but are important realities to consider when evaluating if Kyndryl's environment is the right fit for your work style and career ambitions.

Source: Reuters - IBM sheds legacy IT business in Kyndryl spin-off, Source: Kyndryl Investor Relations

Most Loved Workplaces® context

Most Loved Workplaces® is a research and certification program that provides the most comprehensive look at workplace sentiment and performance. The certified network includes over 2.8 million employees from more than 1,800 companies worldwide. Top-tier Most Loved Workplaces® see 4x higher revenue growth than their industry peers and benefit from 48% higher employee retention. Research shows that 92% of employees at Most Loved Workplaces® apply for roles when openings arise. The methodology is based on the SPARK framework, which analyzes Systemic Collaboration, a Positive Vision of the Future, Alignment of Values, Respect, and Kindness.

How we researched this report

This report was written by the Best Practice Institute Editorial Staff. Our analysis is based on Kyndryl's Most Loved Workplace® certification data, official company statements, SEC filings, and benefits documentation. For more on our methodology, please see our detailed guide here.

What Is It Really Like to Work at Kyndryl?