Fantastic Opportunity for Meaningful Impact on Drug Discovery - Research Associate II Boston Biochem Employee Review

Over the past 4 years the changes that have been made to both the culture and business operations at Boston Biochem have been nothing short of astonishing. The catalysts for these changes were twofold, with the first being the ousting of the former CEO who had been acting as managing director following the company's acquisition by R&D systems in 2011. The second was the turnover of employees who had become disgruntled or apathetic as a result of his gross mismanagement and frequent undeserved berating. Since that time, the new management has worked tirelessly to ensure that employees are properly supported in their projects and encouraged to focus on science rather than the bottom line. In doing so, there has not only been an increase in the quality products, but also in total sales for 4 straight years. Most importantly these changes have made Boston Biochem an overall more pleasant place to work. To make this a little more grounded I will mention that the work is challenging, there are still deadlines to be met, and failures do occur while working on new projects. However, unlike in years past, hard work is now rewarded, successes are highlighted, and failures are seen as opportunities to learn rather than chances for management to browbeat an employee. With all that said, I know that had I left Boston Biochem years back that my development as a protein biochemist would not have progressed nearly as much as it has, and there is no chance that would be surrounded by people that I enjoy working with as much as I do. As a final note, I find it imperative to point out that the previous comment (Bureaucratic, cliquey, unhelpful coworkers") was more than likely made by someone who worked here as an administrative assistant for less than three months and clearly believed that she was brought in to manage the company despite knowing nothing about biochemistry or business management.

We are a Bio-Techne subsidiary so we are subject to their bureaucracy, but management at Boston Biochem keeps the staff as well insulated as possible from things that might detract from the work at hand.

There is free coffee. Lots of it. Cappuccinos, regular and unlimited soda. Great white boards to draw on. Tons of flexibility for the lab staff.

Some nice people work here but are driven, like survivors on the Titanic, to throw co-workers over the rail in order to please the captain's demands for self-adulation. They attack each other like starving rats on a sinking ship. And, the criticism by the Director of everyone, is uniform. No one is omitted from the insanity of being criticized for exactly what the Director has asked for. And his minions follow his lead, sadly. Proactive behavior is punished and unwanted. One employee keeps nameplates of all the past employees who have quit or been used and thrown out, on his whiteboard! Erratic demands are made and changed with the orientation of the breeze here. People stay for the paycheck and the lack of pressure for any productivity. It's a 12 year old's playpen being run by ego maniac. Not a place to consider as a career move, nor a place for growth. I'd say it's his company, but actually, it isn't. Hasn't been for a long time. Corporate forgot to send him the memo.