poor pay - poor culture - lacking innovative spirit - common corporate gaslighting - Designer Gensler Employee Review

1.0
Jan 26, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Resume builder for those who aspire to a future in corporate architecture & design.

Cons

The corporate gaslighting here is off the charts in every way. Ex: COMPENSATION: Bonuses are counted in total compensation (even though that directly contradicts the definition of the word BONUS). Keep in mind that these bonuses are taxed at 40% for employees. Ex: RESEARCH: Senior staff and corporate leadership sponsor "research". The "research" is not actual rigorous research - more like lightweight marketing efforts which junior staff are expected to work on without pay... then published as research. Ex: BILLING: Everyone is slave to their own timesheet. Senior staff will apply pressure to work on their projects and accomplish tasks that are impossible to achieve inside of the allocated range of hours. Junior staff will then be bullied into not billing the hours which they have actually worked to accomplish a task. This is on virtually EVERY project and team. Junior staff fill out their own timesheets, are pressured to complete them before the end of the billing period, then scrutinized for billing honestly. So the pressure it to lie at your own expense (else be perceived as uncooperative, or too expensive to keep around when the layoffs come). Ex: LAYOFFS: They come often and no one is safe. I witnessed a team balloon up to almost 50 employees then reduced to nothing inside of two years. This include long-time employees and recent hires. This was all due to poor management practices on the part of senior management. Ex: INNOVATION: "Innovation" and words like it are thrown around a lot. This usually means that expensive but underkilled employees have a screw- around budget for the front end of a project. They will then demand miracles in short time spans from the actually innovative teams and individuals to compensate for their mismanagement. I am getting tired or writing but could to on about stress, poor treatment, culture, senior staff cheating on their spouses at work parties, politics. The actual work at this place is so easy. It is everything else that makes doing the work absolutely miserable.

avatar
Gensler Response
3y
Thanks for the feedback. We treat workplace concerns seriously and address them in accordance with our internal policies and procedures. We have multiple channels for reporting issues and we train and encourage our team members to use them. Encouraging everyone to ask questions and provide 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
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All