First, we need to address short reviews by other staff. After 6 months at SRF, HR asks new staff to review SRF on Glassdoor (HR forwards them a link). That is why there are so many short reviews without much detail.
There is no work / life balance. Project managers constantly pushup deadlines or forget to communicate important project changes. My coworkers and I frequently had to cancel or reschedule our lives (for example, picking up kids from daycare or cancelling on our family, friends, and sports teams). My coworkers and I routinely worked 12+ hour days during our busy season. We communicated this issue to our supervisor and project managers. Improvements were never made.
SRF is very hierarchical. If you are not the most senior person with your skill set you will not get a chance to grow professionally by taking on more challenging work. The most senior person will get the first pick of projects and clients.
Wages are average. During the pandemic, SRF had some of its most profitable years. Did they provide bonuses, meaningful wage increases, additional time off, or stipends for purchasing work-from-home equipment? No.
Equipment and software is outdated. SRF refused to upgrade to the newest software, so old computers have to be used to run outdated programs. SRF also does not purchase enough licenses or shared equipment. This choice results in wasted time waiting for a license / equipment to become available.
Non-engineering departments are basically treated as sub-consultants. Budgets we proposed were regularly cut by a third to one-half of what was required to complete the job. Some project managers would shut down billing codes so we could not continue to bill our work.
Multi-faceted projects are run by engineers who do not have a good understanding of the project outside its design. Communication from project managers is rare. Non-engineers are not invited to project meetings and are not updated on project changes. This results in low-quality, last minute changes to client deliverables.
