Focus on Improving - Architectural Designer Olson Kundig Employee Review

3.0
31 Oct 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- The firm has improved in staffing projects more appropriately - Mostly collaborative work, and beautiful sites and projects - Social staff and feeling of community - Rewarding work

Cons

- The office has lost talented staff in recent years. There is a “You’re lucky to be here attitude.” Instead of investing in existing staff and cultivating a sense of value and appreciation for the long term, hiring has been attempting to fill gaps in staffing and quality of talent Is varied. Office politics here are horrible and a lot of your experience will be based on luck. - The intern program is diverse and fun to have in the office - they clearly put a lot of effort into this and promote it heavily. Contrary to this is the full-time staff demographics and I witness racist/sexist comments and behaviors frequently. It seems there is a culture of meritocracy and blindness to bias when it comes to promotions. - The firm has a culture of catering to clients. There is a lack of client management an you will have to be okay with doing work you know isn’t a smart use of time let alone good design. Lots of redundant work and OT. Projects often feel pushed through, with lazy or little design thought. - Leadership seems out of touch with current staff sentiments of the workplace. Many PMs don’t know how long it takes to produce work. PMs tends to share work critique too late rather than share them as they come in and allow you to change and grow. - Pay transparency is poor - no quarterly fiscal updates for staff. Reputation of low salaries compared to other local firms is true. Bonuses are significantly less than what past companies offered.

Explore other reviews about Olson Kundig

5.0
11 Sept 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Very professional, friendly, and talented group of people to work with. Everyone in the office, at all levels, is very approachable and collaborative.

Cons

Nothing, aside from occasional late nights.

2.0
16 Mar 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

NY office team is amazing - very friendly, knowledgeable, talented and overall pleasant environment. Office projects/clients are superb!

Cons

The Interior Design department is a complete mess. Sadly, it is very secondary within the overall office and in the contributions made to projects. It is seriously disorganized, employees are stretched very thin, and there is a lack of true design leadership, they are horrible micromanagers. The Seattle interiors team has a toxic and dysfunctional dynamic among them. The vast majority live under significant stress and in toxic competition with each other, very gossipy and overall demoralizing. Several "retreats" had to be organized to bring the team together and fix the dynamic because it was so damaged. The retreats did not fix anything. As for the design, super limited and restrained to “Olson Kundig” DNA interiors which is quite limiting and honestly boring after a while. If you want to grow as a professional, this is NOT your place. If you want to be in secretive fights within your team and constantly have to claw your way to the top, then go ahead!

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