Get in get out - Senior Designer workshop/apd Employee Review

3.0
18 Jul 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

High end projects that develop into built work. Talented individuals that you can learn from in the private residential field, select individuals are great. Organized with high level of detail and rigor in the work. If you want to learn how to do high end private residential work, this is it. Summer hours, competitive pay, central location, some bonus.

Cons

Very fast paced work environment that moves from deadline to deadline, continuous pressure to perform at a high standard with very top down direction. Little to no natural light in the office. High turnover due to burn out and frustration at the level of staff producing the work. Some individuals can be condescending, rude and blunt. Feels like they only care about the work and clients, not you. Top heavy management makes promotions long and tedious, reserved for those favored by senior management. High degree of micromanagement leads to people feeling under respected. Many senior management have been there for 20yrs, no alternative experience or understanding of doing things differently or open to change, atrocious communication skills.

Explore other reviews about workshop/apd

5.0
9 Dec 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great design projects and opportunities

Cons

A lot of work and long hours

2
1.0
7 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The junior staff all seemed super cool and welcoming, and the office itself was really nice and in a great location. I also thought the projects were strong

Cons

The biggest downside, in my opinion, was the overall office culture. While the junior staff themselves were generally nice, very few of them actually seemed happy. I worked in Studio 1, and there was a noticeable level of fear surrounding the studio leader. I genuinely have never heard so many people openly talk about feeling verbally mistreated by a manager, yet no one seemed comfortable enough to address it directly. It also definitely felt like a boys’ club. The office was outwardly LGBTQ-friendly, but leadership was primarily, if not entirely, white men, and the dynamic reflected that at times. The work-life balance was also rough. The project manager I worked under regularly expected people to work at all hours with little warning. It was common to receive non-urgent assignments late on Friday afternoons that were suddenly expected by Monday morning. There did not seem to be much respect for personal time or the idea that employees have lives outside of work. From talking to others, it sounded like experiences varied somewhat depending on the project manager, but everyone working under the manager I had seemed consistently unhappy. Overall, I would not recommend the office based on my experience, and the general atmosphere felt unusually negative and burnt out.

2
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