Great legacy and potential, but leadership needs to evolve. - Administrative Gensler Employee Review

3.0
Apr 21, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Big firm with big resources. Compensation and benefits (including overtime pay, ESOP, bonuses) are above industry standards. Opportunity for advancement, and a culture that rewards hard work, ingenuity, creativity, and a "get-it-done" attitude. Great staff full of talented, passionate people who truly care about their work. Environment can be a bit catty sometimes, with big personalities to be managed and corralled, but this is typical of creative environments, and not anything that a professional shouldn't be able to navigate. Great place to learn, grow, try new things, have fun, and challenge yourself. I sincerely hope they can rebound quickly from the current situation caused by the virus.

Cons

Big firms can be top heavy, and this one rewards bad behavior in a big way at the higher levels. SouthCentral is run by a regional manager who's been with the firm for almost half a century, enjoys free reign, and runs the entire region like personal pet project, all while displaying a shocking level of illiteracy about the work and the technology that powers it. Nepotism, favoritism, rudeness, unilateral decision making and credit taking are all common, well-documented, and for some reason allowed and tolerated by firmwide leadership. It's disheartening, and makes it hard to get behind the good bits of Gensler.

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Gensler Response
6y
Thanks for taking the time to share feedback on your experience at Gensler. We appreciate your candor and consider all the feedback we receive. Providing honest feedback is critical to supporting our culture and our values of integrity, trust and mutual respect. We appreciate your feedback and will share your comments with the firm’s leadership.

Explore other reviews about Gensler

5.0
Jun 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good work-life balance and flexible scheduling. Supportive team environment with opportunities to learn new technologies. Management is generally approachable and benefits are competitive.

Cons

Internal processes can be slow and bureaucratic at times. Career advancement opportunities are limited without clear timelines. Communication between departments could be improved significantly.

1.0
May 29, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Nice office, lots of “rah rah Gensler” events with food & booze, some nice people

Cons

Where do I start…..some studios are TOXIC. Favoritism permeates every aspect of working here. It’s nauseating. There is zero loyalty, zero recognition for hard work (yeah you get a bonus but sometimes a kind word is needed). Oh-and never ever express an opinion that may be in opposition to “leadership’s”. Your private life, beliefs, politics and other personal things are fair game for letting you go. I’ve seen it happen-fired because someone expresses in a private conversation that one has ethical concerns regarding projects that are in the office (but in another studio/office) will get you fired. They will make up some bs about “work performance”, yet no conversation ever with anyone about “needing improvement “. Out of left field. Bye bye. Management tells leadership that they’d already “warned” the person-completely untrue. Hear later it was likely due to having concerns about a client/project. Lesson learned-shut up, work 12 hrs a day and be happy with the scraps you’re thrown. Also-egos galore! Unwillingness to take accountability for mistakes.

3
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