Tilson reviews

2.6

33% would recommend to a friend

(296 total reviews)
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Darrell Ingram

43% approve of CEO

27% positive business outlook

Tilson has an employee rating of 2.6 out of 5 stars, based on 296 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Tilson employee rating is 24% below average for employers within the Telecommunications industry (3.4 stars).

Reviews by job title

296 reviews
1.0
May 7, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Fully remote, had a fantastic team and a great manager. Loved the work-life balance and team culture. Couldn't have asked for a better group of people to work with.

Cons

Senior leadership has ruined this company. I was hired right at the tail end of Tilson's golden era before the new engineering senior management was brought in and I witnessed this once great company completely spiral downward. The new leaders immediately put in place directives to maximize efficiency at any cost, completely misunderstanding the nature of what they were even doing. A great example of this was when I was told by a senior VP to cease work improving an algorithm on a new program I had just been trained on but then told to improve my efficiency and familiarity with said program. So I was to get good at using the program, but not too good that I could improve my work tasks on it? It was clear to me this VP had no idea what they were talking about but they certainly liked to act like they did. Senior leadership's cluelessness was also evident in their constant requests for us to provide meaningless metrics about our design jobs, as if total measurements on fiber length meant anything about the scope, scale, or complexity of a particular design. They tried treating design work as an assembly line operation instead of recognizing that it is nuanced and complex and that no two jobs are ever quite the same. This problem was further worsened by a VP's insistence on micromanaging lower level engineers despite not having any understanding about what the work was actually like. Instances like these showcased the depth of senior leadership's obliviousness and made regular company-wide calls with them a painful chore as we listened to VPs pat themselves on the back for 'improving' the company, teasing new work from contracts that never materialized, and touting the exponential growth of the company under their leadership - growth that has completely imploded as evidenced by ongoing rounds of layoffs. Tilson performed both engineering and construction services for one particular client, with the two services operating as separate divisions. Going off of recent reviews here from former construction workers and local news reports of mounting complaints from residents about the quality of fiber work, it seems the construction division was a complete dumpster fire. Yet on the engineering side, these issues were constantly downplayed by our managers and higher leaders, with assurances given that the client was happy with our work, that our jobs were safe despite work stoppages in construction meaning work also had to cease on the engineering side. That our jobs were safe was a point repeatedly stressed by our leaders over and over again and, as it turns out, it was a complete lie because Tilson just lost that big client and I was suddenly and abruptly laid off with no warning or advance notice. I just woke up to find I'd been locked out of all my work accounts before receiving a short call from HR that I was out of a job. I wonder how the VPs and CEO will spin the loss of that huge client into a success story at the next all-hands meeting. The pay was below average, as others have stated here, and I had to wait four months to receive my first annual raise due to changes and constant delays in the annual review process. It breaks my heart because I genuinely loved working here. I loved my teammates and my manager; they were all a talented, friendly, and great bunch and we were bound to do great things. I'm disgusted with the impersonal and sudden way I was let go. It only took little more than a year for everything to completely go down the drain. It's obvious to me now that leadership bit way more off than they could chew, that the writing has been on the wall for months, and it's cost Tilson a huge contract and me and countless others their jobs.

1.0
Apr 3, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

• Tilson used to be an incredible place to work. Strong mission, values-driven leadership, and an authentic culture that attracted talented, passionate people. • Colleagues were collaborative, hardworking, and some of the best I’ve worked with in my career. • Work-life balance and team spirit were once cornerstones of the employee experience. • The former potentially corrupt CFO was let go, so that’s something.

Cons

• Leadership got greedy, chased hyper-growth, and failed spectacularly—now they’re laying people off, missing vendor payments, and struggling financially. • Employee paychecks have been delayed, and financial instability is a major concern. • The CEO seems either completely absent or out of his depth, offering no real vision or strategy to fix the mess. • One of the higher ups in Operations had zero experience in the field he was hired to oversee, leading to confusion, inefficiencies, and costly mistakes. • HR Leadership is both incompetent and dishonest—actively making things worse instead of better. They are out of touch, untrustworthy, and unable to provide meaningful support during a time when people need clarity and care the most. • A recent promotion to Chief People Officer raised eyebrows — not because of credentials, but because of a personal connection to the CEO. Unfortunately, that individual seems disconnected from employee needs and lacks the skills required to lead during a crisis. • Tilson once made an effort to build a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion task force — employees invested time, energy, and ideas — but when the growth-at-all-costs mindset took over, the effort was quietly abandoned without acknowledgment. It’s a prime example of how leadership traded values for vanity metrics. • The culture that once made Tilson special has been completely gutted. What remains is performative leadership and broken trust.

2.0
Jan 16, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Tilson offers competitive benefits and has a team of highly skilled and dedicated employees. Prior to the arrival of new engineering management, the company stood out as one of the best organizations I had ever worked for. The culture was exceptional, and the company’s direction was inspiring, fostering a sense of loyalty and enthusiasm among employees. At that time, leaving Tilson was never something I would have considered.

Cons

The compensation offered is not competitive with the current job market. Engineering management frequently makes promises regarding career growth and opportunities but fails to deliver on them. Employees seeking professional development and career advancement may find better opportunities elsewhere. Additionally, there is a perceived lack of concern for employees' well-being, with management treating staff more as resources than valued team members. As a result, the company has experienced a notable departure of talented employees, largely due to a declining workplace culture over the past few years. The lack of bid awards over the past year has been a cause for concern among the engineering employees.

Viewing 4 - 6 of 296 Reviews

Glassdoor has 304 Tilson reviews submitted anonymously by Tilson employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Tilson is right for you.