Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory "red tape" Reviews | Glassdoor
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    Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Employee Reviews about "red tape"

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    37 Employee Reviews

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    1. "Engaging Work for a Purpose"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Livermore, CA
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Livermore, CA
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory full-time (More than 10 years)

      Pros

      I want to feel like my work is for a higher purpose - and that's what I've found working at LLNL. I believe in the mission, the vision and the values. The people I work with have the same passion about their work and we have fun. When someone asks where I work, I'm proud to say I work at the Lab.

      Cons

      Working for the government is not for everyone. There is red tape and bureaucracy.

      Advice to Management

      Transparent leadership is the key to fostering a culture of trust.

      Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Response

      Sep 12, 2018 – Recruiting Group Leader

      Thank you for your review of the Lab. We are proud of the Lab's mission, vision and values and we're glad you're proud to work for LLNL!

    2. Helpful (1)

      "LLNL Summer Intern"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Intern - Graduate Student in Livermore, CA
      Former Intern - Graduate Student in Livermore, CA
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as an intern (Less than a year)

      Pros

      Exciting work, friendly people, consistently challenged

      Cons

      Some old facilities, red tape

      3. Join the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory team
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    3. "Computational Engineering Division"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Intern - Ced
      Current Intern - Ced
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as an intern (Less than a year)

      Pros

      Friendly, Intelligent, Professional work environment. As a senior undergrad, I am fairly compensated at 23.80/hr. Hands down the best place I have ever worked (maybe about 4 companies total)

      Cons

      Red tape, don't expect to get through projects very quickly

      Advice to Management

      They are great!

    4. "Good Work Life Balance,"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      I came from a private consulting company and the hours/work-life balance and the benefits at LLNL are way ahead of my old workplaces. We have flexible schedules, inexpensive health insurance (through Kaiser), and a god 401LK. Managers respect time off.

       The older employees here grumble a lot, but I think many of them have no idea what the outside is like and how good we have it here. If many of these employees had to work a job at a normal, for-profit company and would be expected to do productive work (not just watching Fox News and movies all day) and work more than 2 hours a day they would realize how good they have it here.

      Cons

      Inefficient. Like others have mentioned, there is a lot of red tape. There is also a frustrating amount of bloat, including a lot of admin staff that seems unnecessary. There are also too many managers supervising a small handful of employees, and mangers of those managers and more managers.
      Decrepit facilities. There are too many people and not enough places for staff. We have had water leaking through our roof that has to be caught in 55 gallon trash cans every time it rains. This has been going on for well over 2 years. Old, disintegrating trailers are stuffed to the gills with people with no budget for repairs or improvements, and no new office space in sight.

      Advice to Management

      Cut payroll bloat and re-invest in facilities. It seems like managers are petrified of lawsuits and cant fire unproductive people if they have gotten beyond their probation period

    5. "A place to make a real impact in the world"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Contract Analyst
      Current Employee - Contract Analyst
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Decent pay, great benefits, flexible hours, very talented people and the opportunity to make a real impact.

      Cons

      Government red tape and bureaucracies hinder progress, taking a lot of work to get little done. This is, however, inevitable in this line of work and industry (Federal Government). Good restaurants are a little ways from the lab so you have to either bring your own lunch or eat at 1 of the 2 subpar cafeterias on campus.

      Advice to Management

      Continue to monitor the pay and benefits of the private sector to ensure competitive compensation to retain employees.

    6. "Intern"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      Pros

      Great organization with a meaningful mission. Will not find a better government job in the country.

      Cons

      Bureaucracy and red tape, which is expected.

    7. "Great Career Move"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Nuclear Facility Manager in Livermore, CA
      Current Employee - Nuclear Facility Manager in Livermore, CA
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Great compensation, benefits, 401k matching, and work/life balance. Most importantly, LLNL is a leader in many advance technologies and the work directly impacts the safety of our country.

      Cons

      Being a government contractor does mean there is a lot of red tape. Coming from another DOE contract laboratory, that is to be expected when you are dealing with the government.
      Commute traffic in California Bay Area can be really bad, but supervision at LLNL will work with you to find what work hours works best for you and your commute (within reason) and are understanding if you are late due to an accident on the interstate.
      Additionally, housing prices in the Bay Area are very high. Overall the pros far outweigh the cons.

      Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Response

      Jan 29, 2018 – Employee Relations Program Leader

      Thank you for your review. LLNL has a very competitive benefits package and values work/life balance.

    8. "Great for student growth"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Intern - Intern in Livermore, CA
      Former Intern - Intern in Livermore, CA
      Recommends
      Neutral Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as an intern (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      Great work environment, good mentors, fun projects, supportive environment

      Cons

      TONS and TONS of red tape, but I suppose that's the nature of the huge government funded beast

      Can't take pictures. Again, just the nature of the workplace.

    9. Helpful (1)

      "Computer Scientist"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Computer Scientist in Livermore, CA
      Current Employee - Computer Scientist in Livermore, CA
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      World class programming challenges, world class supercomputers to work on. Brilliant and friendly people to work with. National security is a vital mission, and that is what LLNL does.

      Cons

      Stifling red tape and regulations. Staggering amounts of training required. If you need a government clearance, two years is probably what to expect for the wait, unless you have something unusual---then it is anybody's guess.

      Advice to Management

      Work life balance is really important to me with a young family: I'm glad that's an LLNL priority. However, so is compensation parity with the private sector.

    10. "Overall a nice place to work"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory full-time

      Pros

      Amazing campus, good work life balance, great benefits, lots of fun science

      Cons

      The area is incredibly expensive, you could never afford a house in Livermore unless you moved here with lots of money and the commute is terrible from anywhere affordable. Hiring is difficult, lots of red tape

      Advice to Management

      make it easier for employees who want to be there and care about their work to advance.

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