GSA - Chemist Granite State Analytical Employee Review

Work Environment Benefits communication and responsiveness

High work load. not enough discipline

I had a job that was "in my field" The owner is nice. He hired another person when I begged him. He gave me a small raise and 2 bonuses and also let me withdraw my 2 weeks notice. Some people in management helped me in the lab when I was overworked. Some in management and my direct manager were nice to me. They helped me get the job done when it seemed impossible. Its a talkative, social place. The pleasantries were short-lived.

The company feels like a family, which is nice for employee meals and the occasional coffee break, but, lets be clear, its a catty family. The training was non-existent as previously described and the trainees were passive aggresive as also described by that other review. You get attacked for first time mistakes and humiliated in front of management when criticizing heavy workload requirements. The work load was essentially the work of 2 people off the bat! I hated the management structure. It felt like 5 nasty people coming to attack you for slight problems at any given moment. Like a verbal barrage at times. I was blamed for things I didn't do. The management said I broke the instrument due to the software freezing mid-use due to expired software when they use Windows 7 and have old technology. There are no secrets in this place. I was required to lift heavy lab equipment where I did permanent damage to my spinal column. I have sciatic nerve pain issues now and had 2 months of PT. The injury was covered by workers comp. Worst of all there were absolutely no work standards to keep coworkers accountable to pull their own weight. My coworkers would go out and chat in the lobby for an hour at a time when I was required to work. If I would stop working at all I would get attacked or criticized for it. There are no consistent standards per task and each person will try to get things done differently. This was frustrating and made the job harder. Seniority counts for nothing here. The company and coworkers will shame you and they bring you into nasty group meetings to make you feel unwell. The management structure made me feel tense while working. You are required to work with bleach so your clothes will get ruined as the company does not provide PPE and it takes them a literal year to buy you a lab coat. The pay was bad. They routinely make you work past the scheduled work shift. There is no 401k in the first year and the open enrollment period was short. Employee turnover was very high. I have worked in Pharma labs through contract companies that had poor reputations that were better than this. Weak skillset unless you are a college grad on top of a miserable work experience. I didn't learn any new scientific techniques at all while being treated like a child. No room for growth. It reminded me of the trades more than working in Big Pharma.