Pros
-Variety of Techniques to learn: If you make the effort, you can learn a variety of techniques. However the people that know how to do these techniques properly are slim. I am confident by the end of the year, all the remaining talent at the company will be gone. If you are desperate, take the position as buffer into a better place. Just do not get stuck. -Free Coffee on Friday (Wooooo) -Once in a blue moon free PIZZA (but limited to 2 slices) -You can only go up from here! -No FANCY Holiday parties: you don't have to worry about getting a suit/dress for the company party :) -Free PARKING! -Personnel can be enjoyable to work with (up to a point however)
Cons
-Data Integrity does not exist: Their "tests" are skewed to make the client happy. I will not be surprised if some of these products fail clinical trails or get recalled due to the neglect of study directors to properly report negative findings. After working here, I am scared to try any new medical device coming out due to the fact how much neglect goes into some of the safety studies. When the FDA comes around, every scatters to make the data "LOOK" good. -The study and money comes before the animals. Limits are always pushed when the study should have been terminated in the beginning. -Employees are treated like disposable work horses: The hard working employees are not rewarded, but instead are left to pick up the slack of the lazy ones. Managers and supervisors do not see the imbalance of work, considering everyone is essentially making the same from the techs that have one study to the ones that have 10 going at once. -Salary: Toxikon is officially the lowest paying research organization in the area according to the recent GlassDoor salary reports. There has been no one that has left Toxikon and has not made significantly more. -Promotions: "Supervisors" are given the position after brown-nosing their way up. They lack the experience to be holding such positions. To become a manager all you have to do is agree with everything the directors say and have no opposing opinions. There are no leaders here, just followers brainwashed into thinking they can continue to move up. Ask a manager to show you how to tail vein dose; I will bet they will defer you to the "training supervisor" who just learned how to do it a few weeks ago. -Training: They tried to set up a training regime, but it fails every time. There are barely any fully competent upper management to show new employees the proper way of doing things. Best way to learn is find an experienced tech and have them show you! -As people join other companies, they are spreading the fact the Toxikon is as terrible as the name sounds. I have heard people say they would "NEVER HIRE SOMEONE FROM TOXIKON." Most HR and recruiters have dozens of resumes from Toxikon which will be put aside. Sad part is that there are clearly talented people there, and the ones that have potential are smothered by the toxic environment. -Study Directors: The "PhDs" hired are the ones who could not get a job anywhere else. Most of the time they have no idea what they are talking about, but what is scary is they think they do. Most are from lower-tier universities or foreign schools. There is not chance of mentorship, everyone is just worried about pumping out studies. -HR: More like the Toxikon police. They make working here uncomfortable as they are know to be watching through the security cameras. They are NOT on the employees side and tend to side with the company. They will find ways to underpay you for extended, unusual shifts (overnight). -No end of the year bonus -No appreciation. The last "party" consisted of cheese and crackers....