Not Great - Architect Populous Employee Review

2.0
Jun 1, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Some very good talents Friendly atmosphere Nice office

Cons

Long hours at times. Some people are always working long hours, while some are enjoying. No career growth. They will find reasons not to promote or pay the bonus. There is an annual award thing based on peer recommendations, but even if you get some good recommendations, they will ignore it on the next promotion cycle and include someone with literally no recommendations. If they want to promote someone, they will create some recommendations and ignore those who genuinely got them. HR is hopeless. Yearly salary review process is a joke and nothing explained to the employees. No guidance and no clear career path. Interestingly some individuals close to HR are promoted yearly. Your career growth is decided by a group of individuals rather than a peer review process. Talent is not respected and you have to keep asking for your career progression. Several rounds of layoffs last year and expecting it again this year. Some very good talents were fired. No clarifications about the process and the way people are chosen. Even if you are talented, if you are on higher pay scale, you are at risk.

Explore other reviews about Populous

5.0
May 1, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Very good experience in the firm

Cons

no at all i think

4.0
Jun 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Collaborative across offices, regions, states. Great amounts of travel opportunity. Small firm feel in a bigger firm.

Cons

Standards and leadership are still trying to catch up with the growth rate of the firm. Small firm culture which is great... but also entails small firm practices, standards and leadership values that are out of date.

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