CH2M Employee Reviews about "billable"

Cons

HR is clueless, overworked, and underpaid. Relocation packages are terrible. Hard to work on cross-business group projects due to financials, even though you might have the exact skill set required. Energy Group is a conglomeration of 4 companies formed in 2007. Those 4 companies are trying to meld together and currently don't work well together. Standards and procedures for work processes are a complete and utter mess. Zero career guidance/support offered. Management closed a profitable group and laid off employees that were over100% billable for the year.

Cons

CH2M HILL was once of the best places to work. Employees were empowered and encouraged to create new and exciting business plans...not now. Ralh Peterson was the CEO and believed in the people and gave them room to make changes even at the lowest levels. Now, Lee McIntire is removing the culture (The yellow book means nothing now), eliminating jobs, and removing the basic foundation that made CH2M HILL a great place to work. Many senior leaders are leaving because of the changes that are being made. They are shutting down an entire building at COR (Denver) because they have laid off or fired people...thus leaving the same amount of work for a lot less people. The low pay wasn't really an issue but when they removed the positive work-life balance there is no longer a reason to say CH2M HILL is a great place...because it is not. Don't work for CH2M HILL unless you like traveling and being away from home a lot. They don't care where you live because they will send you to places for long periods of time. When the project is over they will let you go if you can't find a new project. Work is limited and if you can't stay billable to a client you're laid off. Stress is high in all groups!!! You have been warned. Accept the job offer at your own risk. I spent 14 years at the company and received great year reviews but once Lee was promoted to CEO the company shifted in a negative way.

Cons

Everyone has different experiences, but I didn't mesh well with the people I worked with. Very focused on being billable as other people have noted (communications sent about using PTO during holidays if not billable). Tried transferring to a different office but apparently wasn't a 'good fit' so ended up getting laid off. I've fit in very well at other companies I've worked at so maybe the people are difficult to get along with (maybe they are too cocky?).

Cons

The company is extremely bureaucratic and new ideas are not welcomed or will be met with bitterness. Young engineers are often underpaid and are not given raises during hard economic times and are the first to be laid off after large projects end; bonuses are rarely given out for the rewards and recognition program in fact nominations are often rejected. This company burns out young engineers frequently. The continuous threat of lay off after projects causes workers to work and not bill and work excessive hours.

Cons

-difficult, negative people create a very low morale -billable hours difficultultult to meet with a competition for all work -fear of losing job and what will be their next move -expectations to bill less hours than actually spent on a project with any other work being on your own personal time -too many very short projects which means constant looking for work/worrying about finding hours -expectations to be connected at all times and 'on-call' 24/7 for non urgent work, or due to procrastinating by others -burn out very quickly -poor health benefits and 401k match, unacceptable for such a large company -poor quality control of deliverables, affected by budgets -no ability to move within the company

Cons

Senior technical talent thinking of coming on board should run away and run away fast. Unsupported unless you are in a very small select group, management has given up on true innovation (despite what they claim), funding for conferences is minimal and focus is on next month not on long term growth. In addition, senior technical staff are expected to be highly billable, even when they had been given OH roles. Management cuts overhead and if you don't have enough billable work you are expected to use your vacation (I kid you not)-- note senior management has no problem spending OH dollars. I have been at CH2 for 18 years and it went from a phenomenal company, focused on its clients and people, to a company whose senior management focuses on themselves. Poorly run for about a decade. Project Managers basically dead end at a certain level due to lack of opportunity. The recent reorganization resulted in many very good people let go (not for performance or workload reasons) and done so in a classless manner. Basically if you were not politically connected you were at risk. Talent is leaving in droves (including senior VP level management who ended up on the wrong side of the reorganization). Various internal tools are a nightmare to work with and support functions outsourced over seas, resulting in massive time wasting. Losing money on some bad projects and senior management keeps telling staff at their quarterly propaganda meetings they have it managed. Unless senior leadership changes, this is a doomed ship. If you have 15 years or more experience avoid CH2M like the plague. Advice to junior staff-- get 2 years of experience and move on, unless you see significant change at the top.