Black & Veatch Reviews

Pros

The company offers a reasonable benefits package, nothing extraordinary, but OK. There are opportunities to carry out interesting and varied work on large projects when times are good.

Cons

Lack of clear feedback on true company performance from senior management, and how it affects individual departments. The high number of VPs based in Regional offices and the subjective decisions that they make with regards to staffing and performance reward; as a consequence, individual team members tend to compete against one another for recognition.

Advice to Senior Management

Work to return to a culture that encourages genuine personal integrity and team co-operation; Respect and Dignity training is not sufficient. Younger staff currently see that recognition may only be achieved at the expense of their peers, so either carry on that mindset or - usually the most promising ones - leave of their own accord.

Pros

Opportunities to move around and try different things
Work/Life balance in KC (not so much if you are on a field assignment)
Grass is not always greener on the other side (decent company)

Cons

-Promotions are only given after you fulfill the required time (years) - holds you back
-Blueprint - Performance Matrix system (Joke)
-HR - NO HELP - you will do your own HR
-Have to leave the company and come back to get a senior position or be at the company for 20 plus years
-Money hungry only worried about PGM (what ethics make more money)

Advice to Senior Management

We are an Engineering Firm stop trying to be something else

Pros

BV has several good benefits and vacations.
Administration staff are very nice and helpful.

Cons

When I joined this company, I really take a full pride with my job, my company, and my responsibilities. However, often times there were no communication between the upper management and the employees about the performance or expectation in goal setting. Worst of all, we are told to work as much as we can and put about average 45-50 hours, or else you will be fired.

Black & Veatch should change their mission value to "Charge our Clients as much as we can while contributing small values for the client."
Many employees got laid off after they have finished first or second project. This is very sad.
Later on, they hired many fresh graduates that have little or no experience whatsoever and charging their client as much as they can for "high-school" work like filling excel sheet, etc.

Advice to Senior Management

Good employees are the biggest asset that each company has. Don't laid off employee just because you need to hit your number and profit and bonus for the upper management.
At the end, these employees are the one that work hard to pay the upper management salary.

Pros

Good pay, better than what I made at a previous job
Good benefits
Plenty of parking
On-site cafeteria had good food

Cons

There was no mentoring program
Deadlines on projects were extended to midnight, you were expected to stay and work until it got completed
Constant, unrelenting pressure to stay billable and not charge to overhead. It didn't matter how many hours you worked in a day, you could only bill 8.
Typical large company, decisions made at the top were never really explained to the workers at the bottom.

Advice to Senior Management

Make people accurately track their hours. My boss worked a 14 hour day but only billed 8. Too often, I was given 4 hours to do a project that would take 20, and 10 hours to do a project that would take 1.

Pros

Friendly environment, especially in regional offices

Cons

No clear strategy to grow business
Afraid to make decisions
Not interested in developing employees for future opportunities

Advice to Senior Management

Commitment and Vision are missing, particularly in Oil & Gas business. Being gun-shy and overly risk-averse kills opportunities.

Pros

I guess in this economy one should be happy to have a job...I would say that would be the only reason why it would be good to work for Black & Veatch...

Cons

Unethical management decisions when it comes to promotion, layoffs, etc. Very hard to get promoted...limited opportunities. Management very poor at sharing information.

Advice to Senior Management

Change the BS culture so we can do our jobs better and be competitive...The much older engineers should go retire it's time to rejuvenate the company.

Pros

Director of mumbai is office is really very nice person and is very suportive to employees, Entire leadership team is very cooperative and working towards common goal. there is not much of office politics. Things are more or less transparent on technical side

Cons

Various policies in BVCLP are were very good before modifications made to it by HR admin and Finance departments, they used to give maximum benefits to employees. Now supports try to push some very rigid and impractical policies on employees and they are not ready to listen to any one the worst part is they are not covered under supervision of Director of mumbai who is really a very good and cooperative person. They are deteriorating the culture of mumbai office. First of all they have employed so many people in their department still they out source all the work to other vendors, and they act as if they are working for vendors and not for employees.

Advice to Senior Management

Please have control on HR, Finance and admin in mumbai office itself, try to have employee friendly policies and have a look at prevailing policies in competitive companies. Initially BVCPL had advantage of higher salary over other competitors but now that is not the case so if the culture is spoiled then office will loose good staff to its competitors. Believe me only good people will leave as they are always in demand and average and below average will stay this will bring down overall quality and productivity of office

Pros

It has many offices around the world for you to transfer too. Good people and work environment. Good benefit packages as well as flexible schedule.

Cons

Headquarters is not aware of how their sattelite offices are operating. Company more geared towards profits than keeping employees happy. Vacation time is limited.

Advice to Senior Management

Pay attention to your employees because if you don't listen to them or treat them well they will be leaving for other opportunities.

Pros

Being a large, global company there are opportunities to work throughout the world. There are ample opportunities to develop a strong career, especially those who remain flexible in the type and geographic location they are willing to work. Also, being a world class engineering firm, you have an opportunity to work on some of hte most challenging and rewarding projects in the world. They types of projects that are recognized throughout the world for their positive impact on the people.

Cons

I am sometimes frustrated with the pace of change at the company. Upper management claims to strive to be one of the best engineering firms in the world yet when it comes to pay and benefits the "industry average" is often quoted for why some benefits are not offered.

The yearly performance evaluation process is frustarting to both managers and the rank-and-file.

Advice to Senior Management

Strive to exceed the "industry average" to bring about faster change in the companies culture. Continue your commitment to building Black & Veatch into the best engineering firm in the world.

Pros

The only reason to work at Black & Veatch is that it is a job that you need during down sizing and you get benefits.

Cons

Every few years the employee assessment procedure changes and every year managers, who don't know how to write an assessment as well as how to do an assessment are forced to put people in a lower range even if their work is exemplary. Dilbert is based on the Black & Veatch workplace. Get your five years of good experience and then get out.

Advice to Senior Management

Get rid of deadwood middle management who have managed projects badly. Upper management. if you have been around longer than 20 years, leave because you are operating on 70's management principles and have kept Black & Veatch from being recognized as a dynamic company. Think outside of the box to reduce the turnover rate.