Los Alamos National Laboratory Reviews
71% would recommend to a friend
(798 total reviews)
Thom Mason
78% approve of CEO
Top Review Highlights by Sentiment
Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor
- "Some great people within arm's reach that know about just about anything you need to find out in science" (in 63 reviews)
- "Nearly zero support from the bloated management team that seems to now constitute an unreasonably large part of the staff." (in 35 reviews)
Ratings by Demographics
This rating reflects the overall rating of Los Alamos National Laboratory and is not affected by filters.
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Found 798 of over 967 reviews
Updated Nov 29, 2023
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- 5.0Nov 29, 2023Director's Postdoctoral FellowFormer Employee, more than 3 yearsLos Alamos, CA
Pros
- Highly experienced colleagues, some of which are top of their fields. - Good permanent career opportunities. - Small town in the middle of an amazing natural beauty if that’s what you like.
Cons
- Thing could be slow or sometimes processes/decisions are not fully transparent.
- 4.0Nov 26, 2023Postdoctoral Research AssociateCurrent Employee, more than 1 yearLos Alamos, NM
Pros
Great coworkers. You can find very smart and talented people to work with. If you’re independent *and* competent *and* make yourself useful in projects, you’ll go far!
Cons
Kind of have to fend for yourself as a postdoc and push to get things done. Don’t count on others telling you what to do and then getting a paper out of it. Definitely have to find folks that look out for you as well.
- 3.0Nov 21, 2023R&D EngineerFormer Employee, more than 1 yearLos Alamos, NM
Pros
-LANL works on America's most vital technical problems, even other defense jobs don't compare to the things worked on here. -Technical training resources are easy to come by. So long as you can justify the need relative to your tasking, funding to get technical training is remarkably easy to come by. -The location is easily most beautiful that I've ever lived in. If you like outdoor activities there's an abundance of things to do after work. That said this is a double-edged sword....
Cons
-The office politics I experienced are easily the worst that I've encountered in my career. You don't even have to offend someone personally to have your projects derailed. If there's friction between groups, actions frequently are slow walked or "forgotten" even when clearly communicated and followed up on. The last time I saw this level of pettiness I was in High School. -Even when relations between groups are good, the sheer volume of red tape that one has to wade through to accomplish simple operations is daunting. The lab is governed by a dauntingly long series of DoE orders that only a few claim to understand, and those few often misinterpret those rules. The consequences of running afoul of DoE orders often means that those few gatekeepers word is taken as gospel, making long-term planning nigh impossible. Management is rarely useful in navigating any of this. -The on the job training was non-existent. I was stuck in cubicle by myself for months, no onboarding tasks to bring me up to speed. Until one day I was thrown on a project with no prep or support, I went from bored to the most stressed out I've ever been in the course of a day. -The location is very remote & the area sparsely populated. This is a problem if you're not an outdoors person & if you move here alone. Finding friends let alone dates can be a challenge, The dining options are also extremely limited as is housing. What houses exist are very old and expensive compared to other, larger cities. -Inflexible on telework, you are expected to work your entire week on-site regardless of actual mission needs. When I left, I had to have group leader approval to work even half a day from home, I've heard it's only gotten more draconian since.
- 5.0Nov 24, 2023ScientistCurrent Employee, more than 8 yearsLos Alamos, NM
Pros
Good pay, top-class researchers, interdisciplinary research potential.
Cons
Bureaucracy is very slow and sometimes frustrating
- 5.0Oct 30, 2023R&D EngineerCurrent Employee, more than 8 yearsLos Alamos, NM
Pros
Culture here is very employee centric; you are encouraged to spend all your hard-earned PTO anytime you want (as long as it doesn't sabotage the work). And most manager will try to work with you on any issue, be it work related or accommodate for personal stuffs. The town is amazing for raising children too
Cons
Far away from "city" life. Closest city is Albuquerque with 1:45 hours drive.
- 5.0Oct 31, 2023Computer Security SpecialistFormer Employee, more than 3 yearsLas Vegas, NV
Pros
Loved my job. Doing something that matters daily is very important to me and this job definitely matters for national security.
Cons
HRP representatives are too intrusive.
- 4.0Oct 27, 2023Radiological Control TechnicianCurrent Employee, less than 1 yearLos Alamos, NM
Pros
The people here are amazing, and the work is intellectually engaging.
Cons
The administration has some quirks that seem to be persistent despite numerous voices asking for change.
- 5.0Oct 30, 2023RecruiterCurrent Employee, less than 1 year
Pros
- Brilliant employees, both in intelligence and friendliness - Great benefits and time off - Fair pay and equitable wages
Cons
- Things are very structured, so change is hard.
- 5.0Oct 31, 2023Human ResourcesCurrent EmployeeLos Alamos, NM
Pros
salary and benefits commitment to national security
Cons
Los Alamos is a pretty remote location.
- 4.0Oct 26, 2023Grauduate Research AssistantFormer EmployeeLos Alamos, NM
Pros
Good pay, nice weather, interesting situation for graduates
Cons
Bad management, very boring, lots of hoops
Los Alamos National Laboratory Reviews FAQs
Los Alamos National Laboratory has an overall rating of 3.9 out of 5, based on over 967 reviews left anonymously by employees. 71% of employees would recommend working at Los Alamos National Laboratory to a friend and 69% have a positive outlook for the business. This rating has decreased by -3% over the last 12 months.
71% of Los Alamos National Laboratory employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews. Employees also rated Los Alamos National Laboratory 4.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.5 for culture and values and 3.9 for career opportunities.
According to reviews on Glassdoor, employees commonly mention the pros of working at Los Alamos National Laboratory to be coworkers, career development, benefits and the cons to be culture, management.
