Pros
Only one pro- The amazing, friendly lab staff that keep the busy ticking over. (Not including senior management)
Cons
Where to begin.... Firstly, if you are intending to join this company, (I recommend that you do not), interviews are carried out by determining whether you are an individual who can be easily manipulated to work excessively long hours without argument. Analysts are given enough work for at least two analysts I.e. Being made to analyse, maintain 8 HPLCs while preparing multiple series dilutions, while also filling out all relevant lab books to a compliant standard and loading samples on all systems. If you communicate with your team leader that "one person cannot do this work all in one day", the normal answer is "it most be done today, so figure it out". If you decide to leave the work till the next day, mainly due to the fact that you've already completed a 10 hour shift, your line manager will normally send you a lovely email the next morning reprimanding you for not pulling a miracle out. These are the emails that make you want to jump out of bed and go into work in the morning...NOT!! New starters are given the most basic training from one member of staff who is trainer for the entire company. Due to the trainers extremely heavy workload, new starters are normally left in an office corner for no fewer than 3 days to read SOPs constantly. If this hasn't made you leave already, you will find yourself handed over to your department to either "sink or swim". You will most likely pick up most of your training from the over worked lab staff who don't really have time to take on a new responsible at the time. You are given approx 3 months to meet the same level of work as the rest of the team. If you struggle to do this or the team leader or senior staff don't like you, you will find yourself either moved to a different department or they will find a way of getting rid of you. Another issue is compliance. Staff are frequently told to carry out experiments with non approved methods and protocols. This is happening in both RnD and GMP facilities. At one point, an analyst was handed a method via post it note to carry out by the Member of staff who was leader of QC at the time. This method was not approved by the company nor the client at the time. This is a consist practic throughout the whole company. You are likely to suffer with extreme stress and if you omit this condition to your line manager or to HR, you will struggle severely to rise up the job ladder within this company. In the last 3 months alone, approx 20 staff have left or are leaving. This includes most of HR, a number of senior staff and scientists and junior staff from most departments. The reasons given by staff who are leaving, for the approx 20% retention loss consists of reasons as follows: - overworked - underpaid - bullied by line manager - ideas dismissed due to lower role in team - put in unbearable working conditions - not wanting to work in an unprofessional environment The hierarchy of importance for this company is as follows: - Profit, profit, profit - customers - Senior management - quality of work - maintenance of equipment - other staff Please remember the these are my opinions and experiences. Take my word for it on this company or find out for yourself to your own detriment.