HOK Reviews
79% would recommend to a friend
(469 total reviews)
Bill Hellmuth
92% approve of CEO
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Top Review Highlights by Sentiment
Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor
- "poor management, little to no innovation in design, unable to keep up with market, therefore shrinking architecture department every year." (in 13 reviews)
Ratings by Demographics
This rating reflects the overall rating of HOK and is not affected by filters.
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Found 469 of over 528 reviews
Updated Dec 3, 2023
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- 5.0Nov 26, 2023Structural Project EngineerFormer Employee
Pros
It is a good work environment
Cons
Typical challenges of any large firm
- 4.0Dec 3, 2023Senior Graphic DesignerCurrent Employee, more than 3 yearsLos Angeles, CA
Pros
Great projects and great coworkers. Incredible designs and innovation in architecture.
Cons
Lots and lots of unpaid overtime. Typical work weeks avg 64 to 70 hrs.
- 4.0Dec 1, 2023Design ProfessionalCurrent Employee, less than 1 yearChicago, IL
Pros
Office is busy. Leadership is supportive and encouraging
Cons
The office is currently understaffed
- 2.0Nov 23, 2023Interior DesignerFormer Employee, more than 1 yearWashington, DC
Pros
Large firm exposure Fortune 500 clients
Cons
Very high turnover for a relatively small group. Agree with previous comment about gaslighting. Wish it the culture was more open to accepting diverse ideas. Long hours.
- 5.0Oct 30, 2023Architecture - Senior Project ArchitectCurrent Employee, less than 1 year
Pros
Great office, nice people, well structured, well grounded, good pay, good benefits.
Cons
It's a large sprawling corporate bureaucratic company. They manage to keep your view of it nicely local/regional, though, which is good.
- 5.0Nov 8, 2023Anonymous EmployeeCurrent Employee, less than 1 year
Pros
Nice projects and nice people
Cons
Heavy workload and somehow chaotic project management
- 2.0Jun 12, 2023Project ArchitectCurrent EmployeeWashington, DC
Pros
HOK offers competitive compensation, good benefits, and a myriad of learning opportunities. The admin in the office is amazing, sweet as can be, and always willing to help out. The office itself is pretty decent, too.
Cons
One word: Overworked. HOK has a skewed concept of how much employees can reasonably take on at one time, and when this is communicated, leadership responds back with "you'll be fine." When I asked coworkers about this, some of the more seasoned HOK employees say "that's just the way it is here- Welcome to HOK!" The results of this are pushed deadlines, late submissions, and incomplete work. (Not a good look for the firm or the employees whose names are associated with the work.) Employees are not set up for success here. Unless you thrive off stress and challenges-that-shouldn't-be-challenges, I would not recommend HOK at all. The promised "work life balance" here is greatly skewed towards "work".
3
HOK Response4moThank you for taking the time to share your feedback. Taking care of our employees is very important to HOK. Please feel free to provide further feedback or continue the conversation at careers@hok.com
- 2.0Oct 22, 2023DesignerCurrent Employee, more than 10 yearsHouston, TX
Pros
Nice workplace and amenities, centrally located
Cons
Lack of communication between disciplines and management
- 4.0Oct 2, 2023Sr. Project ManagerFormer Employee, more than 1 yearLos Angeles, CA
Pros
Diverse clients and teams, open communication, and many resources available firm-wide and across offices
Cons
Would be helpful to have clearer processes and training during onboarding
HOK Response2moThank you for taking the time to write a thoughtful review! We appreciate hearing about your personal experience and are glad to learn that you enjoy working with your team members and our unique work perks.
- 4.0Oct 13, 2023Interior DesignerCurrent Employee, more than 5 yearsSaint Louis, MO
Pros
Good for benefits and salary
Cons
Sometimes additional responsibilities added on
HOK Reviews FAQs
HOK has an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5, based on over 528 reviews left anonymously by employees. 79% of employees would recommend working at HOK to a friend and 74% have a positive outlook for the business. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.
79% of HOK employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews. Employees also rated HOK 3.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.1 for culture and values and 4.1 for career opportunities.
According to reviews on Glassdoor, employees commonly mention the pros of working at HOK to be culture, benefits, career development and the cons to be senior leadership, management, compensation.
