Poor salaries that top out at 20 to 30% lower than median entry level. I was considering applying for a job after a 20 year break as a graduate Civil engineer but the culture has not only become entrenched, it is expected that you work for peanuts and excel at it. Any company that pays peanuts can only expect to have monkeys working for them. Senior management tap the rewards earned by juniors who leave too early to benefit the company as a whole. They find far better paid offers elsewhere and never look back. Others become so denigrated and disillusioned they change industry rather than low pay and high performance. Where 2nd year engineers are able to command £24k to £32k starting salary at other companies, this one caps it at £22k.
Ove Arup would be terribly disappointed with how his business is being run for the top brass pensions at the expenses of clearly talented and professional juniors who could turn the company's fortunes if only the pay structure was scrapped and reformed into something equally beneficial to all employees.
