Long Hours, Medium Pay, Sluggish Management - Architect CannonDesign Employee Review

3.0
25 Nov 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

If you want to start a corporate initiative, there will be nothing stopping you. Semi-pointless endeavors will be funded, overhead is crazy high because corporate dollars are spent hiring talent for too much money from tech firms, but if you have a special interest they will back you. Software and resources, they spend money on tools so if you want to use Revit with 6 layers of add ons they have it.

Cons

Mid to low pay. Below AIA salary survey for their region, their levels, their firm size. They run on charging fees based on a level above your title, but paying you for less than you are worth. Capped bonuses? For some reason they have decided that even if you burn yourself out during the year you're not entitled to more than $1400 a year in bonuses. This is in their handbook. Long hours. There is no mandatory overtime but they staff their projects so lean that it will inevitably fall on you to do the work. 60-80 hour weeks during deadlines are regular, when you ask for assistance, you'll get it 2 months later due to behemoth of corporate leadership. Burn out. See above, lean projects means they run you into the ground until you're exhausted, then just outsource. Business culture is dominant, design culture springs up occasionally only to be entirely squashed by the business leaders. Massive slow corporation. Too big for its own good. Money is wasted hiring 6 or 7 figure employees from other companies in silicon valley, or doctors. Leadership only cares about corporate welfare, bonuses for themselves. This corporation is eroding regional design culture through acquisitions. Hardly the only firm doing this but they have swallowed up a number of solid design firms in their lowest moment and erased them after 5 years.

Explore other reviews about CannonDesign

3.0
16 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Lots of corporate perks, ARE, remote work

Cons

Figure this out early. They are looking for strong corporate citizenship and follower of corporate culture. So, if you say the wrong thing around the water cooler, you will be seeing the HR soon. Be a zombie, get it right the first time and you will keep your job.

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