ZGF Architects Reviews

3.5

53% would recommend to a friend

(140 total reviews)

Ted Hyman

68% approve of CEO

36% positive business outlook

ZGF Architects has an employee rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, based on 140 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The ZGF Architects employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Construction, repair and maintenance industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

140 reviews
1.0
29 Mar 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- The firm has an honorable mission. They've done some truly amazing work, and are working on more great projects. - There's a few really good people in the company. People who believe in working hard, making a difference, and changing the world for the better.

Cons

I can only attest to working in the firm-wide PR and LA marketing teams, in which I was subjected to passive-aggressive hostility, alienation, and outright dishonesty. This treatment went entirely unexplained, for they avoid open and honest communication at all cost. I know for a fact I'm not the only one treated this way. When I once asked a team leader how to help the other members improve in their performance, the response was, "Those people will weed themselves out. We just need to wait." This is just one of many examples that highlight just how reptilian these "leaders" are. They absolutely refuse to address issues in the open. Instead, they let ill will foster up until it completely blows open, and undeserving people who are doing their best with what little guidance they get suffer negative consequences for it. I listened to leaders talk so much trash about their own team and their abilities, yet did absolutely nothing to steer them towards improvement. I can't express enough how despicable it was. In addition to the two-faced nature that is the PR/marketing culture, project management is a disaster. No one owns anything that has clear and measurable results, and so results on a lot of things is incredibly poor. I feel bad for the partners--I don't think they realize what little value they are receiving for what they're getting billed. Outside PR/marketing, I have to concur with previous reviews that this company is pretty cliquey. I witnessed a lot of gossip and rigid social dynamics. I felt exceptionally isolated there. Overall, easily the worst so-called professional experience in my life. It's actually going to take me time to recover psychologically from the whole chapter.

2.0
27 Sept 2017

2.5 Stars

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Most people are nice. Professional environment.

Cons

There are a lot of politics amongst employees as well as the Partners. Partners can't seem to get along and every office has its own culture and agendas so high level decisions are not made quickly. Upper management historically has not done a good job at giving employee feedback and communicating expectations and company updates has been light.

3.0
23 Sept 2018

A Mixed Bag

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Lots of high profile clients and incredibly knowledgeable staff, the people at this firm really know their stuff. The company has lots of resources in-house, and so you won’t go wanting in that department. The starting pay is higher than most places—but the raises can be meager in comparison, so it more or less evens out. The understaffing does come with the benefit that you’ll have to wear multiple hats, so you will learn a lot. The firm has a diverse portfolio of projects in some very resilient market sectors, so the fear of job loss is slim. Overall ZGF is a great place to grow, despite the frustrations.

Cons

The project I worked on required insane hours; I pulled 60-80 hour weeks on average for about 10 months. During that time I was doing documentation and presentation work. The middle management seems a bit bloated, with managers whose sole role is to manage managers. The culture is really left wanting, it feels a bit soulless working here—people often get caught up with the, albeit important, technical and logistical aspects of architecture and design often takes a seat on the back burner. There are a few egos in the office, but there’s no clear culture built around design, so if this is something you value it can be a frustrating place to be.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 140 Reviews

Glassdoor has 161 ZGF Architects reviews submitted anonymously by ZGF Architects employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if ZGF Architects is right for you.