Gladiatorial Management Style - Anonymous employee AECOM Employee Review

1.0
Mar 27, 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The best part about AECOM is the fact that I no longer have the misfortune and misguided loyalty to still be working there. Some of the people were good to work with, but they left too.

Cons

In economic downturn AECOM thinks it can mistreat employees and that they will tolerate the abuse and bullying rather take their chances on the market. Management forces employees to compete against each other as if they are gladiators. The result is that the alpha bullies win and the more talented or quiet achievers are crushed. The vicious dross is left behind. This place is so bad that there are immature graduates managing projects and inexperienced thirty-somethings promoted to group leader and director level. The group leaders hide behind emails, charge their time to your job without doing any work, constantly make you feel insecure because you haven't reached the billability target and expect you to do project work and business development in your own personal time. You bust your gut for nothing because you won't see any reward in terms of recognition, security or promotion. May as well be in an 18th century coal mine for all the appreciation and job satisfaction at AECOM. The negative culture within this management-heavy company is so firmly entrenched that it is difficult to see how it could ever turn around.

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5.0
Jun 5, 2026
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Pros

Flexible work environment. Great work life balance

Cons

Pay is not very competitive.

4.0
Jul 7, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Lots of freedom to do the work you enjoy Good work life balance Great FTO Decent pay

Cons

Very corporate Not easy to progress it felt like, no clear path

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