U.S. Engineering Reviews

3.6

62% would recommend to a friend

(77 total reviews)

Tyler Nottberg

73% approve of CEO

67% positive business outlook

U.S. Engineering has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 77 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The U.S. Engineering 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

77 reviews
1.0
10 July 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Nice front-line workers in the Westminster office, but unfortunately can’t say the same for upper management. There are some genuinely nice people in this office (emphasis on some), but that unfortunately doesn't translate to a good culture overall. Nice, newer office, free sodas, small on-site gym which is convenient. Good location for up north - plenty of nearby places to eat/run errands at lunch or after work which is convenient, and close to I-25 for easy access.

Cons

Upper management in the Westminster office proudly promotes a good ole boy culture - it’s not the positive culture that is touted for the Kansas City office. There’s a lot of favoritism and if you are not part of the inner circle (comprised only of a handful of middle-aged white men), things can be very tough here. Unfortunately, nepotism is part of what gets you in that inner circle. There is so little diversity here it’s a joke – only a handful of minorities and females. The few that work here are marginalized and confined to their box because they don’t fit the requisite good ole boy profile. Overall, if you don’t fit a very narrow profile of what they think is acceptable, you will not enjoy working here, let alone succeed, and will likely be unknowingly sabotaged while you’re here. A lot of internal politics and back-stabbing consisting of in-fighting between different departments in the same office, and there’s definitely a noticeable rift between the Westminster and Kansas City office which puts the front-line workers in an awkward position. Colorado upper management uses passive-aggressive maneuvers and a big “don’t question me” ego to manipulate others and outcomes. If you are one of the very few who are favored, then life might be decent, but most don’t benefit from that favoritism. Questionable management decisions are made in the name of so-called improvement, but in reality it's more of a rogue-style management practice. Unfortunately, they change things without considering the reality of impacts, and then change them back to the way they were 6-12 months later when they realize that was a mistake. This pattern continues because in another 6-12 months they change things again, and the same dysfunctional cycle repeats itself over and over. It’s like they are just guessing and haven’t really thought out the longer-term consequences / benefits / impacts of major changes. Communication is essentially non-existent and swooping changes are made without informing the front-line people who actually have to deal with those changes. Low pay that definitely hasn’t kept pace with the rising cost of living in Colorado. They intentionally bring people in very low because they try to cut costs wherever they can so that translates to below market wages across the board. That's why they focus their hiring efforts on recent college grads because they know they can lowball them on salary. Very rigid and old-fashioned mentalities, especially in terms of work time and technology. There’s definitely a rigid butt in chair mentality where you’re expected to be in the office every day from 7 AM – 5 PM. Absolutely no flexibility – this is the expectation that is not deviated from to allow for flex scheduling, work-from-home or anything like that. You either adapt or you’re out - period. I’ve never seen such clock-watchers in a company, but this is how it is. Technology is also very outdated, but that’s because they try to keep costs low and don’t invest in better systems. Overall, the culture is pretty bad in the Colorado office, and that’s because of what upper management has created and fostered. They are threatened by any differing opinions, thoughts, ideas. Forget trying to be innovative or different in anyway – that will not be tolerated, unless it's management's idea. If you are one of the smart ones who actually tries to get out, you will be walked out the door the SAME day you give your notice because they equate your resignation with disloyalty, despite how good of an employee you have been. I’ve seen it happen to really great employees more times that I care to count. It’s best that if you decide to quit, give your notice and expect to leave that same day – you will not be treated with any dignity or respect.

1.0
25 Mar 2018

Poor leadership in Colorado & old school culture

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

As with any place there are some nice people, but that's not unique to US - you can find them anywhere you go. Newer offices that are nice, but again, nothing unique here. Free sodas & cheap snacks.

Cons

- The "leadership" (and I use the term loosely) is highly ineffective in the Rocky Mountain region. The culture is more about who you know or who you're related to instead of what you know - there is nepotism here at the highest levels which creates a bad environment. Favoritism is rampant in the Colorado office & if you are not within the small circle of relatives/favorites you will very much feel it. - Management has a very "old school" mentality in how they operate. They place more value on if you're in the office from 7 am to 5 pm, M-F instead of what you can actually bring to the table. Definitely don't show up even 5 minutes late because big brother is watching the clock if you're not at your desk by 7 am. They would rather see good employees leave instead of trying to work with them on a flexible schedule or allow them to work remotely on occasion. They expect you to put in your 44+ minimum hours per week & are not open to anything different. They pride themselves on saying that they let people leave "early" on Friday at 4 pm, but you've still had to put in a full 8 hour day & they don't pay overtime for the minimum required 44+ hours per week. - This is a place where you better tow the line exactly as Colorado management wants - it's the egotistical management mentality of "my way or the highway." The environment is one where you cannot express your honest viewpoint - do so & you will be labeled as a trouble-maker. They have a very narrow viewpoint of what they think will work here & are not open to new ways of thinking. They do things with the mentality of "this is how we've always done it" instead of improving with the times. - It's very much a "sink or swim" environment - management does not set you up for success in any way. They will intentionally throw you to the wolves & see if you can make it. I've seen top management intentionally try to sabotage others if they don't like them. It's not a very positive work environment & is particularly hard on new grads/PEs coming out of school who've never worked in a professional setting before. - U.S. is known to pay low - the salaries are below market compared to what you can get elsewhere. They intentionally low ball people just to keep their overhead costs down. Bonuses are paltry if they even pay them. Benefits are just average - nothing spectacular. - Communication is minimal to nonexistent & staff are left to hear things through the rumor mill. Major changes are made within the company & they fail to communicate critical information which creates a culture of distrust - this is a recurring pattern with this company. When they do communicate, the top management in Colorado sabotages the message by saying that the Kansas City office is mandating certain things & they don't want to follow anything that the corporate office wants. - There's a lot of churn &burn in certain departments, particularly in Project Development & the CAD group. The management in these two areas is particularly bad so employees look to leave to get away from the negative environment. Construction Ops management is equally as bad - the top management creates chaos & divisiveness with passive aggressive tactics & politics-playing. They "seem" like nice people on the surface, but once you've worked here long enough you see things for how they really are. Overall, the management in the Rocky Mountain region is some of the worst I've ever seen. They don't even play nice within their own company - it's very much of an "us versus them" mentality. Instead of acting like one company, the Colorado management openly bad-mouths the company leadership & other management in the corporate office in Kansas City - there's a lot of visible animosity between Colorado top management & the KC office. They operate in silos & try to sabotage other groups just to make themselves look better. Overall, I do not recommend working at U.S (at least not in the Colorado office - can’t comment on KC office), mainly due to the lack of leadership & poor management in Colorado. There are better places to work where you can work in a positive, productive atmosphere. Was extremely happy to leave this negative work environment - was happy to get out when I did.

avatar
U.S. Engineering Response
8y
Thank you for your feedback. I am so sorry that your experience was negative. Certainly your assessment is not indicative of the culture that we feel we offer team members. That said, we know that no organization is perfect, and we will take your feedback to heart and continue to work on improvements. I would invite you to contact a member of Human Resources to provide additional context or feedback to your comments. We will listen.
2.0
23 Jan 2018

Intern

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

US Engineering has nice individuals, a good atmosphere and short Friday’s! Small company feel, and people interested in who you are.

Cons

This company will not set you up for success, sink or swim without any help or direction. Would not recommend for someone trying to learn.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 77 Reviews

Glassdoor has 98 U.S. Engineering reviews submitted anonymously by U.S. Engineering employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if U.S. Engineering is right for you.