Stay away if you are competent and educated - Recensione dipendente - Dipendente anonimo presso Sound Transit

1,0
16 ago 2018
Dipendente anonimo
Consiglia
Gradimento del CEO
Pronostico commerciale

Vantaggi

You don't pay into social security. Convenient location if you are a transit commuter.

Svantaggi

This review is purely my opinion posted in the public interest. In my first two weeks here, I had multiple users and IT personnel ask me if I had ever seen an IT department that was operated like this. I had not. What's more interesting is I had multiple people throughout my time there ask me the same question. People complained about IT and its incompetence nearly weekly. Note many of the other negative reviews here are mostly by IT people. There is a high level of incompetence in IT Senior Leadership and beyond, mostly promoted due to tenure rather than performance. So called senior leadership that just says yes to whoever is standing in front of them at the moment, no concept of critical thinking whatsoever. PMO and the PM's are a bad joke, most can't even schedule a meeting without hand holding and many seemed to have little more than a High School Diploma, then get condescending with functional managers who have a lot of credentials and education. The level of incompetence is astounding. Business analysts and most IT resources are extremely junior. The only reason anything seems to get done here is due to overpriced contractors hired to fix the mistakes made by these incompetent people. Administrative assistants can't figure out how to use basic software most of the corporate world uses and tax payers end up footing the bill for millions of dollars in new software that the agency doesn't need if they hired more competent people. High School educated administrative assistants go to technical conferences for IT people at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars then complain they can't figure out how to use the software that others in the private sector seem to do fine with and want something else for millions more, again at the tax payers expense and these same high school educated people overrule technical managers with Masters degrees and more than a dozen IT certifications and decades of experience. Agency has a mambi pambi culture. Education, credentials and competence are trumped by high school educated clerks who know the leadership above you will say "yes" to whatever they want. Going along to get along is what counts at this mediocre organization. In my first few months here I corrected half a dozen poor technical decisions made by senior leadership and my predecessor, yet another person with no university education, despite those decisions having passed multiple reviews and approvals from many so called "experts" yet I was able to find and point out critical flaws and issues within 30 minutes each time. It was like IT 101 EVERY day. The CEO has tried to whip this place into shape and get rid of the dead weight and had many attacks against him as a result. Take it from me, if you have a lot of education, credentials and experience, do not come here...I've never worked with such mediocre people in my entire career, and frankly HR is part of the problem. HR has high turnover and is practically out to lunch so to speak. Oh, and the agency appears to be predominately white. Take a look at how many minorities hold senior executive positions here.... I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to flood this place with fake positive reviews after this review. If you don't believe me about their incompetence, just take a look at some of the news stories about projects that are several years behind schedule and hundreds of millions over budget. These people just come and tax you more, no private organization would ever survive with this level of incompetence.

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Risposta di Sound Transit
7y
We value your feedback and take your comments very seriously. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Sound Transit strives to have a workforce that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. We will continue to evaluate and monitor our processes and work culture to ensure that they align with our values.

Esplora altre recensioni su Sound Transit

5,0
27 mag 2026
Consiglia
Gradimento del CEO
Pronostico commerciale

Vantaggi

- Great people and culture - easy to ask for support

Svantaggi

- Easy to get siloed on your project

2,0
15 mag 2026
Consiglia
Gradimento del CEO
Pronostico commerciale

Vantaggi

Good benefits (medical, dental and paid time off).

Svantaggi

Prospective employees should be aware that opportunities for advancement appear to be very limited after joining the agency. Most hiring seems focused on term-limited or contractor roles unless the position is management level or above, making long-term career growth difficult for many employees. Candidates should also pay close attention during salary negotiations. If you hear that compensation cannot be adjusted due to “internal equity,” that may be an indication that pay flexibility is limited across the organization. In my experience, compensation has not kept pace with the broader market so get your pay you deserve before signing the offer letter and expect small increases yearly afterward. The agency has experienced significant leadership turnover, with four CEOs since 2022, and this instability has contributed to low morale and a lack of clear direction. Many employees feel leadership decisions are driven more by internal politics than by employee or organizational needs. There is also a perception that some senior and executive leaders prioritize protecting their own positions over advocating for their teams. The workplace culture has changed substantially from what it once was. What used to feel like a positive and collaborative environment now feels far more strained. Employees are currently required to work onsite at least three days per week, and many expect those requirements to increase further. Another major concern is the ongoing issue with reclassifications and compensation adjustments. Some employees have reportedly been waiting well over a year for promised reclasses despite already performing work above their current pay grade. In many cases, direct people leaders support the requests and acknowledge the higher-level responsibilities being performed, yet employees are repeatedly told to “wait” while timelines continue to shift or stall entirely. What makes the situation especially frustrating is the lack of transparency around the process. Employees are often expected to continue taking on expanded responsibilities indefinitely without meaningful communication about when or if compensation will actually align with the work being performed. Over time, it creates the feeling that advancement and fair pay are always just out of reach, with the promise continuously dangling but never materializing. Performance reviews are another common frustration. Evaluations are heavily calibrated by leaders who may not directly understand employees’ day-to-day work, which can make the review process feel disconnected and largely procedural. As a result, many employees feel their contributions are not meaningfully recognized, and most receive only a standard “Successful” rating regardless of impact. Overall morale across the agency appears very low, and prospective employees should carefully evaluate whether the organization aligns with their career goals and expectations before accepting an offer.

5
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