Unsustainable
The first word that comes to mind when I hear Sargent & Lundy is unsustainable. The firm’s age is more apparent now than ever before. There is minimal diversity amongst employees, particularly in management. Accompanying the lack of diversity is a lack of innovation. Things are done the way they have always been done at Sargent & Lundy. Employees are required to use Lotus Notes, which is difficult to navigate and buggy, and the internal internet page contains information that has not been updated in well over a decade.
Favoritism
Management is motivated by favoritism and little has been done to address this flaw. Tom White, the CEO, sent an email to staff acknowledging favoritism at Sargent & Lundy a year after employees responded to a workplace survey. Yes, you read that correctly, it took Tom an entire year to address this issue. His response was mediocre at best: “I don’t have an answer today, but we are reviewing our processes to minimize this issue.” Tom has not sent any updates since. It is unclear what steps have been taken to minimize favoritism at Sargent & Lundy.
Grim Outlook
Several of my colleagues left Sargent & Lundy this year. According to Glassdoor, the company’s positive business outlook has been trending downwards for years; it is currently at 31%.