Jacobs reviews

4.0

81% would recommend to a friend

(7,755 total reviews)
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Bob Pragada

90% approve of CEO

69% positive business outlook

Jacobs has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 7,755 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Jacobs employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Servicios de construcción, reparación y mantenimiento industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

8K reviews
1.0
Jan 31, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Interesting work, very good people at working level, but being driven out by poor, bullying leadership to better companies. Has a high reputation with Defence consultancy clients, but market share shrinking with poor leadership, both in Defence and ATEN who only understand bulk body shopping into nuclear at low margins.

Cons

Risk averse and not very intelligent senior leadership focuses on billability and avoiding normal professional engineering responsibilities, selling bodies rather than capabilities. No clue in strategy - they think an unrealistic set of Goals without a resourced capability development plan will deliver growth. Bullying leadership culture

1.0
Mar 5, 2015

Wish they practiced what they preach...

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Once you've established your credibility, they will allow some flexibility in your work schedule. 1/2 day Fridays are nice. The new open floor plan office does a nice job of equalizing all positions rather than management being sequestered behind closed doors. Managers are now more aware of what is happening on the floor because they are in the middle of it. Even though they might not do anything about issues, they can't say they don't know what's going on.

Cons

The lack of accountability is disheartening. I was personally attacked verbally on more than one occasion by a manager. The last time, it was witnessed by another employee who filed a complaint with HR. Because of who hired this person, the incident was swept under the carpet, and I was basically removed from the situation. The same person acted the same way against another employee, and that employee quit over the treatment. After giving notice, this employee notified the company's integrity hotline, local HR and regional HR. To date (many months later), no action has been taken. Two other employees have quit as well over treatment by this manager. It goes against the whole "People are our greatest asset" mantra that is repeated to us over and over. Also, at the end of almost every quarter, management encourages everyone to take time off to help the overhead numbers. If you work at Jacobs, you better hoard your PTO because only getting 3 weeks a year and being STRONGLY encouraged to take off at the end of every quarter will leave you with nothing for your own personal use. Then, after trying to be a team player and take the time off, you are rewarded with minuscule raises. Jacobs also gives very few holidays, no personal days, and the least amount of PTO of any company that I've ever worked for. You get an extra week upon completing year 5, then another after completing year 15. After that, no more increases!! If you prove yourself competent, they will work you to exhaustion while your coworkers spends their days playing on the internet, coming in late/leaving early, visiting, and taking long lunch hours Absolutely no accountability or repercussions.

4.0
Dec 17, 2021

Solid company with opportunities to improve

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Jacobs is a company with a strong set of values and an inclusive culture. It feels great to be a part of a company that is making a positive difference around the world, and tackling big problems like climate change. The senior leadership team is competent, and they do a good job communicating the business strategy and a cohesive vision. The work environment is also very flexible and accommodating to personal needs.

Cons

Compensation and benefits leave something to be desired for a Fortune 200 company, particularly the 401(k) match and schedule (3.5% paid on an annual basis). I have never seen another company pay 401(k) matches in this way, and frankly it comes off as parsimonious - especially since you forfeit your match if you leave the company before the annual payment is processed. Career progression internally is also an issue. It's getting better, but it's still difficult to learn about new opportunities and openings internally and actually move forward in your career. Compensation can also be an issue, so know your worth and negotiate on the way in. If you're underpaid in your role you might as well leave for another company and come back because it's nigh impossible to get an increase of greater than 10%. Annual merit increases are also practically meaningless. I've never seen a merit budget greater than 3% regardless of how well the company has been performing.

Viewing 13 - 15 of 7,755 Reviews

Glassdoor has 8,795 Jacobs reviews submitted anonymously by Jacobs employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Jacobs is right for you.