2.1
29% would recommend to a friend
Frank Farrington
100% approve of CEO
29% positive business outlook
Pros
Great coffee machine for lattes, macchiatos and expressos.
Cons
Work-live balance is horrible. Frank Farrington is man on steroids trying to build a "crack" team that he doesn't have to pay for 60 hour weeks and always bragging about all the money he's making on the backs of overworked people.
Pros
You will meet a bunch of great coworkers in your time at this office (due to the fast turnover [See previous Review]). Many times these coworkers will move onto other opportunities and open doors for you along the way. The pay, at least in 2019, was average to above average and if you work diligently every day without so much as blinking too many times you WILL be out of the office at 5:30 just in time to sit in rush hour traffic. You always have the option of staying later if you would like but you do not have the option of coming later or missing morning rush hour. Bonuses were decent. If you took public transit, your pass was fully covered by the company. Insurance and benefits were also fully covered by the company and were top notch if you could avoid the guilt trip of taking PTO just to see a doctor. The office itself is once again a great space showcasing all of the modern components of an office space from sit/stand desks to proper workstations capable of handling the programs and projects you are running with ease. Just by being present in the office you will learn skills on project and practice management, assigning hours, as well as profitability margins if you have the goal of one day running your own firm for your own profit. I do believe this is where the firm shines in providing direction for the next generation. This firm operates by the book. The transparency (when things are good) can’t be matched as far as learning the business side of architecture which is seldom taught to anyone by any means other than trial and error.
Cons
THE PRACTICE Despite what I was told about being a design firm that does “all of your work from the ground up” the VAST majority of the work conducted during my time at this office was glorified production work. Design was outsourced to a firm who would send over cad files. Logo and graphic design work was also outsourced. There was little to no room (or time provided) to explore any opportunities to further any of your own design skills. Those parts of your mind may atrophy the longer you stay at this firm in favor of “problem solving” in which case you’re solving problems created by others who never thought through the 2D plans they were charged with creating. Any time a project is not perfect, someone was thrown under the bus whether it was current or one of the multitude of previous employees. Despite not owning the firm or stamping the drawings you are 100% responsible for everything that doesn't go perfectly at the firm. You may be criticized any time a client is not happy or a project does not go exactly to plan but may never be rewarded when you beat a deadline or a client is satisfied. TOXIC WORK ENVIRONMENT Be aware. There are alot of people who think that if they have a problem with their employer in any way there will be a legal way to come out of it. In Georgia there is no such thing as a “Hostile work environment” as this is a “right to work” state. The principal himself may make a much better lawyer than an architect as he may push every single button he can within legal means. And my still, in my experience , find a way to argue with you over which side the hinge-side door swing triangle is shown in elevation on a revit provided standard door. [See previous Reviewers for more info] THE SCHEDULE For the majority of my time I took Marta to the office. Any person who has taken public transit in any city in the world outside of Tokyo will know that it comes with a + or - in the associated with the timing of your arrival. So to make it to the office “by 8:30am” you can either arrive at 8:05 and still not be permitted to leave until 5:30 or you can arrive at 8:31am and may be sure to hear a comment about being late to work and how the work day begins at 8:30am. Otherwise I would say getting off at 5:30 in this antiquated field where it became common practice to work late was a plus for the firm. THE BENEFITS At the time of my employment you had to wait 1 full month of employment before you join the company's insurance plan. If you are older, unmarried, or are not in a place where you are comfortable to pay for a side plan for insurance for a month, your health and financial safety were at the whim of the world when it comes to not having insurance provided at time of initial employment. Alongside having to wait 1- full month to receive insurance benefits you had to wait 3 months of employment before you BEGAN accruing PTO. One of my clearest memories was going to work and at some point feeling ill with either the flu or strep-like symptoms. Not being able to stop coughing and clearly showing signs of sickness as the work day progressed. The principal took notice but did he offer to allow me to return home to rest? Absolutely not. When I returned from lunch sleeping off the symptoms as much as possible in my car I was greeted with tablets of dayquil and nyquil on my desk. A gift from the principal acknowledging my sickness but also the lack of humanity in not allowing the loss of profit associated with my not-yet accrued PTO hours. To reiterate… Even at the end of your 3 month probation period you did not receive retroactive PTO hours, this means you were not able to take a full week off of work using PTO for an additional 3 or so months, 6 months total, of employment. 6 Months for 5 days PTO. God forbid you get sick within that time and lose what few hours you have accrued. This practice incentivised coming to work sick and spreading illness over lossed of revenue and adjusted schedules. At one point a PM I was working with took time off as he was welcoming his first child. He was not only derided with the typical and outdated “ When I had my first child I was back in the office the next day” but also attempted to be called in twice during the week. This is a firm and mindset that presents itself in every way as technologically modern but still pushes unhealthy work mindsets in practice headed by a person who can do little more than hand draft, write emails, and update schedules and proposals for the individuals actually producing the work. When the Principal wants to get rid of you, he will give you double the work, double the difficulty, while pulling your teammates away for less important and often non-revenue producing tasks. He will only then go over everything you produce with a fine tooth comb criticizing every line weight and scalable inch of a drawing. When it comes time to cut you he will then gaslight you into believing it was your own shortcomings that resulted in termination. I witnessed this multiple times in my single year at the firm. As far as the multitude of other Cons; the previous reviewer put it more eloquently than I ever could. Including the poor hiring practices of bringing on new members for work that has yet to materialize and then discarding them citing some insignificant mistake they may have made. This is a right to work state and this is considered Get in, learn what you can but always have your eyes open for other opportunities. All I can say is it wasn't all bad, just the majority of it.
Pros
Typically, I do not write reviews of any sort; however, as the office manager, I would like to share factual information with you. I cannot respond to many of the items that the former employee mentioned as they are hearsay. To set the record straight, this former employee does not speak for the entire staff. I do not share a “mutual disdain” nor do I feel the need to scatter when management walks in. The former employee who wrote the previous review, quit without notice owing the firm over $800 for a technology loan and for equipment that he purchased. Our firm has weekly meetings to discuss staffing and expectations for all projects. This is typically when deadlines are set. Working overtime is not a norm at the firm. I have even paid staff for overtime on those very rare occasions even though they were salaried employees. In January 2020, the firm did gift iPads to staff members; however, it was not in lieu of a bonus. All staff members received bonuses annually including the former employee who received bonuses both years he was at the firm. In addition, the firm pays 100% of medical, dental, vision, life insurance, STD, LTD, public transportation, health club membership and 401K match. I have never worked for a firm that offers this type of a benefits package. In March 2020, the staff began working remotely due to the pandemic. All staff were supplied with VPN access, computers, additional monitors and chairs to allow them to work from home. During June and July, the staff were brought back in staggered shifts. Upon their return to the office, the firm hired professional cleaning companies to sanitize the office each month. When the staff returned, they were given masks and hand sanitizers and the firm provided lunch three times a week to limit their exposure to Covid. Additionally, I personally wipe down all surfaces each Monday to help insure a safe environment. Yes, during the holiday season, employees were encouraged to use their PTO as work had slowed down; it was not mandatory. The firm let the staff know in December that there would be a modification of the work schedule in January due to a slow-down of work. The firm did not want any of its’ staff to be unemployed and the owner did not take any salary for the first two months of 2021. Once again, it is not up to the former employee to speak on behalf of other staff members. If I had felt disrespected at any time, I would have come forth with my concerns to get the issue resolved. It is my opinion that the firm has set the bar high for the staff. We are here to support the firm and to do our best for our clients.
Cons
Please see above for both pros and cons.
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