COWI Reviews

Honestly, it was abig mistake for someone like me with high profile throughout my career and who has worked across many countries and many cultures to end up there. The company seeks new areas of business where no chance for them. The company leans on its Danish legacy; however, the management for both the UK and Ireland is absolutely poor. The job description of my role was written to cover many aspects and various requirements with top-notch experts in the market; however, the reality inside the company was different, with a lack of motivation, proper direction, workload, and management. I was requested to do non-rational and non-related work tasks. I had been informed of good perks, fair treatment, and allowances at the time of starting. However, my shock came up when I saw everything was different. I had been promised to lead some contracts, but I ended up struggling with poor staff working above me. Although I tried many times to correct the things, I discussed with my line manager, but in vain. not worth staying with them. I wasted time in my career going along with this company. Unfortunately, there were many flags at the time of commencing my employment with COWI; however, I ignored them, thinking that I might be wrong. The level of bias, discrimination, and playing politics is very high. You may survive in this company even if you are not competent enough, except if you maintain the three stuff I mentioned! The managing team leaders in Glasgow, Derbyshire, London, and Dublln offices are awful and terrible. I guess they were hired based on networking, not competency!

After several years being dedicated and loyal employee, recruited for my significant international experience, I found myself not moving anywhere and literally said "riding a dead horse". It is time to get off the dead horse realizing the following: This company is not an attractive working place for middle level and senior experts and managers. No career and knowledge development opportunities for non-Danes and "non-friends" of management, including fake promises while hiring of high level specialists, no appreciation, bad communication, bad coordination, bad organization and prioritizing what is important (many people are overloaded and in the same time other are having nothing to do), non-transparency in every aspect (status of ongoing projects, management, decision making, promotions, education and training opportunities, kind of "gossip" culture, unpredictability), criteria for success are unclear, discrimination (women/ foreigners are with lower salaries than men/ Danes), closed working environment, but pretending to be open and international, bad manner when dismissing people, only formally following the requirements for healthy working and psychological environment, but in reality not caring and showing absolutely artificial interest in the employees' wellbeing, not giving constructive feedback from the management of one's work, but "hiding under the carpet" conflict avoiding approach by just dismissing. The only focus is costs cutting, sending job to distributed work offices abroad, on the expense of firing loyal employees proven through the years in the company and lost control on the final results and the quality of the delivered work, of course. Salary level is significantly below the average. Heavy and inefficient hierarchy and administrative system, useless activities like continuous reorganizations and moving of offices, useless HR and communication departments (zero support and not following own company's procedures when someone is on-boarded, off-boarded or during due to work stress sick leave), tons of Directors , Vice Presidents and Senior Vice Presidents in each department with unclear functions, qualifications and contribution. The satisfaction surveys among the employees are very formal and no improvement can be seen through the years. Due to the above the motivation gradually is going down.