TCA Architects Reviews

3.8

75% would recommend to a friend

(23 total reviews)

Aram Chahbazian, AIA

100% approve of CEO

38% positive business outlook

TCA Architects has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 23 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The TCA Architects 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

23 reviews
2.0
12 Sept 2015

Culture

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good design, decent pay, there are some nice people working, full Revit firm. The firm has a good reputation among multifamily builders and designers. Free coffee and donuts on Friday.

Cons

Horrible culture! "Police state" like environment with dictator at the top. People watch over your shoulder ALL the time, monitor every minute of your day. The lack of trust is obvious. The blame is always put on people at the bottom. The sad part is that it did not used to be like that but with increasing size of management there is too many generals making decisions with no accountability!

3.0
8 May 2017

Definitely a glass ceiling

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Generally everyone is very nice. Nice sized desks. Quarterly "check-in's" instead of 1 formal review process is nice because it gives opportunity for adjustments along the way instead of once a year having to recall everything done in the previous 12 months. They do try to communicate with everyone in the company what is happening, although some things still slip through the cracks. Some flexibility with regard to schedule, and half day Fridays are nice. Monthly birthday celebration and occasional team building events, like bowling.

Cons

Not a lot of room for growth if you are not in the "club". There are favorites for sure and if you are not part of those circles it is hard to crack the shell of growth. Production is production and design is design, there is no crossover, you have one job and you stick to it. VERY top heavy. They need more people to complete the work and not so many principals and managers telling the few remaining staff what to do.

1.0
4 Nov 2017

Lack of Communication & Growth Opportunities

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Whether it’s the Irvine, Los Angeles, or Oakland office- TCA’s office design (and the amenities provided) create an amazing visual atmosphere to work in. The staff is generally very pleasant and professional. Bonuses are always a plus (when available).

Cons

Management claims that communication is important, however, it hardly exists - it’s too busy of an environment (especially between the three offices)! There are one too many Managers/Directors/Job Captains and not enough staff to handle the workload efficiently and properly. Designers are Designers and Production staff are Production staff. With that in mind, it makes it extremely difficult to get ahead. Clerical/Administrative/Executive assistants especially have it hard. Often forgotten or left out of important conversations, they are either underutilized or overworked with no room for growth and are significantly underpaid and disrespected/mistreated. There is no clear direction for the Administrative staff which makes the office organization a mess. While all positions are ultimately replaceable, Administrators are reminded that they are ‘beneath the status quo’ and are expendable (don’t even think about reporting mistreatment). If you’re not already in upper management, TCA Architects might not be the place for you if you’re looking to get ahead. Their portfolio is impressive, so it’s a good place to go if your looking to fill the gap in your resume.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 23 Reviews

Glassdoor has 24 TCA Architects reviews submitted anonymously by TCA Architects employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if TCA Architects is right for you.