Stay Away - Designer NBBJ Employee Review

1.0
Apr 12, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Compensation and benefits are good

Cons

Terrible leadership, what they call core team. Disorganized. Do not know what employees are working on most of the time. Do not build teams. No career growth opportunities. They hire for senior positions as opposed to promoting within. Favoritism. Do not know or take interest in any of their employees skill sets (I was asked by a core member if I know Revit after working on a project in Revit for a year). No mentorship (even though they preach it). Constant micromanagement by senior designers (to the point of opening your rhino model to change something for their liking). Design principal gives arbitrary design direction with what seems to be only an aesthetic preference of that day. Studio culture is not friendly and everyone only looks out for themselves and their image. Huge turnover. Projects are not that great and everything needs to be rushed without thought.

Explore other reviews about NBBJ

5.0
Jun 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Super flexible and great coworkers

Cons

No real cons. Maybe wished it was more hybrid

1.0
Jun 16, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

healthcare benefit, good office location

Cons

Bonus points if you're white and can fit into the small inner circle (iykyk). If not, you may find yourself constantly reminded that you don’t really belong. There is a very obvious double standard around flexibility and trust. Certain people seem to be allowed to do whatever they want, while others get questioned for the same behavior and suddenly need to have a “conversation with the manager.” Openly talking negatively about coworkers and consultants is also treated as normal. There is a lot of casual criticism, gossip, and dismissive commentary, which makes the environment feel unnecessarily tense and unprofessional. The micromanagement is also exhausting, especially from managers who are too busy to know what you are actually working on. Instead of feeling trusted to do your job, you end up spending a lot of energy managing perception. Also, 4 days in the office is intense; sometimes people just need quiet time to focus. Although if you're one of the favorites, that can be negotiable.

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