Their are too many cons to count. First of all, they are extremely cheap. The equipment is in terrible condition and they spend no money investing in upkeep. If your equipment breaks down, you better find a way to fix it, because upper management won't help you. I had traveled to over 10 branch labs over my career with EMSL, and its the same story everywhere.
The pay is very bad. When I would hire a person in 2013 as a manager, the starting pay was the same as what I made when I started with the company in 2003. No increase over a decade, pathetic. The raises are awful. 2% at most if you are lucky to get one.
Trying to get anything done was impossible because upper management flat out ignored you. I attempted over the course of 3 years to get a lead department set up, and no one helped me, but then I was criticized for this. This happened so many times in so many situations. I would ask someone for help, whether it was my regional manager or a vice president, I would get no help at all, and then they would come back later and say, "Why isn't this done?".
I fired an employee and she wrote a letter to upper management containing a slew of lies and over exaggerations about me. My superiors handled this accusation very unprofessionally. They took every word of what this disgruntled employee who worked for the company for 1.5 yeas said and believed it. I was guilty before any questions were asked. One of the VPs traveled to our lab and "investigated" me by interviewing my employees and reamed me for accusations that were completely unfounded and unproven without any representation from human resources. This is the way they treat dedicated, loyal, hard working employees.
The benefits are awful. The health insurance is so incredibly expensive I couldn't even afford it for just myself, I have no idea how someone making $12 an hour could ever afford it. I had to get health insurance independently.
You are expected to work insane hours. Several times I was in the lab in the middle of the night and weekends, including Sundays.
I had no idea how much money my lab was making. They would spew numbers at you telling you the lab wasn't successful, but since they wouldn't share the revenue information, I never knew if they were being honest.
I had signed a non-compete contract with them. After I was let go, various VPs called every single potential employer in the Denver area and informed them of my non-compete contract. Now I am prevented from working in my field, the only field I have worked in my entire career since I graduated college.
They really do not value their employees and they do not treat them with respect. When I look back on my career with EMSL, they really failed me on several levels. I am disappointed in them as a company, and I am extremely disappointed in a couple of the VPs, I feel like I was abandoned by them. I am very happy that I do not work for them anymore.
