- Huge rotation, especially among younger people who tend to leave usually after two years. People who worked before for URS and/or Scott Wilson tend to stay in company longer.
- The quality of training depends very much on your line manager
- Training opportunities for graduates are very limited (comparing with my colleagues from other companies, AECOM Graduate Development Programme offers really minimum training to their graduates; and if training is offered, these are mainly online course via AECOM University online platform. There are only 4 fact-to-face training meetings during two years.) Training does not include any rotational placements.
- Very low salaries in comparison to wider industry
- Annual 'increase' of salary for younger staff below inflation level (year by year, you actually earn less)
- Low salary is not compensated with bonus / holidays or any other social package
- International placements available in wast majority only to senior staff (do not get your hopes high as graduate)
- Senior staff is busy with their job and there is very limited help within the team for younger staff. In many situations, you are just left alone.
- Company culture is very 'American' focused on profitability and money. Your time always needs to be booked to projects earning money; otherwise, your and consequently your line manager's utilisation (number of working hours per week to the working hours spent on projects that earn money) goal is going to drop. Training is negatively affecting your utilisation - hence, management is reluctant to send you to training.
- People are claimed to be in the center of the company focus, but if anyone would like to change team, office or switch to flexible working, this is a very lengthy process and takes a lot of energy - you need to be very stubborn to achieve that.
- It is easy to be dismissed - if AECOM is not going to get a project your team is supposed to be working on, expect a letter telling you 'goodbye'
- Your flexible working arrangement highly depends on your line manager; if he/she does not want you to work from home / compressed hours etc. you will be stuck in the office every day.
