Why I left Gensler. Review after a year and half. - Technical Designer Gensler Employee Review

2.0
16 May 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Size, you could find friendly and talented colleagues. Good Opportunities. Very generous pay and benefits compared to other firms. Nice People in the beginning. Not very design intensive, if you are mediocre a designer, it could be a great fit. Company social is very nice. Top-down directive leadership.

Cons

It feels very unorganized in the design process. Also, The design has fallen behind the market and it is not competitive with other firm's work in my opinion. The senior leaders say they care about the well-being of their employees, but in a number of situations, I felt unsupported. The company cares about the profit the most and if you are passionate about design should avoid joining Gensler for extra $. But you are welcome to try it. I regret my decision, but I have learned from this experience so that I can share it with anyone who asks. My colleague all said the extra $ was not worth compared to how much work-life balance they had to pay.

Explore other reviews about Gensler

5.0
3 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good work-life balance and flexible scheduling. Supportive team environment with opportunities to learn new technologies. Management is generally approachable and benefits are competitive.

Cons

Internal processes can be slow and bureaucratic at times. Career advancement opportunities are limited without clear timelines. Communication between departments could be improved significantly.

1.0
29 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Nice office, lots of “rah rah Gensler” events with food & booze, some nice people

Cons

Where do I start…..some studios are TOXIC. Favoritism permeates every aspect of working here. It’s nauseating. There is zero loyalty, zero recognition for hard work (yeah you get a bonus but sometimes a kind word is needed). Oh-and never ever express an opinion that may be in opposition to “leadership’s”. Your private life, beliefs, politics and other personal things are fair game for letting you go. I’ve seen it happen-fired because someone expresses in a private conversation that one has ethical concerns regarding projects that are in the office (but in another studio/office) will get you fired. They will make up some bs about “work performance”, yet no conversation ever with anyone about “needing improvement “. Out of left field. Bye bye. Management tells leadership that they’d already “warned” the person-completely untrue. Hear later it was likely due to having concerns about a client/project. Lesson learned-shut up, work 12 hrs a day and be happy with the scraps you’re thrown. Also-egos galore! Unwillingness to take accountability for mistakes.

3
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