Great Experience... For a Select Few - Interior Designer IV Gensler Employee Review

1.0
17 Aug 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

High profile projects. Great portfolio and resume building firm. Most of the people are nice, especially admin staff who aren't directly competing with you.

Cons

Gensler NY literally has a spread sheet of "rising stars" or people they are tracking and grooming for leadership. These people, not necessarily based for talent or work ethic, are given opportunities and experiences that others are not. Many of the design staff will play the game, make friends with those who are favored, and back stab those at similar levels of experience to get a foot forward. It truly is a rat race. After averaging 60+ hour weeks for 2.5 years, I was let go during the pandemic (its estimated they cut about 40-50% firm wide, but for a firm that touts transparency, these lay offs happened essentially in secret), but honestly thankful I was. Having time off on unemployment really put things in perspective for me.

Explore other reviews about Gensler

5.0
3 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good work-life balance and flexible scheduling. Supportive team environment with opportunities to learn new technologies. Management is generally approachable and benefits are competitive.

Cons

Internal processes can be slow and bureaucratic at times. Career advancement opportunities are limited without clear timelines. Communication between departments could be improved significantly.

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Gensler Response
7h
Thanks so much for the feedback. We love to hear from our people. You and your colleagues are the foundation of our success. We are delighted to see your 5-star rating!
1.0
29 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Nice office, lots of “rah rah Gensler” events with food & booze, some nice people

Cons

Where do I start…..some studios are TOXIC. Favoritism permeates every aspect of working here. It’s nauseating. There is zero loyalty, zero recognition for hard work (yeah you get a bonus but sometimes a kind word is needed). Oh-and never ever express an opinion that may be in opposition to “leadership’s”. Your private life, beliefs, politics and other personal things are fair game for letting you go. I’ve seen it happen-fired because someone expresses in a private conversation that one has ethical concerns regarding projects that are in the office (but in another studio/office) will get you fired. They will make up some bs about “work performance”, yet no conversation ever with anyone about “needing improvement “. Out of left field. Bye bye. Management tells leadership that they’d already “warned” the person-completely untrue. Hear later it was likely due to having concerns about a client/project. Lesson learned-shut up, work 12 hrs a day and be happy with the scraps you’re thrown. Also-egos galore! Unwillingness to take accountability for mistakes.

3
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Gensler Response
7h
Thanks for the feedback. We treat workplace concerns seriously and address them in accordance with our internal policies and procedures. We have multiple channels for reporting issues and we train and encourage our team members to use them. Encouraging everyone to ask questions and provide honest feedback is critical to supporting our culture and our values of integrity, trust and mutual respect. We appreciate your feedback and will share your comments with the firm’s leadership.
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