A great disappointment - Anonymous employee CDM Smith Employee Review

2.0
Sep 6, 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The firm offers somewhat decent salaries depending on your position, a good benefits package with generous sick & vacation policies and a flexible work schedule. Recent office redesigns bring a contemporary, fresh look to what was previously a stuffy, stodgy physical work environment.

Cons

It is widely accepted by long term staff that the recent structural reorganization has put the wrong people with poor management skills in charge of the firm. The end result is an insecure leadership team consumed by backstabbing, infighting and finger pointing. There seems to be no desire to improve morale, reward hard work, update systems and processes, or engage in modern business management practices. The HR department is either asleep at the wheel or not properly empowered to effect positive change so the end result is a depressing atmosphere with a staff that is overwhelmingly dissatisfied and uninspired by top managers.

Explore other reviews about CDM Smith

5.0
Apr 22, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Lots of training and opportunities

Cons

Company structure can be confusing

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CDM Smith Response
3w
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a 5-star review! It was great to have you as an employee and wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
2.0
Jun 18, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible hybrid schedule is very nice and starting salary is high for early career engineers.

Cons

The main people running the company are not engineers and you can tell. They are all focused on utilization with rates often set at 97% or higher. This had led to my supervisor asking/telling me to not charge company required trainings. As an early engineer it really feels like they don't want to invest in me and only care about their bottom line. If you are an early career structural engineer you will also not get any meaningful work until you've been with the company for at least 5 years. The senior engineers do not trust you and will only give you grunt work.

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