Pros
Big projects to work on, gaining lots of experience. Work with a wide variety of people, which provides opportunities to learn about other aspects of design.
Cons
Highly political with an old boys structure at high level, and directors who rarely if ever leave their closed-off office cubicle to take an interest in what is happening on the coalface. Management often do not know the names of intermediate or junior staff which they supervise. Little or no opportunity to be recognised for engineering innovativeness, and often suppressed. Most promotions given to project managers, commercial managers and architects. Inter-office and inter-geographical teamwork non-existent to the point of the company's detriment. Senior executive staff have a ‘do not talk to me’ attitude toward lower grade staff. Efforts to improve company culture are non-existant. During credit crisis redundancy rounds, sacked many highly competent independent thinking engineers and retained staff who were ‘yes-men’. Senior architects in Middle East often bully and humiliate engineers, especially in Dubai office.
