Does HKS pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, HKS employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.6 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at HKS. This rating has decreased by 6% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at HKS?

91% of HKS employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated HKS 3.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.3 for culture and values and 4.2 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at HKS?

Architect (45) , Designer (25) , Architectural Designer (21) , Project Architect (21) , Intern (20) , Design Professional (18) , Vice President (17) , Associate (12) , Design Professional I (10) , Intern Architect (10) , Job Captain (10) , Summer Intern (9) , Design Professional II (8) , Architectural Design Professional I (7) , Interior Designer (7)

What are the pros of working at HKS according to real employee reviews?

"Some great projects and people." ((in 47 reviews)); "Cares about you as a person and has a great culture!!! Just ask everyone who joins after being at other places for years" ((in 41 reviews)); "Good leadership and office culture." ((in 22 reviews)); "Great work / life balance" ((in 19 reviews)); "Endless opportunities to grow your career and research new ways of thinking" ((in 19 reviews))

What are the cons of working at HKS according to real employee reviews?

"The salary was low because it's an startup" ((in 16 reviews)); "IT department is dysfunctional and lead by poor management." ((in 16 reviews)); "low pay for summer intern" ((in 15 reviews)); "Long hours, requires you to be driven both in your career and in your goals." ((in 9 reviews)); "intense deadlines and long hours" ((in 6 reviews))

What are employees saying about HKS redundancies in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about HKS redundancy and their outlook for job security at HKS in 2026.

HKS Reviews

4.2

91% would recommend to a friend

(481 total reviews)

Heath May

90% approve of CEO

78% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.3

Culture and values

4.3

Diversity and inclusion

4.2

Career opportunities

3.8

Work/Life balance

3.8

Senior management

3.6

Compensation and benefits

HKS has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 481 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The HKS 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

481 reviews

5.0

16 Apr 2023

Interesting projects

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Worked on a good variety of projects whilst there

Cons

There was a lot of top down restructuring

1.0

12 Aug 2018

Don't

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Like anywhere you might work, there are some truly lovely people here, committed to helping each other and very nice. I agree with another review here that Marketing and Research are great departments to connect with, and the xChange program does a good job of connecting offices (though you'd better have an in with someone to get into it).

Cons

There's no way to outline it all here. Stifling hierarchy. Unrelenting favoritism. Good employees constantly being forced out of the firm by someone who feels threatened and has the "power" to get you out. "Utilization rate" is king and nothing else matters, no matter what they say. If you are in a branch office (anything other than neck-deep in the good 'ol boys club in Dallas) you are highly expendable. Diversity is a joke. Constant issues with firm communications being tone deaf to all types of diversity and inclusion perspectives, to an absolutely laughable degree. Health insurance is absolutely awful--expensive and pays for almost nothing, so you'd better hope you don't get sick. A cap of 3 weeks on leave, ever, so hope you don't have much of a desire to have a life--between that and the overtime you won't have one. If you bring any issues up, there will be total denial and they'll start crowing that their diversity, benefits, design, whatever--is the best in the industry, and they certainly won't listen. Constantly culling to "fit the culture", meaning if you don't think like us and kiss butt, you're out.

HKS Response

7y

We appreciate your comments and thoughts, but are also disappointed with the culture and experience you’ve described. The topics you mention are all vital to the success of our firm and we’ve made intentional strides to continue to improve and be mindful of how we progress in the days ahead. Important areas such as diversity, culture, insurance, growth, structure, relationships, and others, require a great deal of leadership, work and careful thought. We are dedicated to making HKS an outstanding place where everyone can feel fulfilled. I would strongly encourage anyone who would like to express their feedback to find a trusted leader that they can vocalize their opinions to and be prepared to be a part of the solution. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts. - Billy Hinton, Principal, Director of Architecture

5.0

21 Aug 2018

Sky is the limit

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

I've been with HKS for a while now and I love the freedom you are given to take on new initiatives and make your job what you want it to be. The CEO encourages an entrepreneurial spirit and it shows with the specialized groups and offerings they have. Employees can participate in an exchange program where they live and work in another HKS office in another part of the world. Or they can get involved with highly specialized teams in research, computation or sustainable design. But what I like most are the people at HKS. They have truly become a family to me and it's a place I want to stay.

Cons

Parking is pretty rough downtown. I wish parking benefits were offered to everyone instead of just titled employees.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 481 Reviews

HKS

HKS Reviews

Ratings by category

Reviews by job title

Interesting projects

Don't

Sky is the limit

HKS reviews FAQs

Want the inside scoop on your own company?

Bowls

Followed companies

Job searches

HKS reviews FAQs