URS Reviews

Pros

Flexible work schedule (e.g. 9/80 schedule), diverse and interesting projects, big A/E firm so lots of technical resources, offices all over the world, challenging work, competitive salaries, and good training programs. I have stayed at URS for ten years because I have a great boss, I enjoy the people I work with, and I have the freedom to takde my career in any direction I want.

Cons

Publicly traded company so you won't get the small-private firm feel, some offices are stunning while others are drab and unimpressive (like this one), no bonus program, benefits package is nothing to write home about.

Advice to Senior Management

Improve URS' advertising in trade journals, conferences, professional organizations, etc. I often read trade publications and attend professional industry events and very rarely see URS ads or sponsorships. I think our competitors do a much better job in this department.

Pros

Job Security. Large business. Multiple locations.

Cons

Corporate policies vs. small company personalized service.

Pros

Salary, benefits, and allowing for family time.

Cons

Lacks professional "management" practices. More "who" you know than how well you perform.

Advice to Senior Management

Manage your staff better; communicate expectations, coach, discipline, and reward when warranted.

Pros

Colleagues are great to work with and fun to be around. Manager is a good project manager. Not sure how much career advancement there is at the moment, but manager is pretty good about asking about career goals and seems to really care about helping out with career advancement.

Cons

Manager is not that great a people manager. Work is up and down, sometimes busy, sometimes not - that can be a problem for some people. Starting salary is a bit low, but better than nothing for now.

Advice to Senior Management

Have an advanced degree, do the learning management courses for project management role, work for 3+ years

Pros

Competitive salaries

Electronic access to employee benefits and payroll information, medical insurance, and 401k account

Merit-based bonus paid at line manager level

Cons

Employees are seen as easily replaced/recruited; building human capital is not part of the organizational culture at URS

Constant reorganization of business units and operations management and personnel - reinventing the wheel impedes forward motion

Major focus on historical results, little attention paid to executing strategy

Advice to Senior Management

In the Federal Programs business, for example, hire and develop operations managers with a business background in addition to managers with military connections. Realign focus to the real market (customers) rather than the expectations market (financial).

Pros

Broad portfolio of high impact projects. Great experience for entry-level engineers and technical professionals.

Cons

Highly bureaucratic. Firm is enormous and promising employees can get lost among the crowd. Tough to move up from within particularly if you'r not an engineer. A lot of very smart people being compensated very poorly for their abilities. Relatively unknown outside infrastructure and environment circles in USA and England, so doesn't carry too much weight on a resume despite its fortune 250 status.

Advice to Senior Management

Facilitate better coordination and collaboration among offices and regional business units. Develop performance metrics and promote opportunities for young employees to rise from within.

Pros

Rank and file are well-intentioned and good-hearted. Not the best in the business

Cons

poor leadership. management is not friendly toward rank and file. management seeks improvement but unwilling to make changes. trying to sell jobs you are unable to execute

Advice to Senior Management

take a long hard look in the mirror

Pros

Staff in local office are good to work for/with. Variety of work

Cons

Benefits have been on the decline for years. Health insurance is a joke - hopefully you have a spouse with better benefits.

Advice to Senior Management

Look into compensating employees with a competitive benefits package.

Pros

Flexible hours. Care about their employees. Great pay and benefits. Team players. They are open to change. Care about safety. Very intelligent coworkers seemed to be the best and the brightest. Employees are dedicated to company and honest.

Cons

Uncertainty about how long projects will last and where employees will work next. Little notice given when people are moved to new locations and not given instructions and time frame. Employees are left hanging and are unsure what their future is with the company.

Advice to Senior Management

Insist that customers provide time tables. Give employees advanced notice when they are changing job locations so they can prepare.

Pros

Flexible schedule, nice people to work with

Cons

No training, poor raises and opportunities for growth and experience