Jacobs Technology Reviews

Pros

For those that don't shy away from hard work, you will enjoy working here. Hard work is recognized and rewarded with great compensation and exciting projects. Long-term employment is prevalent with this company. There are many people with 30 and 40 year careers still working for the company. Turnover is very low.

Cons

There are not very many opportunities for step-function growth. For those that start with JT in their early career, the climb is long and perhaps a bit impossible. The best place to enter JT is in mid-management, when you are confident in your trade and ready to take on more.

Advice to Senior Management

Try to find ways to grow (and recognize growth) in more junior employees so they don't need to leave to make those larger leaps in their career.
Keep doing a great job recognizing project sucesses and making hard work rewarding.

Pros

It was a good working environment, provided stability, sound judgment on business models and worked for the current business model

Cons

Lack of management involvement, not able to accurately see organizational structure, was a collage of faces and not enough involvement

Advice to Senior Management

Actively engage in the work performance of its employees and make organizational structure known to its employees, it helps...thanks

Pros

Benefits and working with great people

Cons

HR was a mess, never told you what was going on, but it was slowly improving

Pros

Flex time, Comp time and generous time off

Cons

HR policies handcuff promotion opportunities

Advice to Senior Management

Think outside the box and break some rules to reward performers

Pros

On the contract I currently support there are many good things. The employees strive to live the "Culture of Caring" that Jacobs promotes. We are safety concious and genuinely care for each other across the board.

Cons

The biggest Con I see is the severe lack of communication. This occures within teams and across the board. In our current environment the mood is grim as many have been layed off due to contract and customer budget cuts. Now is the time we should see our managers, hear from them and be considered by them. Everyone is in a state of unrest and desire answers. Even if the answers are not what we want to hear. They are what we NEED to hear.

Advice to Senior Management

It is imparative that each team lead, manager, and director know the team and the individuals that work for them. There are many untapped individuals floating around doing good at their tasks however their talents could be utilized to a much better resolution that will bennifit Jacobs and each team member. So the short and skinny of it is dont underestimate your team. Figure them out... even if you dont like them.

Pros

Longterm commits to customers leads to extended job stability. Many Jacobs employees can stay in their position for years and move up as they might desire since Jacobs holds onto their contracts.

Cons

Services contract structures leave little room for advancement eventhough you might have completed additional training and educations. Unless there is a vacancy up the chain you will be stuck where you are until there is room for advancement.

Pros

The people. They take pride in their work and reallly care about doing it right... the first time. Adminstrative support staff is also great to work with.

Cons

Management says they care about their employees, but prove they don't by their actions. Very little consideration is given to the impact of travel on employees lives.
Management does not comunication well. Their is lack of sharing information that directly concerns a projects outcome..

Advice to Senior Management

Dissention is not tolerated and openess is not the goal. Management knows best. So, sit down, shut up, do what we say.

Pros

Jacobs tries to live up to the credo "People are our greatest asset", they don't always hit the mark.
Benefits are good, starting salaries are in line with local markets.
OT is paid to engineers (straight time as mandated by the federal gov't.).

Cons

Tied to Government contracts, so raises are poor and job security is very tentative.

Advice to Senior Management

Invest in "your greatest assets" the return on your investment will be worth the cost.

Pros

They are genuinely considerate with their staff. Management makes an effort to place staff on other projects when current project ends.

Cons

Working on a base with military and a multitude of companies can be tough as contract work can be rigid in circumstances however they maintain and excellent work/life balance.

Advice to Senior Management

Modernization of business processes would help.

Pros

Employer respects the employees, and communication is very good between management and the lowest level employee a very good place to work.

Cons

No negatives in my eyes MI is in a recession and they might track me down and fire me if I say something bad... But really this is a very nice place to work if I could change something I would say give the employees a raise every six months based on performance.