Pros
Phenomenal co-workers Supportive managers Great banter and rapport
Cons
During a recent town hall our CEO referred to his employees as "gossips." He owes all Azenta employees an apology. Will HR allow this? Will there be any accountability for his words? That is not leadership. That is not a leader. Immediately after the town hall was complete you could feel the disappointment, disbelief, and anger from the employees. He states that the only employees who go on Glassdoor are too afraid to talk with their managers, but how does he know? He states that we need to "complain up" and that it will be reviewed and pushed back down, but we don't hear of any resolution, just the repeated rhetoric of "if you don't like it then leave." The CEO wants to then gaslight employees and say "come to me if you're thinking about leaving" Why would ANY employee want to discuss anything with the CEO directly when he is dismissive and condescending? Are they looking for individuals to target during the next round of firings? It feels like a bad case of bait and switch. They repeatedly say that if you don't agree with changes that are made then "you should look elsewhere" or that "it sounds like you aren't a match for this company" Really??? The company wants to say "we put people first" but then shut down their employees for speaking out on things they don't agree with. If the company makes a change affecting the employees, the employees are essentially told that the company doesn't care at all about them and if they don't like it then quit. There is absolutely NO room to have an opinion because you are shut down immediately and dismissed. The CEO/CHRO references Glassdoor reviews, and reiterated countless times that Glassdoor is "one data point" and that insinuate "unhappy" employees post negative reviews instead of talking to their manager. How does he know? I know countless employees across multiple departments that have discussed issues with their managers but nothing is done about it. Do those managers discuss with their managers? We have no idea. Does leadership review and take time to consider said grievances/concerns? We don't know. They say they do but words and actions do not align. Our concerns need to be met with empathy and a need to understand. Instead, it seems like our CEO says to "voice your concers" moreso as a blanket statement so that the company can claim that "we listen" yet all they're doing is covering their tracks. They only listen to respond and not listen to understand. Employees DO talk to their managers and nothing gets resolved because the company is delusional to how their employees feel. There is such a disconnect between leadership and employees. They say they "take reviews seriously" yet the actions of the company prove that to be 100% false. It was very disheartening that during the town hall that reviews are label as only "one data point" (emphasized greatly) as if there aren't 290 reviews on Azenta. But hey, 290 reviews are only "one data point," right? He proved the *necessity of platforms like Glassdoor based on his reluctance to acknowledge that the reviews on there are valid. He didn't seem to care about the disdain felt amongst his employees. Employees also encouraged to submit and ask questions during company meetings and they are ignored. Why are questions 'cherry-picked' to be answered? Apparently the company doesn't wonder why the same questions are being asked over and over again? If the company would actually acknowledge that their employees aren't happy and try to work with us to resolve the issue(s) or come to an agreement/compromise, then MAYBE employee morale would be higher and employee turnover would be lower. But that would require them to acknowledge that we are people and don't blindly agree with mandates laid upon us. The CEO is on a power trip. It feels like the company expects us to not have a life outside of work and you are made to feel ashamed if you have other priorities to take care of (like children/parental care/hobbys, etc.) He blatantly states that we are here NOT to make money but to make our clients happy. Really? I didn't know we were a non-profit??? If we're not here to make money then why is our revenue $500M-$1B? Why are we not listed as a 501(c)3? Why do we care if our customers are happy if we're not here to make money? We work here to make a LIVING! Based on job title, location, experience, and other submitted salaries, Azenta vastly underpays their employees. I could make $20K more than I'm making now and STILL be under the median range for my job title, years of experience, and location. HR are you listening? I can only image the same can be said across the board. If revenue is so high why can't they provide better wages to their employees? Or are employees supposed to be under the impression that "we're not here to make money" so that we don't demand market analyses. RTO is an absolute joke. The "excuse" is that we need to "collaborate" with teams yet the teams/individuals that we collaborate with are not required to go to the office, are in a different office location, in a different state, or in a different COUNTRY! The majority of calls are still on Teams. How is that collaboration? Most of us cannot walk to a coworkers cubicle to ask them direct questions because they aren't in the same office! RTO is misogynistic and a way for employers to control their employees. Why can't there be flexibility? It's very convienent that Azenta will reference articles and studies that support RTO but coincidently avoid discussing studies that show WFH actually maintains/improves production, increases employee happiness, and reduces turnover and burnout. Why do they ignore those studies? Why can't RTO be left up to the team managers on what days their teams need to be in the office? After all, the managers know their team members more than the CEO. He claims that he visits sites and has listened to employee voices yet it seems like those who go to the meetings or those he meets with either align with his views or blindly agree with him so that they do not lose their job. They rushed RTO and the Indianapolis and Plainfield sites are busting at the seams. They continue to state they want to bring more people in the office but there's no space. There's no privacy. They continue to convert previous conference/training rooms to house more people and pack employees in like sardines. The fact that they have to get outdoor trailers to house employees is laughable. If RTO is required why are new job postings listed as remote? Joe off the street gets to WFH but employees who have invested years at the company are MANDATED to work in the office? Or are the jobs listed as remote only to bait and switch candidates and say "oh it's a hybrid model" I truly wish that our CEO would recognize that there are GREAT people who work here and his stance and words are encouraging them to leave. We are human beings who have lives outside of work: we have kids, we have family responsibilities, we have hobbys. It seems like the expectation is that since leadership works all hours of day/night that ALL employees need to do the same. It's not sustainable. Azenta should understand this: Your company culture is not words on your website or posters on the wall, but how employees feel on a Sunday night. Outside of the detached leadership, managers and co-workers are GREAT and have phenomenal banter and cohesiveness, even without RTO.
