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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Reviews

4.4

90% would recommend to a friend

(1394 total reviews)

Director Kimberly S. Budil

Kimberly S. Budil

95% approve of CEO

Ratings by category

4.6

Work/Life Balance

4.4

Career Opportunities

4.3

Culture & Values

4.3

Diversity & Inclusion

4.1

Senior Management

4.0

Compensation and Benefits

Ratings distribution

5 stars

61%

4 stars

23%

3 stars

10%

2 stars

5%

1 star

2%

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Found 1,394 of over 2K reviews

Updated Nov 21, 2023

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Top Review Highlights by Sentiment

Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor

Pros
  • "Great people on my team who loved being in each other's company (even played board games together during breaks).(in 165 reviews)
  • "Work Life Balance is good(in 159 reviews)
  • "Great benefits and 401k.(in 150 reviews)
  • "Pay is good (over all maybe not so much for the area though)(in 64 reviews)
  • "Many opportunities to branch out into new fields and improve your skills(in 46 reviews)
Cons

Ratings by Demographics

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This rating reflects the overall rating of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and is not affected by filters.

    1. 5.0
      Nov 20, 2023
      Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee, more than 8 years
      Livermore, CA
      Recommend
      CEO Approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Work/LIFE balance is possible as a mother of 3 and a professional I struggle to find a balance but my job here helps me to be there for my kids and contribute to the Lab's mission.

      Cons

      Telecommuting is still somewhat normal in a post-covid environment, however, there isn't total buy in from every department across the Lab

      1. 5.0
        Oct 28, 2023
        Anonymous Employee
        Current Employee
        Recommend
        CEO Approval
        Business Outlook

        Pros

        Genuinely nice people. Everywhere. It will take you a long long time to meet a genuine jerk there. In fact, I have yet to meet one at all. Low key but mission driven. Everyone has a sense of purpose, but an abundant sense of work life balance while pursuing it. The healthiest and most positive working environment I have had in my professional life. People come here for the reputation of the lab and stay because they’re just… happy.

        Cons

        Pays less than other tech firms in the area. But this is balanced out by better job stability and much less stress in the corporate environment. Maybe you won’t get the new Tesla with your salary, but you’ll be spiritually and physically much happier driving to your sensible working hours at the lab in your Prius. I promise.

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        1. 3.0
          Nov 21, 2023
          ESH Professional
          Current Employee, more than 1 year
          Livermore, CA
          Recommend
          CEO Approval
          Business Outlook

          Pros

          The biggest pro of working here is the people (your coworkers). Interesting projects and work too. Opportunities to learn often.

          Cons

          Management is out of touch. No accountability.

          1. 5.0
            Oct 15, 2023
            Staff Scientist II
            Current Employee, more than 3 years
            Livermore, CA
            Recommend
            CEO Approval
            Business Outlook

            Pros

            When projects, vision and mission are led by those with PhDs in physics, math and engineering, it makes life as a scientist better. Without the burden of quarterly earning calls, I felt like the work done at Livermore was very high quality.

            Cons

            My personal preference is for a faster pace, more progressive (technologically) environment. I completely understand why the working environment is siloed from the rest of the world (for good reason), but sometimes I felt like colleagues and staff in general were oblivious to new and upcoming methods. I felt like I was suffocating in a bubble.

            1. 1.0
              Oct 11, 2023
              Postdoctoral Researcher
              Current Employee, more than 1 year
              Recommend
              CEO Approval
              Business Outlook

              Pros

              The 9/80 schedule is fantastic. The 401k matching and healthcare benefits are good.

              Cons

              - The vast majority of the work at LLNL is related to weapons, and the projects are honestly pretty mundane. Management misleads potential hires to believe that they could work on cutting edge fundamental science, but nearly all of the funding is for weapons. - Publishing is extremely difficult because you can't really publish on on nuclear-related projects, plus lots of red tape. It's clear that management does not care about publishing. As a postdoc, that is unfair when the sole requirement to get promoted to a staff scientist is publishing two papers. - The culture, or lack thereof, is terrible. LLNL is not a collaborative place to work at all! Most employees are mediocre and try to get other people to do their work for them while taking credit. - There is too much reliance on WebEx calls. Nobody uses cameras on WebEx, and there are very few in person meetings. In two years, I barely met any of my coworkers in person, which is depressing.

              1. 5.0
                Nov 14, 2023
                Computer Programmer
                Former Employee, more than 10 years
                Livermore, CA
                Recommend
                CEO Approval
                Business Outlook

                Pros

                Work on projects that matter to the nation and the world.

                Cons

                Cost of housing in Livermore requires many to have to commute.

                1. 5.0
                  Nov 14, 2023
                  Administrative Assistant
                  Current Employee, more than 1 year
                  Oakbrook Terrace, IL
                  Recommend
                  CEO Approval
                  Business Outlook

                  Pros

                  Great team Nice environment Courteous workers

                  Cons

                  Work alone A lot of hands on tasks

                  1. 4.0
                    Nov 13, 2023
                    ESH Technician
                    Current Employee, more than 5 years
                    Livermore, CA
                    Recommend
                    CEO Approval
                    Business Outlook

                    Pros

                    The people are good and really helpful. Almost everyone only want to help you succeed and advance in your career.

                    Cons

                    Pay is higher than average but cost of living takes away all benefits of high pay.

                    1. 5.0
                      Nov 3, 2023
                      Anonymous Employee
                      Current Employee, less than 1 year
                      Recommend
                      CEO Approval
                      Business Outlook

                      Pros

                      Good wlb and nice/understanding employees.

                      Cons

                      Some offices can be on the older side.

                      1. 4.0
                        Oct 13, 2023
                        Computer Scientist
                        Current Employee, more than 10 years
                        Livermore, CA
                        Recommend
                        CEO Approval
                        Business Outlook

                        Pros

                        Exiting projects that make an impact, opportunities to work in cutting-edge fields.

                        Cons

                        * Fully remote work requires many approvals, there is a supposed space shortage so why require us to come onsite if we can do our work remotely? * Line management organizations don't find you new projects when you need them, poor communication between them and "program organizations" that fund the work * IT could use help, deployed systems can be glitchy due to images loaded with security features, expect time you can't work due to IT issues

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                      Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Reviews FAQs

                      Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5, based on over 1,651 reviews left anonymously by employees. 90% of employees would recommend working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to a friend and 87% have a positive outlook for the business. This rating has improved by 1% over the last 12 months.

                      According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.0 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

                      90% of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews. Employees also rated Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 4.6 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.3 for culture and values and 4.4 for career opportunities.

                      According to reviews on Glassdoor, employees commonly mention the pros of working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to be benefits, coworkers, career development and the cons to be culture, management.

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                      Administrative Assistant

                      I haven't worked since Jan. 2020 when my job as administrative assistant for the Hospitalist group was eliminated. I can't begin to count the number of applications submitted, interviews I've had, jobs that I was told were mine then they weren't, etc. Several jobs have fallen through or not panned out. I am not a job hopper and want to stay where I go. I have a zoom interview tomorrow for a front desk receptionist position at an oral surgeon's office. Any interview tips are appreciated.

                      3
                      0 Comments

                      Payroll Chick

                      Didn’t get past phone interview but I still see the job posted and the manager is posting on LI like they are desperately trying to fill the position. I’m perfectly qualified. Do I reach back out or let it go?

                      4
                      19 Comments

                      Jaspreet Kaur Taak

                      Hii I had applied for an admin job and in November for which I cleared 3 stages I.e assessment exam, phone interview, Teams interview with head HR and now I've been called for an in-person interview. Should keep high hopes for getting this job and also what kind of questions can be asked for the face to face interview.

                      1
                      0 Comments

                      Glassdoor has 1,651 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reviews submitted anonymously by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is right for you.