Compelling mission overshadowed by toxic culture and low pay - Sr. Project Manager ENGIE Employee Review

HR alignment with management — HR consistently protects management rather than employees. Issues of mistreatment are often ignored, and retaliation is a real concern despite policies claiming zero tolerance. Humiliation and mistreatment — Employees are frequently spoken to disrespectfully, sometimes publicly. Escalating concerns rarely leads to resolution. Retaliation culture — Speaking up can result in negative consequences. Many employees stay silent out of fear. Low compensation — Salaries tend to fall below industry averages, with limited room for negotiation or adjustment. Incompetent leadership — Many leaders lack the experience needed to manage technical teams. Promotions often appear politically driven, with a noticeable preference for French nationals. Micromanagement — Leaders without hands‑on experience frequently micromanage seasoned professionals, creating frustration and inefficiency. Rigid office attendance — Flexibility has disappeared. Employees are threatened with termination if they don’t comply with strict in‑office requirements (e.g., 3 days minimum, 7‑hour presence). Punitive parking policies — Some employees were forced to pay daily parking fees as a form of punishment. No career development — Even inexpensive training is denied. Although development is advertised as a priority, in practice it is not supported for everyone. Lack of growth pathways — Promotions are rare, unclear, and often unrelated to merit. Unclear and biased performance evaluations — Performance reviews often rely on subjective, unsupported criteria, leading to inconsistent ratings and an unusually high number of employees placed on PIPs. Managers frequently introduce personal bias into evaluations, creating an environment where outcomes feel predetermined rather than based on actual performance. Benefits — average for the industry, higher end cost for health insurance premiums.