Pros
Atkins is a company that respects family and welcomes the opportunity for everyone especially women with children to have a good work-life balance (although sometimes this could depend on the kind of Line Manager you have). However, in general, Atkins is set up such that by Company Law, you are given the opportunity to work around your family life. I love Atkins. It's the best company I've worked for so far. The people are extremely friendly and I have not experienced the company politics which is normally so rampant in many work places. The Managers listen to the needs of the employees and do their best to ensure that everyone is given the opportunity to grow in their career. No one ever punishes you for asking questions and there is a conducive environment to learn from your mistakes.
Cons
It is a large company with large teams. One has to be very proactive and forceful and make yourself relevant otherwise you can get 'lost' in the maze of large teams and very many talented people. Also as a Senior Engineer I feel that too much emphasis is being placed on giving up technical expertise to move into management (if you want to move up the ladder) or be promoted. I think Atkins should encourage people to grow and become technical experts but still have the same promotion opportunities as those of our colleagues who decide to leave everything technical and move into project management.
