Pros
Some good team members in all disciplines, and some very good team Managers.
Kontras
Static movement, even with all the tick boxes given, Investment in people, graduate progression etc etc, these are put in place to achieve accreditations like ISO 9000 and the like. M&E & Survey team were the best teams, but even they are run with targets targets targets, or no funding given for more staff to get work done on time, then getting it in the neck for not meeting targets, and in turn a perpetual vicious circle. So the existing teams are under constant pressure to hit that friday issue, some of the lead engineers never draw a line in the sand for an issue, and still hand out mark ups late friday afternoons to the CAD staff, and they are ALWAYS expected to get them done, the odd extra hour here and there does not exist, nor do rewards for doing the extra. A lot of Upper Management, not all, are not in touch with the shop floor, so to speak, with the odd showing here and there, they seem to be more concerned about share holders than good engineering, planning, and looking after staff. Yes they made it through a recession with out redundancies, but wasn't this 2008!!??, Companies still live off this, not giving overtime, good pay rises, bonus, because they "cant afford it", utter trash, look at there annual profit, not some projected rubbish, so they can say, "we didn't hit our target, so we will not be able to give any bonus" line. Yet custom cycling outfits turnup, Custom made Rugby outfits turn up, and it make people who are not in the click, feel insulted. The head office (Oxford) are so far removed from any other offices, they may as well be on different planets, no continuity, any suggestions are listened to in a very nice way, only to be but in a bin, or used as there own, and sent out on a "look how good we are" email. This does sound like a rant, it is!, but its truthful, the turn over of staff in the Civil and Structural teams is horrendous, the best/worst, was three weeks, and this staff member left, the Managers spend most of there time answering emails, not there fault, any decent staff members have left, long term as well, 20 year plus!, only for new staff to be landed in a massive pile of....... This was an excellent company (upton mcgougan) that was an engineering company, now its a sales firm, that sells, late, unfinished, problematic, un consistent services.
