surveyor

engineer

locator

dessinateur

survey technician

McElhanney

For a Survey Company, McElhanney tries extremely hard to help you balance work and home life.  It is easy to complain about working too hard, or not enjoying your job, however that is more of a you problem than a they problem.  They have given me all the skills to improve, and although I am an old Field Surveyor who didn't think there was anything else worth learning, I have developed new skills and have grown.  I could easily get a higher paying Survey job elsewhere, and I may some day.  McElhanney has helped me develop the skills I need to continue my career until retirement.  My only criticism is that they are a DEI company, so you will run into incompetent people that check the right boxes for the company.  I do find myself holding my tongue as to not offend and risk getting reprimanded/fired and have found myself working harder to make up for the lack of ability/work effort of peers that are considered visible minorities/victims.   You will find that you answer to several managers/supervisors.  After 6 years in the field, I'm not entirely sure who I answer to, so I just pretend everyone is my boss and mostly just keep to myself.  I get along great with almost everyone, and everyone is quite pleasant.  I have been offered higher paying jobs, but have turned them down.

What I liked:
Most co-workers were enjoyable to work with and professional.
Some interesting projects came through the door and were fun to design and manage.
Field work was interesting and enjoyable as it was in the mountains.  

What I did not like:
I was paid well below APEGA standards while living in an area that has one of the highest costs of living in Canada.
Mentorship was not taken seriously by the company.
Management was not interested in passing on knowledge nor interested in developing the skills of the engineers and technologists beyond a basic project management skillset.
Quality Assurance was not taken seriously therefore mistakes were carried through work unnecessarily.
Individuals are blamed for mistakes and systemic problems in the peer-review process and QA were never seriously addressed or discussed in any meaningful way.
Some individuals are treated as more equal than others. 
Although there are limits to what management can do to make their employees happy and motivated, no one in management seemed to be concerned about improving the moral of any individual beyond a superficial level. "You need more work in your work-life balance" was told verbatim to a co-worker of mine.

I’m really speechless after my experience in this company. I would say that I’m experienced in the market but, worse than this company I’ve never faced. No professional understanding, No professional cooperation. Everything is about the pure personnel ambitions & attitudes!  It’s just about the “MYSELF”, so nothing else matters. The boss said so just do, even if it’s wrong or it doesn’t make sense; then do it and handle the responsibility in plus!!! Dealing with you like a little kid, that has to run & report the smallest details! Every day off, you have to book it in advance, no chance for the not planned family circumstances. And desirable also to plan your sick leave, so please try to expect the days when you’re going to book the days off in advance. Have you noticed the term (book)? It’s what they use as a term!!!
About the culture, you can just forget, even don’t bother yourself thinking about it.
The corporations nowadays are applying many techniques & methods, way far from what I did see in this company. Believe me, you’re just a number and nothing else.

I worked at McElhanney in the field until this year. The management in the Edmonton office was beyond incompetent. There was no consistency with quality control and no one knew what was going on. The plans they would draw up were horrid with missing information everywhere. There was zero ambition by the office staff to go out and get work so office staff sit on their hands praying for work to come in.  I heard they would send out company wide emails for "morale boosting" office parties, while the field staff actually "making" the money were never around. I was told a few years ago that the Office Manager decided to layoff the Canadian staff and continued to fly in American guys on a weekly basis. I had enough of this typical attitude and so I quit a few months ago. Work at this company if you like: 

- Incompetent leadership
- Lack of accountability
- Being the laughing stock of the industry

By the way, the safety standards are ridiculous. Do you really need three office staff in safety? Roll bars on quads? Come on...

In recent months, employee sentiment has shifted. There are growing discussions among staff about a forced culture being promoted by leadership, which many feel does not align with the company’s long-standing values. Over the past four months, multiple resignations have occurred, and others have openly expressed that they are considering leaving.

The transition to the new president has also impacted morale. Compared to the previous leadership, communication and transparency are noticeably reduced, leaving many employees feeling less informed and less connected to the organization’s direction.

While this company was once a place I highly recommended to peers and colleagues, I would now be more hesitant to encourage others from outside firms to join until these cultural and leadership challenges are meaningfully addressed.

Working with this company gave me new learning curves continually and was always looking forward to the new challenges when they arouse.  Each and every day was not the same.  No matter what department you were needed in for administration, I found people were always willing to help you learn and to advance.  Everyone helps, no one was left behind.  Unless you didn't want to contribute or learn, you could notice those who did not enjoy working there.  I was not one of them.  Management could always use better methods of communications internally to better attend to the needs of clients and scheduling however, even though I am no longer with the company due to economic reasons, I have hope that they will progress with open minds.

I worked here for a while and did not enjoy really enjoy my experience. The work culture to start felt like a very well knit group. Going for a beer together at the end of a hard day, management taking staff out for lunch, etc. However, as the time passed, the real company culture began to be apparent. The expectations of being there exactly from 8am, until 5 (or later) regardless of your personal life. Too much micromanagement, and too little design staff support. Management leaving early often for personal hobbies, and stressing the need to trust, but not showing trustworthiness to employees. Berating of all staff in front of peers during coordination meetings, and complete disregard for client deadlines. Heavy use of fear tactics as a management style created an unpleasant experience for all. 

Good culture...  Amazing culture when compared to some very toxic cultures I've seen out there.  Definitely a family-first environment.  They offer sustainability over fast-cash.  Many of the staff are 20+ years.  Not a lot of turn-over.  The staff have survived through the bad times.  Annual review and raises gets you into the better pay within a couple/few years depending on performance.  Cost of living bump every year.  Always involved in the newest tech.  Always chasing interesting work.  Many organizations within for work/social events.  (Young Professionals, Women at McElhanney, Get-Active Club etc. etc.)  Anyone with no perspective can complain, but this place is definitely a positive experience.

There is a range of management quality at McElhanney and your experience will depend greatly on that. I work in the Calgary branch which is failing pretty spectacularly. The new branch manager doesn't care about people and the division managers aren't motivated or able to secure work for employees. Between the poor decisions of various managers and the lack of work, good people are being let go and good people are leaving. I know employees in other branches do not have this experience and they are given opportunities to thrive in a great work culture with interesting work. If you're interested in McElhanney, I highly recommend SOME of our branches as you will have a rewarding and fulfilling career while meeting friends for life.

If you are a new engineering tech this is not an environment where you will succeed in. The Kelowna and Penticton offices only really respect full engineers. Any issue with any aspect of the project work you will be working with will fall on your shoulders. It is a good place for experience but they are industry known to pay their engineering techs the lowest, hence the name “McElpenny”. I recommend using the company for experience to leverage your self in a better position  with a better company that respects and treats techs equally.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Surveyor 4 salaries reported	$30.88 per hour
Engineer 3 salaries reported	$95,000 per year
Locator 3 salaries reported	$21.50 per hour
Dessinateur 5 salaries reported	$34.52 per hour
Survey technician 1 salary reported	$80,500 per year

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