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      BKF Engineers

      Engaged employer

      BKF Engineers Reviews

      3.7

      65% would recommend to a friend

      (113 total reviews)
      avatar

      Greg Hurd

      73% approve of CEO

      63% positive business outlook

      Ratings by category

      4.0

      Diversity and inclusion

      3.7

      Work/Life balance

      3.7

      Compensation and benefits

      3.7

      Career opportunities

      3.6

      Culture and values

      3.3

      Senior management

      BKF Engineers has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 113 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The BKF Engineers employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Construction, repair and maintenance industry (3.7 stars).

      Reviews by job title

      113 reviews
      2.0
      15 Aug 2023

      Top design firm plagued corporate structure issues & bloat

      Project manager
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      BKF delivers quality consulting and tidy deliverables to its clients. The end product is, on average, better than the industry standard. The minimum standard for what gets sent out is high, and people take pride in what they produce.

      Cons

      Future planning/business forecasting is non-existent, at least on the non executive level. Firm doesn't provide sense of ownership/stake in the firm's success for employees at all levels. Executives + Principals function as independent profit centers. This leads to lots of infighting/competing for projects and resources as their bonuses depend more on group performance than firm wide metrics. In slow times, this results in production & design level staff suffering and going home with less than full 40 hours of pay. Shifting to other profit centers is almost impossible. This is because another principal must give up his teams available work to another team, which affects the individual profit center bonus structure. Staff were encouraged to use vacation time during the COVID pandemic after the PPP loan program was mysteriously cut off after a couple weeks. Turns out these funds were used to buyout retiring Principals company shares because of favorable interest rates rather than used for existing staff. Individual team structures decreases opportunities for advancement for younger staff. Established teams with lots of senior staff mean you need to wait for people ahead of you to leave the team/firm to advance rather than having the room to grow at your appropriate pace. End of year "chart bonuses" feel like a slap in the face if you know the bonuses of senior + executive staff. E1-E3 receive ~2,800 PRE tax bonuses, which is essentially in lieu pay for the shutdown week between Christmas and New Years. PM bonuses were a bit better at 15k-30k, Associate and Principal bonuses range from the low 6 figures to over 500k for CEO and more senior level Principals. CEO lacks charisma and his attempts to inspire during "Lunch with Greg" fall flat when the audience feels so disconnected from internal business practices and decision making. Bloated overhead staffing, lots of marketing, grant writers, HR folks, & project assistants. This drives up billing rates to cover their costs, making the firm less competitive than more efficiently run businesses. Most of these overhead roles can be consolidated.

      avatar
      BKF Engineers Response
      2y
      Thank you for taking the time to provide this feedback to us and to share your thoughts; BKF takes all feedback seriously. We have examined your review and have found it to be inaccurate and misleading, misrepresenting our actual business practices and leadership values. Over the last several years and throughout the pandemic, our current leadership team has implemented numerous policies and programs focused on the health, wellness, wealth, and professional development of all of BKF’s employees. Looking ahead, we are excited about the future. We are dedicated to creating an environment where opportunities are available to all. This renewed commitment aligns with our broader goals of fostering a culture that values growth, collaboration, diversity, innovation, continuous learning, and fun. Thank you again for your contribution and best wishes in your future endeavors. For anyone who is interested in knowing more about our programs and benefits, we welcome the opportunity to discuss them with you. Please email communications@bkf.com.
      4.0
      31 Aug 2023

      Great at First but the momentum slowed real fast

      Design engineer
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      Great people work here, very smart and friendly individuals. Lots of opportunities for professional development and involvement in ERG’s and committees. Provide support for joining organizations and conferences. Interesting projects and a lot of exposure to CAD and Civil 3D.

      Cons

      Some teams are very to themselves and distant from other departments/groups. Misleading salary when onboarding, HR gave you a “compensation calculator” of your pay (overtime, bonus, profit sharing..) which can be confusing and false expectations especially for those new to industry. While I understand it is an industry norm to take the days between Christmas and New Year’s off, make it clear to employees early on that they can’t work and must take PTO or unpaid time off (not everyone wants to take those days off). No formal CAD training till 8 months in. Starts heavy with production work. Never get involved in coordination or planning (would be nice to get even a taste) as a design engineer. Management doesn’t really encourage Engineers to be involved in professional organizations or ERGs. They provide some hours to bill towards but it also affects your utilization rate which in turn affects your rating and potential to move upwards.

      1.0
      12 Apr 2023

      AVOID

      Marketing
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      BKF HR team is stellar

      Cons

      Nepotism runs rampant here. Marketing leaders desperately need to take a management course

      avatar
      BKF Engineers Response
      3y
      Thank you for sharing your feedback about your experience at BKF. We appreciate hearing both positive and constructive feedback, as it allows us to continually improve our processes and company culture. We are always looking for ways to improve and develop our employees, and we will certainly take your feedback into consideration as we plan future training opportunities. Once again, thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We are dedicated to creating a positive and supportive workplace for all employees.
      Viewing 1 - 3 of 113 Reviews
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      ReviewsBKF Engineers reviews

      Glassdoor has 129 BKF Engineers reviews submitted anonymously by BKF Engineers employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if BKF Engineers is right for you.