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RDH Building Science

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Potential but Flawed - Engineer RDH Building Science Employee Review

2.0
17 Nov 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

GOODNESS - For major sections, the company has good intentions and a good 'heart'. Most ( not all) employees/managers are quite nice. Things like transit reimbursement, office lounges, social events ( BBQ), somewhat flexible times, fruits in the office, a semi-formal atmosphere are great. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT -There's support for Engineers to grow provided you put in the hours. Company motto is "do what it takes" - however you want to read it. The development of admin staff ( Reception, Accounting, Document Preparers) is minimal but does exist. ACCESS - High level management ( CEO, Principals etc) are quite accessible. They would have a chat with you, try to remember your names and are generally nice and positive people GROWTH - At the end of the day a company's job is to profit more over time. RDH is headed in the right direction - they are growing! It has the potential to be a good company for you to grow with. HOLIDAYS - Holidays are appreciated and celebrated. Company makes special effort for Christmas as well. Families are welcome too. Other holiday might be disregarded. SHARES - long term employees are able to become shareholders. A great way to grow with the company. MAIN LEADERS - are genuinely nice, caring and driven guys who tries to find the balance in everyone's interests. SOFTWARE - Some ERP systems can be frustrating but RDH's is top notch

Cons

SALARY - They pay market rates, nothing more and nothing less. They do not wish to be more attractive or less. Work demands are high though so you end up getting less value for your time. RACISM - Their employee directory and hiring policies do not match the diversity of the cities their operate in. A quick browse through their team list on their website is enough to see their hiring and growth policies when it comes to people. Another example is that an absolute majority of Engineering graduates in Vancouver are of Asian decent however you would have no way of telling that if you walk through RDH offices. The trend in the company would be for Caucasians to hire caucasians ( All around the company and this chain reaction follows over time) and Asians to hire asians ( E.g Accounting). As such, I do not recall there being any members of visible minority being hired. I guess one in Accounting a while back but it was another case of good employees leaving. SEXISM - The hiring itself isn't sexist ( Most Engineering graduates are Males) but the behaviour towards females is appalling. Most keep quiet about it - why? - i have no idea. We have had cases of clients making fun of the fact that a female engineer will be working on their projects only for the principal in-charge of the project to laugh at it as well. NEPOTISM - If you're related to one of the big guys in the company, you are guaranteed a job. We've seen this both in Admin and Engineering. UNDERAPPRECIATION - I personally did not have this problem but it was easy to see a lot of hard-workers go under the radar because they weren't showing off their work. Some really talented Engineers have already left the company for a lack of appreciation shown and more will follow. HR - HR can be manipulative and vague with their communication. A lot is geared towards personal gains( bank account) of HR leads when, ideally, she/he should be working in that fine line between employee representation and employer needs. REFERENCES - The access to people on the inside is cut off shortly after leaving the company. Getting references from people you worked for is hard to come by. Ideally, you would know RDH to be a people and industry focused company who does not cut ties simply because you are not on their payroll. JOB SECURITY - is lacking. Anyone can get fired at any time. Some for valid reasons and others for absolutely stupid reasons. INSPIRATION - Inspiration in the job can be lacking in times. Especially when you get to meet and know one of the 3 initial owners of the company. MIDDLE LEVEL MANAGEMENT - Some absolutely do not have any people, social or management skills and are simple in management by manipulation, politics, chance, time spent and/or artificial leverage. 1 or 2 management in Admin are example and quite a few in Engineering.

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RDH Building Science Response
7y
I appreciate your willingness to express your thoughts and experiences. As President of RDH, one of my main goals is to provide a safe and inspiring place for our employees to do what they love, in a sustainable way. We are constantly striving for improvement, and honest and open feedback like yours helps facilitate that change. I appreciate your comments on the growth opportunities available at RDH as well as the accessibility to senior leadership, employee perks, and positive culture. I share those same sentiments. I am, however, truly disappointed to hear about the negative aspects of your experience. It is a sharp contrast from the Core Values that we strive to uphold. I want to assure you that discrimination in the workplace is not something we tolerate. We’re devoted to ensuring all our employees feel safe and respected in the office and on the job site. As an example of some of the recent training we offer, staff in leadership roles in our Canadian offices participated in a Respectful Workplace Workshop. The primary goal of the workshop is to provide a comprehensive overview of our policies and procedures regarding harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and bullying and to ensure all participants understand their roles, responsibilities, and legal liability in ensuring a safe and respectful workplace. Just recently we hosted the same workshop for staff in leadership roles in our US offices so that any unprofessional conduct is met with impactful intervention and resolution. I strongly encourage you to reach out to me so that any past instances of discrimination can be investigated appropriately so that it does not happen again. Our recruitment process is rooted in finding the most qualified candidates who most closely align with our Core Values. In circumstances where individuals were hired who were related to existing staff it was because he or she was the best person for the job. We will continue to make hiring decisions based on that principle. Regarding management, I agree that we can do better by investing in our staff’s leadership skills. Our newly launched Learning & Development program is a step in the right direction and our hope is that we will be able to provide staff with the tools to manage effectively. We are aware that there is opportunity for improvement, and we are making strides to get there. I am committed to cultivating an environment where people feel inspired through respect, appreciation, and exciting work. I am inspired to hear about positive work experiences, but I am also heavily impacted by hearing from employees who have had a less than stellar experience. I encourage you to reach out to me directly so that we can discuss your experiences in more depth.

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