great technology, horrible work environment - Scientist Stratos Genomics Employee Review

Many: 1. A company is run by 1 man, with his iron fist. The man (Mark Kokoris, CSO) is a mega micro-manager, and is very paranoid (although very clever, and has a phenomenal memory). It's always either his way, or the highway. 2. The company environment is more suited to a 3rd world sweat-shop, than to a USA-based tech company. If you are OK with that, get a job there. Work 11+ hours a day, rarely hear "thank you" for your work, constantly get disciplined, be prepared to be thrown out for anything you may think or say differently from what is accepted by the boss. 3. Environment is paranoid: no privacy -- all e-mails can be and are read; anything you say outside of accepted line will be prosecuted; divisive people management style -- everything is piece-mailed, management prevents employees from seeing the big picture; when people are let go or leave, they just disappear without a chance to communicate with their coworkers; the reason to fire an employee can be simply a suspicion of "treason" (e.g. being interested in other jobs outside SG) or some kind of disagreement, esp. of work-style nature, with the boss (even though they will pretend there was a legit reason and concoct some text with legit-sounding, but usually ridiculous or untrue content). Leaving the company for another job is considered treason, and the person leaving is labeled a traitor. I don't know of anyone who left and received a good reference. 4. Benefits suck: small vacation, low pay for the long hours, no overtime. Parking is not covered by the company (and it's expensive in Belltown). No sick time (you get sick - it comes out of your vacation) 5. All work, no play. It's different from dedication. This is more of a voluntary concentration camp environment. 6. Obsolete lab equipment (although with new funding, they are starting to buy better things) 7. Marginal lab safety practices (but getting better now).