There are too many to cover, so I will try my best to be thorough.
Let me start off by saying I took this job because I was having trouble getting a research position and I wanted to take something even semi-related to be field of interest. In my interview, I was told to go to the downtown office and then was asked to drive to the other location out on Ocean, because the CEO had to be there instead. Although it was frustrating to not be told to drive there beforehand, I obliged. Upon arriving, I was told he was running a little late. Almost 2 hours later, when I was just about to walk out, the CEO became available. This already put a negative taste in my mouth because we all know how important first impressions are. The interview was fairly standard and then when I quoted my desired salary I was told that it was "quite high for someone just out of college." This was laughable, as i was very aware the number I quoted was low (hence needing a job asap). Anyways..I was hired, jump to a few months in..
I started working in one department and over time was working in multiple. Some departments are worse-off than others, but the company is so small that everyone mostly works together. There are 3 prominent departments: recruiting, 'safety', and 'instrument' studies. This company primarily works with sponsors to test cosmetic and dermatological products--the 'safety' studies being more basic, and the instrument studies requiring additional measurements. Recruiters were often tasked with filling studies, even though there was not a large enough pool of people that were available for studies. (They would consistently say we have this # of people, but the fact was that number was outdated and the actual pool of participants was MUCH smaller). This would put unrealistic expectations on recruiters to fill studies, without the means to do so. In both study departments, there would be anywhere from 20-150 coming in to receive product/be tested. That being said there would be 3-5 people (pulling form every department) to handle the work. This would lead to people waiting for hours longer than expected i.e. angry participants, overworked and tired staff members. I was deemed good at costumer services, so I was often tasked with calming them down. This is especially true for the instrument department, where measurements can take a full hour to 2 hours for each person, and yet there are 4 people there running the study, dealing with 20-40 people coming in for testing. You get there at 8/9 and do not leave till about 8pm. This is with SOMETIMES a short lunch break, or none at all in some cases. You are tired, hungry and hot because the AC doesn't even work correctly. The most horrifying thing I witnessed was the treatment of the managers of these departments. They are given the amount of work for maybe 3-4 people, and expected to perform at 100% capacity. All while also trying to keep their employees from leaving because of the poor treatment. Even when managers would try to reason with the CEO for at LEAST better pay (to compensate the awful conditions and hours), he would say that it is unreasonable. With an hour commute into SF, i would leave at 8 and sometimes return as late as 10pm at night. Let me be clear that I am not a complainer, and I am an extremely hard worker--but this work environment was nothing like I had ever experienced. When you take people that are already ready to go above and beyond and run them into the ground, there is a serious problem.
Another fun fact that becomes a bit of an inside joke amongst co-workers are the endless, POINTLESS meetings. There are SO many meetings (which of course you are expected to drop everything for, even if they don't involve you), and none are productive nor necessary. These meetings can last hours at times, and just take up from the time you need to get your own work done.
There were quite a few forward-thinking people working at the company when I was there, but they are so bogged down with the work of 5 people (not an exaggeration) that they can make no progress on things that may actually improve the studies themselves. The CEO always claims to be a forward-thinker and is always speaking of ways to make Biometrix better, but he has no idea how to actually do it. He has no business expertise and will eventually run this company into the ground (hopefully sooner rather than later!) Besides the horrible pay, awful hours and terrible environment, the absolute worst thing about Biometrix is the CEO and the tone he sets for his company. His unethical viewpoints for how staff should be treated (PLEASE FOLLOW BASIC LABOR LAWS!!) make working for this company terrible. Don't ever even think of asking for your overtime pay, or paid time off, or vacation days because if you work here you will certainly not get that. I was told I could not take paid time off because I hadn't accrued any hours (directly stated that I would start accruing after 6months in the manual). When I left I didn't even bother trying to ask for my accrued time, because I was more concerned I would not even get my last check (this had happened to many previous employees; some even having to threaten going to the labor board to get theirs). One of the most appalling moments when I was told that I was unethical for giving my two weeks notice. This is almost laughable, considering many people would just not show up as a "screw you," when they left. This job made me miserable for a year and really affected my life in every aspect. I am so thankful to have made the decision to leave. Although I knew it was a terrible job, I did not know just how bad until getting a new position at a company that actually treats me like a human and values my work and commitment.
I URGE all people to stay away from this company. Even if you desperately need a job, anywhere else is better than this. You will make more money working as a waiter and living off tips than you do here, and you will still have time and energy to actually have a life. WORST experience of my worklife.
