Pros
I enjoyed the ambiance in the company – bright walls, interesting paintings and sculptures, ergonomic furniture. Very atypical of a company like Phenomenex. People were friendly and very helpful. There are times for fun and laughter and there are times for serious hard work. The company’s focus is mainly on sales and marketing. If you are in one of these departments, starting basic pay is outrageously low, but if you produce well, bonuses can boost you to unprecedented levels. It takes time and hard work. That is the reason why there is a high turnover in sales. Most new hires (directly out of college) do not have the stamina that former generations had. It is not a “soft” job. “Hard work” seems to be unfamiliar to these new generations, who are used to, “I want it, I want it now” attitude. One cannot be in marketing if he/she is ineffective in sales. Phenomenex has an excellent research department. Look at all the new products that came out in the past years. Though some of them are acquired, they still need the Phenomenex “touch” to keep the product noticed in the market place. I used to work with the research and senior scientists at the Torrance plant and I have high respect and admiration for all of them. This is a family owned business and thus, it feels like a typical family – some misunderstanding, some bickering, but all in all I believe that it is a good company to work for because most (if not all, there are always bad sheep in the family) are aware that the success of the company lies in the combined efforts of its employees – the family members, so to speak.
Cons
The company puts the quality assurance (QA) department in the back seat. Quality control (QC) is separate from QA, and it seems that upper management thinks that QC is a “need”, but QA is a “want”. Something to show people that we have QA and all the certifications that we need to prove the company have quality products. Yes, I admit, Phenomenex has quality products. But, how was that insured? Through the watchful eyes of QA.