Avoid at all costs if you don't like corporate politics and favouritism - Senior Project Manager Stantec Employee Review

1.0
Apr 16, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

RRSP and stock matching, some flexibility to work at home

Cons

I was warned about working at Stantec by a Principal before I even started. That was the first red flag. There were many red flags to follow. Being hired for a specific role only to realize Stantec had no opportunities in that specific area, for example. As other reviews have stated, advancing your career at Stantec is by and large not based on your skills, it's based on how you can curry favour with ladder climbers while also not posing a threat to their advancement. The company has a lot of red tape, bureaucracy and politics. I've personally witnessed four massive rounds of layoffs, it is never the "connected" ladder climbers, regardless of work quality. The most recent wave of layoffs (15% or more employees prior to Covid) was because the CEO decided shareholders need more returns, many employees were ruthlessly cut.

Explore other reviews about Stantec

5.0
Jul 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great work environment and team

Cons

Work load can fluctuate and you may feel like you're drowning in work sometimes

1.0
Jul 22, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Some of the projects were very interesting. Compensation and benefits were competitive.

Cons

I worked at the downtown Houston Page office (later acquired by Stantec) for one full year. During my time there, I personally witnessed significant turnover, including approximately 11 engineers and 4 Architects/Interior Designers leaving the company. I ultimately decided to resign because of what I experienced as a bullying management style. Although the former Engineering Director had been moved out of that role, he remained responsible for project deadlines. On one project, a delivery date was committed to the client without consulting me or confirming the amount of work required. I was told there would be consequences if the project was not submitted on time and that I would be responsible for damaging the client relationship, even though I had not been involved in setting the deadline. I was pressured to work six consecutive 12-hour days to meet that deadline, but based on the amount of work required, I did not believe it was realistically achievable. I ultimately submitted my two-week notice. What was especially frustrating was that I had previously sent eight Microsoft Teams messages to the new Engineering Director expressing concerns about how the project was being managed. None of those messages received a response. This was not an isolated experience. I observed similarly aggressive scheduling practices on another project, where unrealistic deadlines resulted in excessive overtime for other engineers. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend this company to professionals seeking a healthy work-life balance. While overtime was paid, the repeated expectation of long hours came at the expense of employee well-being. Ultimately, that was the primary reason I chose to leave.

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