Is Skidmore, Owings & Merrill a good company to work for?

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has an overall rating of 3.6 out of 5, based on over 841 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 5% over the last 12 months. 47% of employees would recommend working at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to a friend and 32% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Skidmore, Owings & Merrill have been left by employees working as Architectural Intern , Intern and Associate .

Does Skidmore, Owings & Merrill pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.8 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. This rating has decreased by 18% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill?

47% of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Skidmore, Owings & Merrill 2.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.3 for culture and values and 3.5 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill?

Architect (65) , Intern (40) , Designer (38) , Architectural Professional (32) , Architectural Designer (29) , Intermediate Designer (21) , Senior Architect (17) , Associate (15) , Senior Architectural Professional (14) , Architectural Intern (13) , Project Coordinator (11) , Architectural Assistant (10) , Internship (10) , Junior Designer (10) , Senior Designer (10)

What are the pros of working at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill according to real employee reviews?

"The people I met were great and this was in 1979 !" ((in 66 reviews)); "Talents gathering, efficient, colleagues are nice" ((in 29 reviews)); "Good benefits but not enough holidays just 20 days." ((in 25 reviews)); "Lots of good resources and great teams" ((in 15 reviews)); "Beautiful office and summer hours" ((in 13 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill according to real employee reviews?

"long hours and lots of" ((in 59 reviews)); "No work life balance." ((in 37 reviews)); "Poor management and a waste of human resources" ((in 31 reviews)); "Unfortunately the Chicago office has no culture." ((in 17 reviews)); "1. Long hours is a common thing." ((in 13 reviews))

What are employees saying about Skidmore, Owings & Merrill layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Skidmore, Owings & Merrill layoffs and their outlook for job security at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Skidmore, Owings & Merrill locations?

New York , Chicago , San Francisco , Los Angeles , Washington , Chantilly , Amsterdam , Brooklyn , Dallas , Saint Paul , Berkeley , South San Francisco , Stockton , Stamford , Philadelphia , Jacksonville , Atlanta , Netherlands , Chicago

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Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill reviews

3.6

47% would recommend to a friend

(701 total reviews)

Managing Partners

56% approve of CEO

32% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.6

Diversity & inclusion

3.5

Career opportunities

3.3

Culture & values

3.1

Senior management

2.8

Work/Life balance

2.8

Compensation and benefits

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 701 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Skidmore, Owings & Merrill employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Construction, Repair & Maintenance Services industry (3.6 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

701 reviews

1.0

Feb 8, 2019

Going downhill fast - Epidome of "working for someone else" - Run by mediocre designers

Som employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Million dollar view of Lake Michigan

Cons

Unfortunately the Chicago office has no culture. Employees are not valued by leadership and seen as work horses. It's the Partners way or the highway. Try voicing your opinion, even when they "say" they want to hear from you, and you will be packing your bags like you never existed. Even if you've worked there for over 15 years. The talent is at the bottom of the totem pole, and the office is run by mediocre designers that profit from the workforce without sharing any of the profit. All the work is towers in China. Minimal to no work in Chicago. Horrible work life balance.

1.0

Jan 31, 2018

Awful

Senior designer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

No pros. I wish there is an option for zero stars.

Cons

Discriminatory towards women, foreigners, people of color. Not a good place for your career unless you’re a full bread white American male.

1.0

Feb 27, 2016

Boy's club

Architectural professional (level d)

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Lots of experts in the field, especially among senior technical stuff. Can learn a lot from them. Good quality design if you are lucky and working for a good design director who is willing to stand up to a partner who does not always have the best design sense.

Cons

Lots of power struggle, petty jealousy and trash talking among associates and director associates. You can get away with lots of crap if you're in the " club". Regular employees are underpaid and overworked. No appreciation is shown for hard work. Very difficult place to get ahead or promoted, especially for women. Even if you get promoted, the salary increase is 3% if you're lucky and it's non negotiable.

Viewing 4 - 6 of 701 Reviews

Jobs at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Year One - Junior Designer - Architecture

Year One - Junior Designer - Architecture

Marketing Project Data Analyst

Year One - Junior Designer - City Design

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Going downhill fast - Epidome of "working for someone else" - Run by mediocre designers

Awful

Boy's club

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