Smoke and Mirrors - Anonymous employee Gensler Employee Review

2.0
31 Mar 2024
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Very nice colleagues Diverse Workforce Room to grow

Cons

Push to no hybrid work was really cringy who desperately management wanted to enforce this. So much that they took daily attendance. I really disliked how management used the story “we’re a family” to somehow encourage better culture at work. We’re not a family. We’re here to do our jobs and collaborate to achieve a common goal. Listen to your staff and create creative solutions that your staff bring to the table. Very top down management with very little collaboration with general staff. Microsoft office file management was a chaotic disaster. I really struggled to thrive in their file management. Very little training on file management. Management was so concerned over people being in person daily, they would encourage people that were sick to come in. COVID spread like crazy because of this. They took no accountability. You have to pay for parking. Once you’re in, you see how chaotic and disorganized management is, versus how they present themselves to the work as leading innovators.. very disappointing. Benefits and compensation pretty weak compared to other large Bay Area companies.

Explore other reviews about Gensler

5.0
3 Jun 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.

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Gensler Response
2w
Thanks so much for the feedback. We love to hear from our people. You and your colleagues are the foundation of our success. We are delighted to see your 5-star rating!
1.0
29 May 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.

5
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Gensler Response
2w
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.
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