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Element Materials Technology

Is this your company?

Had high hopes but disappointed - Lab Technician Element Materials Technology Employee Review

2.0
Jul 20, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

One or two members of upper and middle-upper management and many members of middle management are good, competent people. Coworkers are great (most have been there before local acquisitions and had already established good relationships.) Company doesn't just charge in and impose their will after an acquisition and allows the newly acquired to relax before gradually implementing changes. To date, there's been little micromanaging to speak of. Standard benefits (costs are rising of course) and a fairly good amount of PTO are given. Turnover is low (may be due to low availability of employment elsewhere.)

Cons

The pay is ok but thoroughly stagnant. Raises are based on pre-set categories with 99% of employees forced into the middle or below, netting them a 1 or 2% increase. It doesn't matter if you practically kill yourself trying. No one (at the bottom at least) gets Christmas bonuses and profit sharing is non-existent as quarterly goals are set falsely high. Too many overpaid men up high and not enough people actually doing what physically makes money. There is a clear divide between the worker bees who know more they're given credit (or paid) for and those who are clueless and grossly overpaid. Sexism is prevalent and women will never rise to upper management because it's a giant good old boys club. HR is part of this club, is very much in the pocket of corporate and does not genuinely care about the employees. Will not commit to purchases or honor professional promises that were made. Expect everything that will make your job easier/better/safer/more productive to be delayed but spending on the superficial or unnecessary is approved in record time. Image is valued more than quality or safety. Everyone is forced to work on 25+ year old equipment and many labs are stuck in outdated facilities. Pays a lot of lip service to safety but it's to save/make money, not out of concern for the employees. Tasks, broken equipment, poor communication and under-staffing force many people to lose PTO because they can't slow down enough to take time off or other people can't cover for them. Morale is low.

Explore other reviews about Element Materials Technology

5.0
Jan 18, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Amazing colleagues, good communication, flexible time off, good pay

Cons

There are none that come to mind

2.0
Jul 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The job is fun and you will get to see and do cool things. The skills you learn here are rare to obtain anywhere else in the industry, which makes you an attractive option to other employers. Sadly, that’s where the positives end.

Cons

- “Good ol’ boys” culture. Practically everyone already knows each other, with people hiring friends and family. Coworkers and management engage in cliques and favoritism. Two-faced coworkers will exclude, snitch on, blame, and backstab other coworkers repeatedly. - Awfully poor training. Certain senior technicians have no interest in involving or teaching you how to do the job. - Severely undermanaged and understaffed, which management has no idea how to fix. Management is only ever involved when something goes wrong. Accountability is a one-way street for certain individuals, and finger-pointing/blame culture is rampant. Depending on who you are, honest mistakes will be reprimanded severely while major safety violations warranting termination go completely unpunished. - High turnover. 30 people have left within the past year, with 11 of them not even making it to 1 year before jumping ship. The site averages a headcount between 50-60. There are less people year-over-year. - Zero growth opportunities. They hire new grads at the same or higher pay grade than people with years of experience.

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