Pros
- Compensation: Good compensation compared to other similar companies, though COLA (cost-of-living adjustment) can have a huge effect on this and base salary is low for Field Engineers at around 65k. If you are put on a project in an area with a high COL, you'll get a high COLA. However, say you get promoted and move somewhere else where the COL is much lower, you can potentially make less than you did before being promoted while shouldering more responsibility. - Benefits: 15% of base salary 401k contribution. No matching, but with a $65k base salary for example, HP would be contributing almost 10k each year to your 401k on their behalf before your own contributions. You also don't pay the premiums for Medical/Dental/Vision. Please read below in the 'Cons' section to hear about 401k vesting schedule.
Cons
I'll preface this by saying that I went into this experience with optimism and enthusiasm and worked very hard. All the negativity you'll read about below comes as a result of my experience rather than an unwillingness to work hard. It’s a long read, but if you’re considering working here, please do yourself a favor and read this whole review. ---- - Work-Life Balance: The largest issue by far. There is little to no work-life balance, which is an industry standard. Expect to work 50-70 hour weeks, plus frequent Saturdays. Burnout is very prevalent in low and mid-level employees at HP (Field Engineers, Office Engineers, and Project Engineers). If you show an aversion to working such long hours, you will quickly be ostracized by management and coworkers. Many employees commute 2+ hours daily on top of a 10-12+ hour work day, which can be related to project placement (which I’ll talk about below). Early mornings and late nights do not make for a healthy combination. - Work-Life Separation: You're basically on-call if things go wrong, and there is no expectation for a real separation of your personal time and work time. Emails, calls, and texts that require response are sent outside of "standard" hours (i.e. 6 AM-4 PM). This can also include things like being called by the night crew while you're sleeping, being asked to come back to work after a late afternoon doctor's appointment, etc. Your supervisor can also decide to put you on a night schedule instead of a daytime one for a period of time, if necessary. - Time off: 10 days PTO (+1 with each year of employment, capped at 20 days), but good luck using it. You will feel guilted by your team who is already stretched too thin. They also observe only 7 of 11 federal holidays. If you work somewhere where the trades are unionized, you will still be expected to come in on federally recognized holidays while the union trades are off, despite the fact that your entire job revolves around managing those trades. - Slow to change: Hensel Phelps insists on keeping outdated practices (workflows, processes, softwares, etc.) that can be feasibly changed to fit the current environment. The corporate structure also requires that all project teams across the country use the same tools, so the adoption of new technologies is slow. I was told several times, "We did this when I was a Field Engineer 10 years ago. I suffered through it then, so you have to suffer through it now." - Software: As an added bonus to the point above, almost all the software you use is proprietary, meaning that it is only used by Hensel Phelps. And a lot of it is slow, unwieldy, and outdated. This can hurt you while looking for jobs elsewhere, since you have little familiarity with many common softwares. - Learning/Development: A deliberately vague job description allows for your plate of responsibilities to be constantly changed and increased. Management does not give detailed feedback, and expects you to figure certain things out instead of providing guidance. The environment is very sink-or-swim for new hires, and you will be pushed to your breaking point. This can be good for learning but bad for morale. - Promotions: Promotion period is incredibly slow. Expect to be a FE (Field Engineer) for 1.5-3 years before becoming an OE (Office Engineer), and another 2-3 years as an OE (so around 5 years total) before becoming a Project Engineer; also note that the FE/OE program is rotating, so the same timeline applies if you start out as an OE rather than a FE. There is little flexibility with promotion as a young employee here, regardless of how good you are at your job. - 401k vesting schedule: 401k takes 6 years to be 100% vested (versus 3 years average), at which point you will also be eligible for their profit sharing plan if I recall correctly. These are known as the "golden handcuffs." I will never forget being in my first day of onboarding discussing benefits, and I asked about the vesting schedule since I was curious. I was told, in front of other new hires, "The only reason you're asking that is because you're thinking about leaving this company." This was the first of many red flags in hindsight. - Project Placement: Frequent project reassignment displays lack of respect for employees' living situations, and your ability to move around the country is often the biggest opportunity for advancement. Many people have to uproot their families. The project reassignment process almost completely lacks transparency for employees, so you'll be stuck in limbo wondering where you're headed next and will not get a straight answer at first. You could have a project that is close to you, but end up on another that is an hour away because that’s what company needs. - Compensation: Although it is good compensation within the CM/GC industry, when you break down your compensation versus hours worked, you're hardly making more than you would in other industries or hourly positions. Since you are salaried nonexempt, you do not have defined work hours or limits, and Hensel Phelps (along with every other large GC) takes advantage of this. - Culture: The culture here as a new hire is like being in a fraternity. If you push back against certain practices, you’ll be made to feel like an outsider. Coworkers also strongly dislike working long hours, but are too apprehensive to bring that up with management for fear of being denied advancement opportunities. Hensel Phelps holds a yearly survey where employees assess what the company does and does not do well, and the same issues I've brought up here are brought up there. The company continues to state that they value the physical and mental health of their employees. They do not. The practices I've listed are widespread and contradictory to their stance on health, and their actions demonstrate an unwillingness to change. - Understaffing: Projects are understaffed, which results in management squeezing as much work out of the fewest employees possible. This business model helps keep costs low and helps Hensel Phelps win contracts. They are always chasing (and winning) new work, so there is constant shuffling of people. - COVID-19: My time here was during the height of the pandemic. In my experience and opinion, COVID protocols were aimed more towards getting people back on site as quick as possible than ensuring that they were symptom-free. ---- Will Hensel Phelps do anything actionable as a result of 1 review? Probably not. But the more people share their experience, the more HP is inclined to change. I know my experience is shared by others after getting to know coworkers during my time at HP. Ultimately, for me, the compensation and benefits were not worth the tradeoffs. Almost everything about my experience was negative, bordering on a toxic work environment. Since leaving this industry, my physical and mental health have drastically improved. If you work here, you will make a lot of money while your health, relationships, and personal life will suffer at the expense of that. Unless you live to work, Hensel Phelps and the construction management industry are not the place for you. Advice for employees: UNIONIZE. Seriously, a union is badly needed. Demand better treatment. Leave the company if you have to. There are plenty of jobs out there. Life is too short to sell your time to a company like Hensel Phelps, or any other general contractor for that matter.
