HKS reviews

After reading many of these reviews below, I find myself disappointed in many issues listed. There have been many occasions where I have found myself unhappy with a situation or project task at hand, but at no point have I found HKS’s leadership or overhead has not heard me or reached out to connect and changed the outcome as fast as possible, if not immediately. Architecture is a proactive environment and with that comes the expectation for the employees that keep the engine running to be proactive as well. I'm sure that many problems mentioned happen in various large and small firms, as I have interned in many myself. I have experienced no other firm that will have your back during sick leave or a time of hardship, advance employees’ salaries based on overtime hours, and place employees in any number of outstanding studios ranging from hospitality; sports; healthcare to aviation at a moment’s notice. Has the firm been led by men in the past that are still in positions are leadership? Of course. But, as research shows, it's not just HKS, it's a problem across the entire architectural profession. (I read articles daily, it’s not just a gender issue in architecture it’s a broad range of diverse issues as well.) Architecture must be more progress to keep pushing for women and the diversity of all people to be elevated to the level at which they deserve. I believe our CEO and executive committee are working to make these changes as fast as they can, and none of these efforts can happen overnight. I would love to see diverse roles in leadership across the board tomorrow, but I know these things take time and of course acceptance from firms that have been stuck in their ways for an extended period. Times must change, and we are in the process. Most importantly, HKS is a family, my family, and I say that with all sincerity, no one put me up for this review; I felt obligated to write it. These people have been there for me since the day I started my career, and I hope they are here until I step out and retire. Not every firm fits every person; I believe overtime is to be expected. I did it in architecture school and my professors warned me the professional world would be the same if not worse. Why now would I expect anything less of this demanding profession? I put in the overtime because I care about the success of my projects, my team, and my firm. If others don't feel the same way, I'm sure there are other firms that don't put the same expectations on you, this one will at times of necessity, and if you are available for it, embrace it. Those overtime hours are helping each person next to you receive a better bonus check that each of these people below keep referring to so often. I encourage you to find your place of work that feels like home; HKS is certainly mine, and I would gladly share my family with anyone that walks through the door.

If you're looking for a company as an IT professional and want to stay current on the Microsoft stack and leading technology around that stack, HKS is for you. The CIO over the past 9 years has put HKS in a leading position on technology. He was an early adopter of cloud technology, with Microsoft, Workday, Azure, and ChromeRiver to name a few. His leadership in driving change and working with the business to adopt this change is impressive. He is involved with his team, cares about his team and provides a great work life balance. It is not like a lot of other IT shops that relies on outside experts to drive this change, he allows his team to learn and adopt the new technology. Like a good leader, he verifies the team is on the right track, provides direction and then lets the team execute. He will hold people accountable for their responsibilities, and everyone who likes a forward thinking work environment, will embrace this leadership.