Stantec expressed its values as people first, and partnership, and safety, as a mantra to be repeated among their employees. However, this was not what I observed; rather a company that is hellbent on the bottom line, and would step over their own clients and employees to accomplish it.
Management has a problem with deception, both to clients and employees. Clients are made to believe through Stantec's rich marketing slogans that items will be included with their projects. Comprehensive investigations and analysis and functional designs free of costly design errors, or even accountability. Their procurement will include line items which won't be included with the project, so as to buffer their margins today at the cost of client relationships tomorrow. Clients have become weary of Thunder Bay Stantec's manipulative strategies and poor quality and began to refuse their tenders despite being the lowest bidder.
Likewise, Stantec management also has a history of deceit and manipulation with their employees. They're not interested in your career development, nor your aspirations through promotion; rather as a labourer through which they can bill you out at the expense of your career. Many of Stantec's engineering employees have either quit, including me, or asked to be transferred to other offices, hoping their management agrees; dragging their heels for months at your expense. The ones that remain despite management, making for some time a toxic environment when management acts in their regular disposition.
I worked in one of Stantec's competing companies as a Project Manager prior to agreeing to come on board. As part of the agreement, management made promises that I would be doing design work, exclusively. They had no intention of following through with their promises of several weeks ago. I found the computer provided was not capable of completing the design, but rather only administrative work. Oversight? weeks later I was informed my resume was being placed into Contract Administration projects. Upon approaching the Manager, I was told more lies to remain satisfied for the time being. I was later told that I would be doing contract administration; however, if I agreed to conduct this work, I would have time for my continued education and paid OT for extra hours. I found myself working 65+ hours without the compensation promised, and studying for a masters level course tired, with what little time I had left. Unfortunately, I left to salvage my school, still providing 3 weeks for replacement. Finally, I found that management has begun to mislead my colleagues as to your reasons for leaving.
After my departure, it's likely that they will cut hours from my final pay. I say this with near confidence, as this occurred previously when I was laid off during the COVID-19 event, where several hours were deducted from my pay. Likewise, I had a friend who was instructed to work 16 hours, however, the pay system only allows 12-hour entries. Upon his departure, he was not compensated for his lost hours
They don't care about their employees. They will give you a truck to get you where they need you, and that's it. Even when you work out of town with no data or cell service, their comprehensive safety management plan has outlined certain protocols. A satphone, water, bear mace, tools to complete the work; these are all things not provided to you when working. Oversight? not when this is a continual occurrence. I'm sure their comprehensive safety management plan has done wonders towards bringing down their WSIB deductions, however. What do all these things have one thing in common, money and expenses? However, management has no idea or concept of production efficiency or counter-productive behaviours towards their own bottom line.
One phrase to sum it all up: complete dumpster fire.
Don't even bother applying there, you will immediately regret it.
