Avo Photonics reviews

The management (Board of Directors) are cold and rude - bordering on socially inept. The company is CHEAP...would much rather have inefficient, antiquated tools and systems (and pay engineers to maintain them) than invest in infrastructure. Talk about a dog and pony show...when customers come to visit and tour the clean room, the office staff (engineering, administration, etc) are forced to dress up and pretend to be busy in production to provide the illusion of a much larger/busier company. They will try to sell you that they are an over-achieving small company with large financial backing - in reality they are a stuck-up dictatorship being run by someone who would be successful if only he could do everything himself. They will try to hire you on the cheap, and it you get more from them than they want to pay you initially, they will be rude to you and constantly remind you that they do not think you are up to their standard. Forget about any sort of on-boarding process... 9-10 hour days are the "17 pieces of flair"; in other words, the bare minimum

The profit margin is impressive because the company refuses to hire enough employees to cover the scope of work. Avo may be 'star child' of the photonics division, but the entire staff is overworked, desperate to move on, and prone to making unnecessary mistakes due to working 12+ stressful hours a day. This tactic is short-sighted and only beneficial for pinching pennies; in the mean time, talent is either being wasted or walking out the door. Established PhDs have left due to constant micromanagement, a non-existent work/life balance, and the overarching anxiety that strongholds staff at this cult company. If you do not quit but fail to assimilate into the culture, you will be laughed at and fired. It is likely that Avo will have a turn-over rate that encompasses most of the company within just a few years. Despite the family dynamic at Avo, it is hard for most people here to justify why we stay. It is certainly not the management, the hours, the pay, or the benefits that salvage the situation. The only reasons to stay are impending retirement or being a stakeholder in the company. If you interview at Avo, ask about the retention rate--and then compare your offered salary to what engineers should be making according to market value (especially considering the 12 hour work days). Then keep these reviews in mind.