Over the brink - Anonymous employee Helix Employee Review

1.0
Jun 14, 2019
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There are a few outstanding people still working at Helix.

Cons

In their quest to join the Bay Area's wealthy class, an impatient leadership team has given up on doing right by the customer; peddling sub-par products that prey on peoples' anxieties. Any discussion about this is out of the question, as is the overall transparency that once defined Helix's culture. Meanwhile the leadership is unable to make decisions for months at a time, resulting in long periods of directionless and self-defeating efforts, e.g. competing more directly with 23andMe, but offering a product that does 1/10th of theirs, only to pull the plug just a few months later. As the cherry on top, all the benefits and soft touches that once made Helix exceptional have successively been stripped away, with the messaging about these changes delivered with the precision and sensitivity of a sledgehammer.

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Helix Response
6y
Thanks for your feedback. In April we changed our strategy to focus on the success we're seeing in population health. Through this process, we have made decisions quickly and communicated openly with our team as we agree with you that an empowered team armed with a lot of information has always been part of what makes Helix special. We want to continue the Helix culture of an inclusive environment where anyone can provide feedback and have conversations with anyone else at the company. Additionally, our benefits and perks have not changed. We’ve always tried to support employees so that they can focus on their impact at Helix and have a healthy balance for life outside of Helix as well. Nothing has changed regarding health benefits, 401(k) + matching, paid parental leave, etc. If you perceive that something has changed, please let us know.
 James and I strongly believe in the future of Helix. More than ever, we continue to pursue our founding mission, which has not changed: to empower every person to improve their life through DNA. We're grateful for your time at Helix and helping build the company - and there is much more ahead. Please reach out if you want to chat more. You know where to find me, and I'd value a direct conversation. Justin Kao

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1.0
Nov 2, 2024
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Recommend
CEO approval
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Pros

The industry the company is in has potential.

Cons

After a decade, many basic processes are still not standardized. Simple tasks that should be easy elsewhere take unnecessary effort here. Mid-level managers form cliques, handling conflicts by forcing the more reasonable side to back down. Double standards are everywhere. People who don’t do the work tend to oppress those who do. Managers have a shallow understanding of both the work and people, resorting to bullying those who are kind while avoiding confrontations with the strong or rude. There's a constant manpower shortage, and higher-level issues are often dumped on lower-level employees, but salaries and promotions don’t reflect this. Meetings are mostly for show—employees are only allowed to ask trivial questions or praise each other. If you bring up real issues, they’ll either ask you to fix them yourself or tell you to stay quiet. Layoffs have been frequent over the past year, mostly targeting decent employees who won’t cause trouble or those who dare to speak up. The company is rigidly hierarchical, both in title and race. Middle managers give speeches as if they’re important figures, which is laughable. The quality of employees has dropped, and management is full of holes. Issues in old negative Glassdoor reviews remain unresolved to this day. The tolerance for toxic employees and the chaotic management have left good employees discouraged—they either find excuses to leave or simply cut down their productivity. As one one-star review said, this company needs a complete overhaul, not just minor tweaks.

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