Pros
Your co-workers are the only shining light in that dark, dreary place
Cons
Saw a review yesterday about the research group, and I couldn't agree more. We had this big to-do to open our new research site. We were given tshirts that we were expected to wear, but we were told that this event wasn't for us. They purposely excluded us from some of the festivities. We have been dealing with many issues since we got here, and even through all that, we aren't important enough to be able to celebrate our new building? Don't let the smoke and mirrors fool you. It's all a dog and pony show. Morale here is low. Dreadfully low. It seems like every weak someone is leaving and finding greener pastures. They refuse to hire contractors for full-time positions. They continue to allow people who are not managers/supervisors act as such. As a technician, you will not be treated fairly if you are in certain groups. There are chemists who refuse to listen to the advice of technicians, and then when experiments go wrong, blame that technician who tried to warn them. Safety is just a word, not a culture. Don't let them tell you otherwise. They are worried about getting the business sold, not actually sustaining the business. As long as you accept that, you should be okay. It's still a crappy place to work. Don't expect credit for your work, because only a few people will actually give it to you. Also, don't try to work harder than your co-workers. It really gets you in trouble. Don't take on any extra work, because you will be beaten into submission to stay in the prescribed box that is the technician role. Don't expect to be promoted. Their "progression" for technicians is just how to become a better technician. Their rating system is not based on how you did compared to your goals, but how you did compared to others in other groups. If you don't work on a hot project, you can't get a high rating, even if you busted your tail. Why work hard if you are going to get an average rating? Why work hard if you aren't going to get promoted? Why work hard if you aren't even going to get recognition? Why work hard if your chemist doesn't know how to say "thank you?" Basically, this is a terrible place to work. If you talk to people on the inside, most of us are looking for other jobs. We may not be talking about it, but we are trying to get out. No one wants to be here, except maybe the chemists who get to look down at us as if we were peasants.