Pros
Small pockets of very able competent consultants There are some interesting opportunities for graduates Management opportunities for people with absolutely no people skills
Cons
The management in my business unit (Energy) were outstandingly bad. Their lack of strategy, direction, communication skills and market insight has led to falling sales, which was consistently blamed on those trying to win and deliver work. They actively impeded the process of winning work by blocking proposals or giving bad advice due to their lack of experience in the industry, and affected the delivery of projects in a negative way by bullying project managers and being unhelpful. Promotion opportunities are poor, unless you fit you have a shouty personality and don't care about people. The culture is hard-nosed at Atkins, which seems to be driven by the CEO. Making more profit more important to Atkins management than creating a positive environment to work in and motivate staff. This leads to managers trying to protect their P&L accounts at any cost, often treating their staff like slaves. Staff have very low motivation levels and staff turn-over is high. Pay and working conditions are poor. Staff are stressed and overworked. Business processes are painfully bureaucratic with frequent stage gates throughout the project life cycle that really don't add value.