Low compensation, stressful workplace - Senior Associate Exponent Employee Review

2.0
May 20, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Work with talent people. Exposure to diverse projects.

Cons

Very low base salaries (around 120k) and yearly bonuses around 5-10k for associate/senior associate Toxic atmosphere of work/project allocation. Stressful to find work to do.

avatar
Exponent Response
5y
We have a total compensation philosophy. Associate and Senior Associates earn a competitive base salary plus they are paid one times their hourly rate for hours beyond 40 in a week when they are highly billable on client projects. In addition they earn an annual bonus which is tied to their personal performance. Employees who contribute high value to their internal and external clients and colleagues reap excellent financial rewards. Additionally Exponent contributes 7% of base salary to the employee's 401(k) every year without requiring an employee contribution. Sally Shepard, CHRO

Explore other reviews about Exponent

5.0
Mar 17, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good benefits and great culture

Cons

Inconsistent workload but partly due to the nature of the business

2
2.0
May 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Diverse work, intelligent and ambitious colleagues, above average compensation package for newly minted PhDs. Giving 2 stars simply because of these perks.

Cons

Extremely poor work/life balance, high pressure on billable hours/utilization, cutthroat/burn-and-churn culture, weak management, poor mentorship opportunities (didn't feel inspired by many leaders), sink-or-swim onboarding (I think this has changed a little since I left), ton of gatekeeping around promotions, and worst of all.... there's very little humanity present in the culture. Almost everyone I knew didn't fundamentally feel as if their office, practice, and/or manager cared about them as a human. Bad managers get promoted so long as they're revenue generating. I would not recommend this company to be a person's first choice.

2
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All