Pros
There are many growth opportunities if you have the potential and can navigate the internal bureaucracy and biases. It’s a good place to advance into management roles and seek better opportunities elsewhere. As a small company with a local workforce, everyone knows each other, leading to good social interactions.
Cons
Toxic Management: The site is notorious for terminating employees without cause at all levels, including technicians, supervisors, managers, and even directors. Offending certain individuals' egos can lead to dismissal without justification. The company is well-known to labor boards and employment lawyers in the area. Site leadership lacks vision and is very short-sighted. The average tenure for technicians is less than 12 months, and for managers, less than 24 months. Employees either leave voluntarily or are terminated. Poor Safety Culture: Incidents such as spills, injuries, fires, and steam leaks are common. Even the site’s Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) team does not adhere to safety protocols. No Work-Life Balance: Employees are expected to work around the clock without proper compensation, leading to poor working conditions in most departments and high turnover. The site has a reputation for overpromising and underdelivering, resulting in multiple failed projects and dissatisfied clients. Leadership lacks the expertise to run a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) effectively, worsening work conditions and losing clients. Limited Experience: Most employees have not worked outside the East Coast or at global CDMOs, limiting their understanding of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and successful CDMO operations. Site leadership has grown within the company, lacking broader management exposure and CDMO expertise. Inadequate Compensation: HR tends to offer low salaries unless candidates have other offers to leverage. Their pay range does not match North American CDMO standards, resulting in short employee tenures unless they are locals. Favoritism and Systemic Issues: There is a culture of favoritism and some systemic racism. HR hires internally without managers' knowledge and does not post positions for equal opportunity. The site frequently hires and fires employees, blaming failures on employees rather than the Executive Leadership Team (ELT). Consequently, the site has faced numerous unsuccessful projects. Employee Treatment: Great companies succeed because of great employees, but not here. The company fails to hire the right people and frequently terminates employees. It is the only company where an ELT member can fire a technician, bypassing directors and managers. HR: They won't allow you to hire the approved headcount; instead, they will make you fire your team members if the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) has issues with someone.