The People are the Pros but Profit is King
Pros
Gensler hires so many talented people that are passionate about design and their clients. The majority of people you'll find here are awesome human beings. There are also many wonderful resources working for such a large firm - both for your personal growth with continuing education, thought leadership opportunities, and access to great clients, and for your projects. The ability to pick up the phone and call an expert on some random subject that has come up in your job is such a gift and such a great way to make connections across the firm. Compared to smaller firms in the Bay Area we are also well compensated, though there needs to be more transparency and clarity in regards to raises, especially this year when some have been told there's no money and others get more significant raises. I'm sure there's valid reasons pertaining to compensation levels, but staff is confused without further explanation.
Cons
1. Don't underestimate that this is the largest architectural firm in the world- and it didn't get there by always putting it's employees first. Profit is first and if you fall in line properly to help make profit you'll have a better chance of success. Our high billing rates are meant to pay for all those Gensler extra overheads, yet billing to overhead numbers is strongly discouraged. 2. If you're bringing in work you have cart blanche to treat people however you want. I've seen people use this for good to bring up young designers and give them great opportunities. I've also seen them use it for more nefarious purposes of removing staff from projects and treating people disrespectfully. 3. If you see something wrong, like really wrong, keep it to yourself. HR works for Gensler- not for you and they don't want to make principals mad either. I've seen popular, well-connected, and good employees pushed out because they had no support from the firm regarding poor behavior.
