Be careful what team you join - Anonymous employee Salas O'Brien Employee Review

3.0
Mar 10, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Overall it is a good company to work for. Stable company, decent benefits, engineering teams appear to be great.

Cons

HR teams are losing multiple people a week mostly due to leadership. Chief of HR is challenging to work with. Top performers continue to leave due to the toxic environment.

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Salas O'Brien Response
3mo
[From Darin Anderson, CEO] I’m sorry that this has been your experience and I’m disappointed that you feel the need to post this in a public forum rather than voice your concerns directly. Respect, inclusivity, and being a place where people feel supported and able to do their best work have always been core to how we operate. We believe in clear expectations and consistent accountability. Those standards matter for performance, and they matter for trust and fairness across every team. It’s important to stick to the facts. The claim that our HR team is losing multiple people a week is simply not true. Turnover from our functional teams, which include HR, represented less than 3% of all departures over the last year. Company wide retention remains consistently strong at 92 to 93% annually, with leadership retention at 99% over time. Those facts matter. We actively review this data, listen to feedback, and evaluate what is happening across our organization so we can understand the health of our teams and address real issues when they exist. The data tells a very different story than what is described in your review. For anyone reading this, we want the record to reflect reality. Salas O’Brien is a place where people are treated with respect, accountability applies at every level, and professionalism is expected. If you would like to have a constructive conversation and are willing to hear my perspective as well, I welcome that discussion. My door is always open.

Explore other reviews about Salas O'Brien

5.0
Jul 22, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The company has great management, and is employee owned so it feels like you are truly contributing to how successful each year is.

Cons

Work life balance can be challenging at times, mostly due to the industry rather than the company.

4.0
Jun 23, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

NYC office has been less close-knit without original partners. Job satisfaction is generally still very high. Clients just give really good hour budgets for us. Work-life balance is extremely good. I haven't tried applying to another office but there's a lot of opportunities as long as you like the right cities for your discipline.

Cons

NYC office is kinda low-tech, at least in all the disciplines I work with. We just do a lot of repetitive stuff without relevant software.

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Salas O'Brien Response
2w
[From Darin Anderson, CEO] Thank you for this review and for sharing your perspective. What you describe about balance and job satisfaction is exactly the experience we want for every team member. Mike and Erik are still very much engaged as leaders in the NYC office. They care tremendously for the practice and I have great confidence and trust in Neville. We also know the importance of giving all team members a clear path for growth, whether that's branching out into a new type of role or building new skills. There's value in our reach across North America, and I encourage you to explore what's available in other locations or disciplines if it means finding the right long-term fit. Growth also comes from how we work. Helping team members get up to speed on AI, automation, and technology and apply it in smart, practical ways is a big focus, so our people can spend less time on repetitive work and more time where their expertise matters most. We offer Impact Academy courses, Revit automation training, and a new AI Platform, which I encourage you to explore. We also just hired Wade as our SVP Data and AI and he is working with our teams to develop our tools for better outcomes for our clients. This includes how to deliver more efficiently and lessen mundane or repetitive tasks and many others. If you have ideas, please engage him and others. Thank you for all you bring to the team. Please let me know if there’s ever anything I can do to support you—my door is always open.
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