You Won't Really Matter - Office Services Assistant/Receptionist Gensler Employee Review

1.0
Sep 2, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

• Most people are generally friendly • Food/Wine readily available • Fun Culture (at first) • Fun Activities/Events • Nice Bonus

Cons

I worked here for a year. Things start out great, but, you will work remotely under pretentious Architects & Designers who are mainly there to support other technical employees and not Admin.’s. Most managers are all friends and unless you “play nice,” or “drink the cool aid,” they will turn against you and support one another. Colleagues will be generally nice, but, some won’t say anything to you because you are not in a high ranking role. The atmosphere is smiles on the outside, but, fake underneath and if you aren’t liked by members of the team, they will make you feel uncomfortable. People will not have your back. 50 percent, or more, of your role will be cleaning up after other people. If you complain, they will pacify you, but, your role is viewed as expendable and you will still be expected to do it. There is no promotion beyond Studio Coordinator for this role, in this city. There are lot’s of events and if you want to be promoted, you are expected to attend. Bottom line is…if you can play nice (be fake) and keep a low profile, you should be successful.

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Gensler Response
6y
Thanks for the feedback. We treat the concerns of every person at Gensler seriously and have a robust system with multiple channels for raising questions and reporting issues. Encouraging our practitioners to ask questions and raise issues is critical to supporting our culture, as well as our values of integrity, trust, and mutual respect.

Explore other reviews about Gensler

5.0
Jun 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good work-life balance and flexible scheduling. Supportive team environment with opportunities to learn new technologies. Management is generally approachable and benefits are competitive.

Cons

Internal processes can be slow and bureaucratic at times. Career advancement opportunities are limited without clear timelines. Communication between departments could be improved significantly.

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Gensler Response
2w
Thanks so much for the feedback. We love to hear from our people. You and your colleagues are the foundation of our success. We are delighted to see your 5-star rating!
1.0
May 29, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Nice office, lots of “rah rah Gensler” events with food & booze, some nice people

Cons

Where do I start…..some studios are TOXIC. Favoritism permeates every aspect of working here. It’s nauseating. There is zero loyalty, zero recognition for hard work (yeah you get a bonus but sometimes a kind word is needed). Oh-and never ever express an opinion that may be in opposition to “leadership’s”. Your private life, beliefs, politics and other personal things are fair game for letting you go. I’ve seen it happen-fired because someone expresses in a private conversation that one has ethical concerns regarding projects that are in the office (but in another studio/office) will get you fired. They will make up some bs about “work performance”, yet no conversation ever with anyone about “needing improvement “. Out of left field. Bye bye. Management tells leadership that they’d already “warned” the person-completely untrue. Hear later it was likely due to having concerns about a client/project. Lesson learned-shut up, work 12 hrs a day and be happy with the scraps you’re thrown. Also-egos galore! Unwillingness to take accountability for mistakes.

5
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Gensler Response
2w
Thanks for the feedback. We treat workplace concerns seriously and address them in accordance with our internal policies and procedures. We have multiple channels for reporting issues and we train and encourage our team members to use them. Encouraging everyone to ask questions and provide honest feedback is critical to supporting our culture and our values of integrity, trust and mutual respect. We appreciate your feedback and will share your comments with the firm’s leadership.
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