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Olson

Acquired by ICF

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Olson Reviews

3.5

64% would recommend to a friend

(94 total reviews)

Sudhakar Kesavan

64% approve of CEO

40% positive business outlook

Olson has an employee rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, based on 94 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Olson employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Media and communication industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

94 reviews
1.0
17 Feb 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The pay is decent, but it’s barely worth the instability, politics and ongoing identity crisis. The office is cool and will impress your parents and friends.

Cons

There have been layoffs (and a new name or ceo) every year since 2014 and there will continue to be major issues since no new business stays. Politics run the show here, so you work harder not smarter. Management is chauvinistic and territorial, HR is vapid at best, and creative is scant. Stay long enough and you’ll inevitably be worked to death or stabbed in the back. John Olson is turning in his grave.

1.0
2 Mar 2018

Agency Culture = No Life

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Cool digs, nice people, drinking in the office, free food, lots of work perks

Cons

Total lack of work/life balance, inept senior leadership, this place will grind you into the ground if you let it, dishonest, low integrity, they let you drink at work because you need to drink to tolerate it, little to no career growth opportunity

1.0
16 Sept 2016

No thank you.

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Gorgeous modern office space, north loop location, lots of free snacks, casual work environment, no formal dress code, high energy

Cons

If you don't have a big personality, you're not going to fit in with the culture and will likely be laid off (even if you're not directly affected by a revenue loss). It's very much a work hard play hard culture. Yes, there's an abundance of drinking at the office, and you can wear jeans and flannel each day, but that doesn't make up for the fact that you're also going to work 60+ hours each week and be expected to check emails on weekends, evenings, holidays, vacation days, etc (always on). But that's how the advertising industry works, so..... Also, the many recent changes in management have created a poisonous culture where nobody knows what their role is and everyone thinks they're being underpaid/overworked/abused even when they really aren't. Most of the staff is very young and exhibits all of the stereotypical millennial attitudes and behaviors. Very frustrating if you're not "one of them".

Viewing 1 - 3 of 94 Reviews

Glassdoor has 111 Olson reviews submitted anonymously by Olson employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Olson is right for you.