Don't let the name sell you - Anonymous employee McKinstry Employee Review

2.0
Jul 5, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Coming from having spent a couple years in a few different offices, as well as the headquarters, I can tell you this is a company that has no connection to its branches. The previous offices before going to Seattle are not important, as things have changed since the good old days. Seattle used to have a great vibe. Everyone worked for McKinstry and drank the kool-aid. Gym was a great way to spend an hour during lunch or after work. The cafeteria was also a plus, but the food is just so-so. The managers here are also very approachable. Portland, well, scroll to the cons.

Cons

The disconnect that the Portland office has is unnerving. What is even more ludicrous, is Seattle sits back and lets them roll with it even when they are crumbling. This is proven by the vast amount of group "lay-offs" that have happened over the last couple years. They have lost control. HR will not listen to any concerns. In their eyes managers are always right, no matter the issue. Since Mari Anderson departed, HR is more focused on building from outside of the company than from within, which brings me to my next con. There is almost zero vertical movement from within. They tout the horizontal and vertical growth opportunities, but it's near impossible to actually be successful in doing so. I tried. They would rather pigeon hole you than give you an opportunity. That's why so many of their upper level managers have not come from within. Salaries are so-so. This has been changing, but change is slow. They don't believe in cost of living increases, but they give them to management. Sell yourself high because it will be a few years before you have a chance for a raise or a bonus. If you have a manager, you can guarantee you will get thrown to the wolves at least once. Especially when they believe somehow, someway, you've affected their performance. Any good manager would know that's not how it works. Then again, they don't have many great managers.

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5.0
Jun 29, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

People oriented company, good culture.

Cons

Competitive salaries but low incentive pay compared to other contractors.

1.0
Jul 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Decent salary and PTO policy Onsite gym for a fair monthly price Cool rooftop golf setup Nice little taco truck nearby outside

Cons

This place has extremely poor leadership and is very toxic at every level. Prepare to be micromanaged, ignored, gaslit, and shown zero empathy for heavy workload or personal emergencies by mediocre middle managers. Principals are checked out and are too busy creating new promotions for themselves and drinking wine at the CEO’s ranch. The bonus structure and profit sharing is laughable and a complete lie from what is listed on Workday. Annual raises aren’t even competitive to inflation. The C-suite executives are only focused on blatant nepotism for their own kids and relatives. HR puts people last and only cares about the company image (typical at most companies but they don’t even try to sugarcoat it). They force people to come in (3) days a week but they don’t even have enough parking. There is a cafe that sells mediocre food with typical expensive Seattle prices. The healthcare package is complicated, expensive, and relatively unknown to all providers. As a billion dollar company, they go cheap on the company holiday party and literally just host it at the office.

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