The most toxic work environment I've ever been in - Field Service Engineer (FSE) GovCIO Employee Review

3.0
Apr 30, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I was there for awhile, and on paper it's a great job. You're working for the federal government, and the pay is above average. On top of that, the work you're doing is extremely easy, and there's lot's of slow days. Most of the Feds we'd support would either take Fridays off or work remote on Fridays so we'd bring in our video games on those days and play all day while nothing happened, although that stopped later on. You can also flex your time, say you need to take a day off one week? Work one hour later each day, then only use 4 hours of PTO instead of 8! The pay is really good . I know someone started as entry level having never worked in IT at $25.50 an hour. The highest paid people get around $34-35 an hour.

Cons

That being said, the duties of the lowest and highest paid technicians are exactly the same. There were people making significantly more than me that had less experience than I did. This is the fault of corporate leadership. Even my own regional boss did not have the authority to promote, give a raise, or even fire people. He just manages. Remember how I said my friend with no experience got offered $25.50 to start? That was more than what I was making at the time. Some people will get promoted and go from tier 1 - 4 in a matter of months, while others will stay tier 2 for years and years. This creates an extremely toxic work environment where everyone is competing and stepping on each other to try to get a raise or move up. The amount of gossip, slander, and complaints that went on over the most petty stuff was absurd. The fact that the company has an insane number of Senior Vice Presidents making bank while working remote and doing nothing, also made it feel unfair, and that they didn't care about us. Some people would be randomly allowed to work hybrid with no explanation. I know of a guy who was told the job would be remote when he accepted the position, and turned down a higher paying job offer because of that, only to find out it was a "mistake" on the company's part when he started. In addition, you're always on thin ice. Because the company is contracted by the government, if a federal employee complains about you, then you're out. Although that never happened while I was there. I wouldn't view working here as anything more than a resume builder.

Explore other reviews about GovCIO

5.0
Jun 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

GovCIO wins a lot. These are really large programs with runway. Given the challenges of winning in Full and Open, there is something to be said for their ability to win. Its pretty fluid at the program manager and above level. Compared to other places I have worked, GovCIO is collaborative and tries to work things out. While not everyone can be picked up off the Mobility List, the contracts, hiring managers, and recruiters really make an effort to retain resources if possible. The pay is reasonable, the benefits are acceptable. The bonus plan is average and pretty opaque. Compared to the rigidity of some of the other Large primes I have worked with, GovCIO is pretty laid back.

Cons

There are no good government contracting options right now. GovCIO routinely beats long term incumbents whose customers are looking for change. If you are unhappy about the offered salary during a transition, you might consider your role in finding a better position. The work is what it is. This is not high end IT or software development in most cases. And, there are plenty of opportunities to identify improvements to save time and money for your customer. The opportunities are there for pretty much any role.

5.0
May 31, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great work environment, supportive management, sense of accomplishment and pride in work, minimal supervision

Cons

I don't have any cons

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