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Bechtel

I think anyone in a senior position within this company (other than the VP's etc) would struggle to recommend it to recent graduates they care for. This company kills careers, with impunity.

They preach ethics, but in my experience, they don't practice them - you're required to go to ethics training at least once a year, and you're told over and over again that management will support you if you report an ethics problem - the core message is 'if you wouldn't like to see it on the front page of the New York Times, report it'. This doesn't appear to be supported by my experience. At the core, my opinion is that this company is a seething nepotistic hotpot of moral and ethical corruption. Thing deeply about your options before associating yourself with this company - I believe it is a sick company.

Just one example of what I personally experienced - on one recent project, I was directly instructed to break the law of the country (to maintain schedule) by a very senior manager - he was a 'Bechtel Veteran', and had been involved at a very high level, for many years, in the lucrative middle east operations of the company.

I (carefully and sensitively) informed this person that what he was asking me to do was breaking the law and that I had a less expensive and more suitable solution in any case. He yelled at me to stop being obstructive (in front of my colleagues) and then I was taken aside, my office door closed and he preceded to berate me and not-so-subtly threaten to 'have my career' unless I did what he asked.

I reported the incident and the circumstances, along with a mountain of supporting email background to HR and my senior managers. Nothing was done - I heard NOTHING further. For the remainder of the project, I was belittled, berated, bullied and badgered, to the extent that it had serious consequences upon my health.

I stuck with the project, did the right thing (ignoring the break-the-law instruction) and got them in ahead of schedule, legally. I wanted to show them that I had the best interests of the company at heart, and would pull out all the stops to 'make it happen'.

At the completion of the project I was told that I'd been given a withering 'exit review' by the subject project manager. My colleagues were provided with plum roles in other OS projects, I was offered a role below my pay grade and experience and 'managed out' of the organisation.

Did I take legal action? No - I didn't think I'd have to as I'd done the right thing and would be supported. I met with senior management, recounted the stories and asked them to 'make it right'. They did nothing. With the documented health impacts, documented coercion and absolutely blatant bullying I experienced, I had solicitors salivating over my case. I didn't sue - I thought they'd 'come good' - they didn't. Maybe one day I may take it further.

I suspect this pattern is repeated often within the organisation, only I suspect many take it further and get an early retirement. The organisation doesn't like controversy.

As for me? Well, I haven't been able to get a job in the industry with a large organisation since - message number two - I suspect they have the ability to destroy your career - and will if you encounter the wrong people. Read about ERMS.

Your experience may differ, but let it be known that if you get the wrong project, you may find your hard earnt reputation and career held in the palm of an incompetent or outright despicable, hand.

I was recruited midway through a high performing, high potential academic program with promises of interesting, diverse projects and an international career, instead I've dealt with a lot of 'wrong headedness' and bad behavior, and been dealt a career ending blow after years of loyal service.

I'll keep subtly letting folks know about the dangers of working for this company until such time as my fortunes change, justice is done or they start actually abiding by the 'Bechtel Covenants'.

My experience with Bechtel is that they will assign engineers to "supervisors" who have no engineering degree or background. They pitch jobs as engineering jobs in the interview, talk about you getting your PE license, and when you show up to work, you find out your supervisor is just a high school grad with no engineering work experience and the job is something like going out into the plant to collect nameplate information or calling building superintendents to get access for a client's technicians. These are tasks they want engineers to do ALL day. It's easy money and they are paying you ok if not great, but you are not learning anything useful and when they lay you off, you have no good engineering experience to sell yourself to other companies.

I'd only consider Bechtel as a last resort. In this economy, they can keep you employed for awhile if you are willing to go all over the country at a moment's notice. But if you are serious about developing as an engineer, Bechtel is a bad place to work. They don't understand or respect the engineering profession .....engineers are essentially used to sell work to clients, but Bechtel thinks it is ok to misrepresent jobs in an interview. They told me that the company had review courses for the PE exam during work at the company, but that turns out to be review courses for the EIT /FE exam and I already passed that one. The only thing they had for the PE was a DVD you could borrow which wasn't useful. The man who hired me didn't even know the difference between the FE exam and the PE exam as I found out later as it appears he confused the two when pitching their PE review classes at work when he meant FE review courses (and they no longer even had those review classes)

They may have some good engineers working at Bechtel but you should ask what their engineering background is in the interviews and ask to meet the people who you will be working with on a daily basis. They employ a lot of designers and others who resent engineers for some reason, and they will make some of these bitter old men (and in some cases, younger guys they pulled off a farm somewhere in Alabama) your supervisor, and they think this is a good way to do operate an engineering consulting firm. A lot of these "supervisors" do very little, most of them are sitting around all day socializing, even giving young women back rubs at work, while engineers right out of college are doing all the work.

Bechtel is a weird company. If you have worked for other engineering consulting firms, you will not believe how many people are sitting around with nothing to do. I worked on 4 different projects with Bechtel and they never once had me assigned to an engineer, at best the supervisor had a 2 year degree or learned some stuff in the military, but those guys were usually in meetings all day and never talked to me. I cannot imagine there being a worse company when it comes to developing engineers.

I absolutely love working here.  You can't bring your cell phone on site, which can make some people feel a bit disconnected.  I actually enjoy it since I don't have the distractions of silly conversations throughout the day (if it's important, people know my work number). 

The company loves training their employees, and I love taking advantage of any training class that I think may help me do my job better.  Not only are technical training classes offered, but tons of professional development courses.  The company runs the site much like a college campus with clubs and volunteer activities.

Because the facilities are involved with cradle to grave operations of naval reactors, there's a wide variety of jobs available.  I have coworkers who bounce around from department to department every several years or so.

There's also the choice of working a 9/80 schedule, which is great!  I love having every other Friday off.  Part time employment is also available.  I had a coworker who was working part time for a couple of years prior to retirement, and many women I sit near have stated that they worked part-time for a year or so after child birth.

Everyone I work with is always extraordinarily helpful.  I was given a technical mentor from day one and have since gotten a couple more mentors for different aspects of my career, professional, and personal development.  My manager (and management chain) are incredibly supportive of my work and are willing to stand behind sound engineering recommendations that I may make, even if the customer is not happy about them.  

My salary was slightly below average, but that was fine for me.  Industry jobs typically demand significant casual OT work, whereas most positions in BMPC do not require any casual OT.  Here, I actually get paid for my time.  I would be lying if I said there was absolutely no casual OT since most every engineering job demands OT at some point, but it is very minimal.  Depending on your manager, sometimes you can even leave earlier another day if you stayed late a couple of hours.  The company is moving to increasingly more flexible schedules, which has been useful.  I have been able to take my "every other Friday off" on a Wed. if I had needed it.

Benefits are great too.  They offer multiple health plans, with FSAs and HSAs depending on what you enroll in.  If you enroll in a HDHP, the company will place a couple hundred dollars into the account at the beginning of the year and upon completion of a wellness program, place even more in towards the tail end of the year.  There is a 401k (with 4% match), CAP, dental, vision, life insurance as well as tuition reimbursement.

Working for Bechtel Contracting is a rewarding experience that offers employees a host of benefits and opportunities. With a rich history dating back over a century, Bechtel has established itself as a global leader in engineering, construction, and project management. Employees at Bechtel find themselves part of a dynamic and innovative work environment where they contribute to the development of iconic projects that shape the world's infrastructure.

One key aspect that sets Bechtel apart as an employer is its commitment to employee development. The company invests in its workforce through training programs, mentorship initiatives, and continuous learning opportunities. This commitment not only enhances individual skills but also fosters a culture of growth and advancement within the organization.

Bechtel prioritizes safety, and this commitment is embedded in the company's core values. Employees benefit from a safety-first culture that ensures a secure work environment, promoting their well-being and enabling them to perform at their best. This emphasis on safety is particularly crucial in the engineering and construction industry, where precision and precaution are paramount.

The company's global presence opens doors for employees to work on diverse and challenging projects around the world. Whether it's constructing critical infrastructure, developing sustainable energy solutions, or managing complex engineering endeavors, Bechtel provides a platform for professionals to contribute to projects of immense significance.

In addition to competitive compensation packages, Bechtel offers comprehensive benefits, including health and wellness programs, retirement plans, and various employee assistance programs. The company values diversity and inclusion, fostering an environment where employees from different backgrounds and experiences collaborate to achieve success.

The sense of pride in contributing to projects that leave a lasting impact on communities is a powerful motivator for Bechtel employees. The company's commitment to corporate social responsibility ensures that its projects align with sustainable and ethical practices, allowing employees to be part of endeavors that make a positive difference.

In summary, working for Bechtel Contracting provides employees with a stimulating and supportive work environment, ample opportunities for professional growth, a focus on safety, and the chance to contribute to globally significant projects.

A couple of really good notes. It may take awhile to get into but once you have started working there the job security is extremely stable as long you adhere to their safety and security policies. They work a 9/80 schedule and allow to flex your time very easily. Except for extenuating circumstances, management will allow you to flex your time so the work/life balance is very nice. The pay/benefits are better than average for the area especially considering the changes happening to our current medical system. The paid/medical time off is exceptional. The nature of the work is very interesting and well funded. The culture is nice and there are very good growth and development opportunities. There are many talented people. It is a very nice environment to grow and learn and become an expert if interested. 

A couple of bad notes: The biggest complaint is usually about management. The atmosphere and structure is extremely conservative with changes only every coming from upper management. First line managers seem to be stuck in the middle and usually have very little authority. It is a very slow paced atmosphere. Safety and security can become overwhelming and procedures are always changing making them difficult to keep up with. Positions always seem to be changing around you. Newer employees are usually looked at like it is their first job no matter how much industry experience they have. Once you are hired, advancement in position is extremely slow. They company has recently placed minimums on advancement progression and have limited the ability to obtain advancement by switching positions. Top technical positions take on a lot of responsibility but also place a lot of work on others. Top positions are usually reserved for advanced degrees on the exempt side or life long employees on the non-exempt side no matter how much technical ability or responsibility a person has. 

The atmosphere can be laid back one minute and act like the sky is falling down the next, making it a very interesting and often entertaining place to work. All in all it is a very nice stable company to spend your career and see some pretty great/interesting things but not recommended for the highly motivated looking to make lots of money or change the world.

When I started as a Project Admin in 2010, things were good. I enjoyed working with a handful of people and most of the other admins on the project were nice but their were a few who were set in their OLD ways which was not good but I managed to tolerate them. When the admins got a new (undeserving & unexperienced lead admin) things took a turn for the worst. Before long there was no longer a team feel and it became divided amongst clicks (High School behavior). Our work environment became toxic due to Favoritism, RUDE people, Ugly remarks made daily and Micro managing at its worst. Myself and many others are/became disgusted how a new undeserving Team Leader and her little followers turned what was once a descent work environment into an everyday nightmare. The sad thing is, no matter how many complaints were made regarding the bad environment, management was so shady they sat by and let the monster do whatever it wanted but I guess that's what happens when certain people cry a false river everyday. Before long it seemed like an institution where certain people wanted to enforce unwritten laws but yet they can't abide by the rules themselves (excessive smoke breaks etc). The office polotics are ridiculous here amongst certain admins especially. There are too many shady people in the admin group and the very few GOOD people there are, they are the ones who are portrayed to be the bad apples which is far from true. The few good admins are the only ones who equally support each other in terms of work and yet they endure all the bullying which management is so blind to see. There is so much more that I could say about the B.S. that goes on here but that would take much more space..lol
I miss a few people that I had the pleasure of working with but I am so glad to be out of that bad work environment.

Bechtel is a great company if your doing anything aside from administration. If you decide to work here as an admin, keep low key and be prepared for a very toxic environment which is not going to change no matter what it is done, the good days here are long gone. Also, you might be required to wear an ankle monitor by now so that's something else to keep in mind.

My stay with Bechtel was enjoyable both as a daily employee and for the reason my salary was excellent. It afforded me the opportunity to work with highly professional people.

     Like Pan Disc Music Corporation my position gave me wide latitude of purpose and much freedom to coordinate events leading to a goal being accomplished.

     A project was to update the Corporate Board's story board of tiles that coincided with standard project management procedures set forth by the Project Management Institute.

    It entailed a trip to the DOE Library to study all procedures and protocols. Then I reported my findings to my immediate supervisor and the Project Manager for Bechtel for them to disposition changes that I found in incongruent. After that I coordinated with the photography department the making of the new tiles and contacted maintenance to install the new tiles once the process was approved such as color and size and readability.

     It took days of reading all the volumes of PMI and then about two weeks until the project was completed. In the meantime there were other ongoing projects and daily time managment.

     From my first day at Bechtel the Project Risk Manager was my mentor to learning and joining PMI as a member and attend meetings. It was these months that prepared me to update the Corporate Board tiles. There were some 85 of them.

     My co-workers were fine people and they gave me projects both large and small to execute for them. The Project Manager had me coordinate a presentation for the engineer's salary increases at end of year that included a Powerpoint slide show, the letters to the engineers and personally interviewing engineers for their inputs on ongoing projects.

The hardest part of the job was the down times when there was nothing to do. My co-workers gave me a going away cake and the Project Manager presented his top ten list like David Letterman of why Michael will miss Bechtel. It was funny.

The most enjoyable aspect was that it was a fun job. No two days were the same.I left to earn an MBA at the University of Miami, Florida.

I had the fortune of working for Bechtel Oil, Gas & Chemicals (OG&C) during the rising popularity of LNG Projects.  Unfortunately, OG&C was increasingly reliant on these large projects to maintain and build their workforce.  Even before the COVID-19 crisis, staff was being reduced due to clients being hesitant to make Final Investment Decisions for this year.  

There is also a trend in the industry to outsource engineering to overseas offices (e.g. India).  I don't foresee this trend ever ending, which will essentially permanently reduce the amount of workers required in the US.  The general thought around the office is that an 80/20 split between overseas and U.S. are the targets.  Think about that for a moment.  I don't see a 5-fold increase in projects any time soon, so that leaves employees like me hanging out to dry.  

There is a long history of nepotism, cronyism, sexism, favoritism, racism, and any other "ism" you can think of at Bechtel.  Regardless of what is spoken by whichever Bechtel is in charge at the moment, the reality for the everyday worker is the same: if you're not into political maneuvering at work, your job will eventually be in serious jeopardy.  I was able to avoid being laid off until this year, but a lot of that was by luck.  I consistently received excellent annual reviews, but I knew I was never part of the inner circles that would allow me to move ahead.  There is a certain ethnic group at minority that is seen as having a domineering presence compared to others, and it doesn't require much observation to know which group I'm talking about. 

As much as the management at Bechtel want to portray themselves as a "world class" company in comparison to their competitors, the reality is that they're like any other EPC firm in Houston.  



I am a dedicated professional engineer with unique skills that allowed me to advance very quickly in all my career opportunities.  I spent about 40 years in environmental engineering and the last 5 years in the EPC of large energy facilities around the world.  So, my skills and expertise are extraordinary.
In my last job, I learned the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) business and design production techniques.  We worked 9 hour days for 9 days and had every other Friday off.  I often stayed longer to make sure deliverables were completed on time. My extensive experience as an Environmental Specialist allowed me to perform tasks not normally undertaken by a design engineer. 
 I want to be treated with the respect and benefits due a hard working, leader and performer deserves.   I like managers who are demanding but fair and aren't inhibited when it comes to recognizing superior effort.  My last employer had a cash rewards for short term technical achievement which was an excellent motivator. 
I prefer to work with engineers committed to producing quality deliverables on schedule.  
The most difficult thing I faced was dealing with my client counterparts who were inexperienced, non-team players who were more interested in their career development and not the efficient execution of the assigned project.  
I thoroughly enjoyed mentoring young engineers.  To see them move from new graduates to producers over a year to a year and a half's time is very gratifying,  I especially like those who want to be the best they can be and will work to that end.

A typical day at work involved working on one or more deliverables as a system responsible engineer.  It was very easy to plan everything, a charge code was easy to come by, and because of the planning, overtime was rarely needed.  I got to experience the licensing side of nuclear plant design, and I loved it.  It was great to dig into the regulatory guidance and figure out why things were designed a certain way.  Management was very in touch on my project.  There were monthly celebrations (birthdays, milestones such as obtaining an FE or PE, company or project anniversaries), and the project manager tried very hard to ensure everyone was treated like family.  And they succeeded.  The people on the project were awesome.  When I got laid off, it was the toughest thing I've ever done to leave those people.  The hardest part of the job was the inter-discipline interfaces.  There were a couple of disciplines who were very contentious (mechanical vs. I&C) and engineering was very contentious with licensing because many of the engineers came from a fossil background where licensing and regulatory oversight aren't part of the job.  My experience was all nuclear, so I had little trouble understanding the whys and wherefores.  The most enjoyable part of the job was the people.  It was just a great group of individuals and it really was a family.  I miss my time there.  The benefits were amazing (up to 5 weeks of PTO if you're willing to buy a week, great healthcare, every other Friday off, and two extra holidays - MLK day and President's day).  The job security ended up being not so great.  The project I was on was downstaffed by 90% and not all members of the project were able to be kept on by the company or it's other subsidiaries.

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