AECOM Reviews

Pros

Good compensation
Extensive resources and knowledge throughout the company
Mentoring programs avalable
Opportunities to work abroad if once so chooses to follow that route

Cons

As in any large corporation comes a certain cold, facelessness from upper management.
However, I worked in a smaller office which was a close knit group.

Advice to Senior Management

Increase face time with mid-level and lower lever employees to provide a sense of community within the company. That may be next to impossible to achieve, but it would be worth it.

Pros

The people who work there are tremendous. A lot of effort is made to employee skilled, talented, and creative people who fit into the workplace culture and who are good to work with. IT doesn't always work, but they get it right more often than not.
Great projects. AECOM still gets its hands on some of the really big project with lots of intersting and challenging opportunities.
Good building.
Good Career development courses, if you are choosen to go on these.

Cons

The systems are unruly, unweidely, and costly. Everything from time sheets and expense claims to managing a project is difficult and detracts from value.
There is a certain level of stasis in such a big organisation that cannot be helped. You are sometimes promoted rapidly if you are good, but more often than not there are too many talented people for there to be a craer path to the top for everyone who starts as a graduate at AECOM.
Tendency to allow 'deadwood' to linger and not push them out the door.
Pay rates are not keeping up with market parity.
A current tendency to hire senior staff and managment from outside which is frustrating some existing staff.

Advice to Senior Management

Be prepared to make tough decisions and push some underperformers out the door.
Realise that people are your strength and attempt to show them they are valued in ways other than the encore awards program.
Realise that promotion from within is a valid and healthy exercise.

Pros

Friendly and willing to listen if you make it clear to them that you will not be forced to anything.

Cons

You must become a member of certain cliques within the company to be 'in the know' or 'get up to date info in the first instance'. To do that you must be a cyclist, keep fit fanatic, almost fanatical volunteered or Yes man. Managers tend to discuss your career amongst themselves without involving you. They assume that you will will agree with whatever they agree with.

Advice to Senior Management

Talk to your people about what they want. Not amongst yourselves about what you want

Pros

Global opportunities for professional growth

Cons

Still working out the kinks from multiple acquisitions

Pros

fairness during hiring process; willing to provide younger professionals the opportunity to work; willing to provide salary matches, raises, and counter-offers

Cons

not much interaction between project managers or team leads and their employees; HR department is a joke - takes forever to get in touch and receive answers

Advice to Senior Management

Good job overall, hard to complain aside from the HR department - seriously, no one answers their phone, and problems seemed to rarely be resolved...

Pros

free coffee and tea. They want to streamline everything to digital, so no space is wasted on hard files. They have consistent work.

Cons

They plan work spaces that cram too many employees together. They put more value on cutting costs than showing appreciation for their employees.

Every corporate decision shows they don't really care about their employees ( which leads to decreased morale) . They just want to save money in the smallest possible way.

Advice to Senior Management

Manage salary increases for hard work based on changes in a cost-of-living index. Design work environments where people actually want to work there and be creative. AECOM can't be a Google by designing/planning offices in the manner they do. I can't imagine why talented leaders/ future visionaries would stay at this company long-term.

Pros

Collegiate environment, recognition based on performance not years of experience. Market leading, great projects. You have a range of career paths, including local or global.

Cons

size means its going to be tough to know everyone in your office. There has been a lot of change which can make it tough to keep track of systems etc

Advice to Senior Management

Its important to take the time to connect with staff at all levels through different forums of communication.

Pros

After the buyout and some time, there were no advantages.
Might be a good place for someone just starting out to get experience from the real professionals but I would imagine they will not stay much more than maybe a year.

Cons

AECOM bought out a smaller company I worked for. The principals in the company were getting ready for retirement and needed the money for themselves and sold out to AECOM. Originally, the company was doing well and we were very busy. Then when AECOM came in, they did not understand exactly what the company did and made it near impossible to get jobs and the lawyers made it even more difficult to execute a contract in a timely manner. Basically AECOM took a well known and wonderful company and ruined it. Employees were let go because there was no work. There was plenty if AECOM had let the company operate as it had. Management tried but their hands were totally tied by AECOM and it got to the point where there was a mass exodus along with the terminations. AECOM is trying to be the big fish but as it turns out, they have not gained any respect from the employees in many offices. They expect people to be totally billable which is near impossible for support staff. Also expected are many more hours than 40 each week but the employees can only bill out 40. They won't pay overtime but expect overtime work. I honestly don't think that the upper management has a clue about what is going on.

Advice to Senior Management

Take a hard look at what is going on and notice that there is absolutely no good morale in most of the offices. By Mr. Dionisio taking a huge bonus with the rest getting nothing, this does not settle well. It is getting to the point where the employees are looking for jobs and really don't really care about the work they are currently doing because it has to be done FAST. I found that even a lack of correctness is tolerated. I would never hire anyone who let work go out with spelling and grammar errors.

Pros

The management and people in the office are personable. The office technology is up to date. The location in the city is great.

Cons

Never seen morale lower in this office or any other office outside AECOM. This is due to upper mamgement's rediculous processes and assinine spreadsheets. We are encouraged to work 50 to 60 hours a week, but allowed to only post 40 on the timesheet. Absolutely no room to be promoted and rarely recognized for good work. Had more clients give kudos than anyone in the office. Forget any type of bonus or perks. This place is just another big firm sweatshop.

Advice to Senior Management

Get rid of the 'matrix' organization, the cumbersome processes, and spreadsheet programs. Quit sending out daily emails on how well the company is doing and how happy we are. The corporate reps that come through the office once a year do a lot of talking, but really aren't interested in listening. when the economy improves, 80% of our local staff will be out the door.

Pros

there are opportunities to wok on some really and challenging projects.
the new valley office is impressive
the coffee machine in the new office is excellent

Cons

Senior management is made up of a network of males promoted and rewarded largely on the basis of their relationships with each other rather than any aptitude for their job. There is a glass ceiling that seems to prevent female engineers from taking that next step in the business.

Advice to Senior Management

It's ok to promote women as well as men.