Ocean Associates Reviews

3.7

63% would recommend to a friend

(18 total reviews)
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John Everett

44% approve of CEO

63% positive business outlook

Ocean Associates has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 18 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Ocean Associates employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Management and consulting industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

18 reviews
1.0
17 May 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

They typically will allow people to work remote.

Cons

For all contract positions, they pay roughly 70% of the industry average for similar positions at other companies. They do this so they can under bid on NOAA contracts to win them. They keep 60% of the contract value and constantly ask their staff to take pay cuts while claiming they make no money. They have no career development or education. They will not support their staff if there are conflicts in the workplace. Their HR department will lie to you if you try and get help.

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Ocean Associates Response
2y
Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry that you feel this way. We hold our employees in the highest regard and our corporate staff and project managers draw from years of federal service and contract employment to shape our company ethos. We consistently evaluate evolving pay schedules and strive to offer competitive wages and robust benefits, including professional development and growth opportunities. We offer an excellent benefits package for our employees including short and long term disability insurance, life insurance and maternity benefits paid for by OAI. We are always open to discussing who we are as a company, our management approach, and our benefits with current or prospective employees.
1.0
13 Jul 2023

Below industry standard pay

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

They do offer an amount of PTO, some benefits (fully paid for by the employee), and a 401K.

Cons

They may underpay staff so that they can undercut and win contract bids. Before you take a position with them, ask some other companies or colleagues in the industry what salaries should be. New folks to the NOAA contracting world, connect with fellow contract employees. We all look out for one another and are usually happy to share info and perceptions. Junior scientists/analysts should be making $75-$85K per year, senior scientists/analysts should be making $90-$110K year, and folks working on NEPA are typically $110K+. Also, you should contract a guaranteed annual increase. Most NOAA contracts have one built in with the contracting company. If they are making more money the next year, so should you.

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Ocean Associates Response
2y
Thank you for your feedback. Federal contractors, including OAI, are bound by labor categories in contract awards, which are established by the government. These labor categories limit the salary range that can be offered for a given position. When we have an opportunity to propose our own labor categories, our team conducts market research to determine fair and competitive salaries. We also include guaranteed wage increases each year. We take great pride in providing an excellent benefits package for our employees including short and long term disability insurance, life insurance and maternity benefits paid for by OAI. Employee retention is a high priority for OAI and we strive to make OAI a great place to work providing professional development opportunities and mentoring with full access to all senior management. We have many employees that have been with OAI for many years and through multiple contracts.
3.0
2 Feb 2021

Excellent work opporunities, but treated poorly at times

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Top quality coworkers, interesting work

Cons

Expected to do same work and bare same responsibilities as Fed co-workers, but not compensated the same.

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Ocean Associates Response
5y
Thank you for your tenure with us and your feedback. Federal contractors, including OAI, are bound by labor categories in contract awards, which are often established by the government. These labor categories limit the salary range that can be offered for a given position. When we have an opportunity to propose our own labor categories, our team conducts market research to determine fair and competitive salaries. We take great pride in providing an excellent benefits package for our employees. We model our pay and benefits after the federal structure and typically take them a step further. For example, we do not limit the amount of sick and annual leave that can be carried over from one year to the next.
Viewing 1 - 3 of 18 Reviews

Glassdoor has 26 Ocean Associates reviews submitted anonymously by Ocean Associates employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Ocean Associates is right for you.