They will get their pound of flesh. HSL guards their profit margins well.
Pros
You are in an environment where you get to learn by being exposed to a scientific environment. The world of science is opened up, if you are hospital based you can have the chance to network with people in other departments. So that you can find a better job! Lol. We got £500 (it was taxed) because of SARS-COV-2. Some people are happy to teach they remember and care about life under NHS terms, life before HSL. Some will go above and beyond to nurture your interest, ask you questions etc. Working as a BMS in this industry makes you question how you can strategically upskill to earn more and "pivot". Option to change working pattern is there. Requires a form and contact with a manager, they are flexible on this.
Cons
Pay POOR PAY! There is very little transparency with pay. Those doing the same role can be on different salaries. Not a huge difference but enough to be a problem. They will wait for employees to approach them if errors are made with respect to pay/promotions HSL will not pro-actively fix or increase pay apart from the slight yearly increases in April. Policies Not the greatest sick policy! POOR MATERNITY LEAVE POLICY! Therefore not a family friendly place. Training Training is not easy to come by. Got worse 2019 onwards The head of training has erected herself as a barrier, she is not that happy to allow people onto the training ladder. They are concerned about retaining staff (they don't seem to realise their poor retainment is because they are kinda crap employers). Hours A 40 hour week? Not desirable for all. In a discipline that was Mon-Fri 0900-1730 HSL added compulsory Saturdays. Imagine how most staff felt about that.