I Went to College for THIS? - Lab Analyst I Pace Analytical Employee Review

Oh, where to begin? Everything is decided short-term, with no thought as to back-end costs. Working with contaminated samples has limited appeal to start, and I was looking for new work after less than a year on the job. College degreed people got stuck with tasks they could have done right out of high school, like sample prep. Cross-training seldom occurred, and promotions were few and far between and inconsistently awarded. Pay was comparable to some general-labor jobs (under $16/hour when I left; started at $12.50) that required only high-school credentials. My lab was doing most of its work one at a time and by hand before the buyout, as well as after, despite promises of upgrades. Complaints about the costs of overtime were numerous, but biggest change was LIMS, which did nothing to address base inefficiencies. There was money for buyouts but not for upgrades. Used equipment was bought but was often not functional, requiring expensive service calls. They were so, so stingy! It was always a rush, rush, rush atmosphere. Later building management was brought on from another lab about 40 miles away. They played favorites with staff brought on from that lab. They micromanaged us and would not listen to anything we suggested because they were management and we weren't. More than once in busy times we had hour-long meetings if we couldn't process samples in time, putting us even farther behind schedule. Workloads varied wildly depending on the season. Sometimes 60-hour weeks weren't long enough to accomplish tasks, while other weeks, 25 hours left us twiddling thumbs. People were fired despite our busyness. No replacements were hired. It took three and a half months to get a new person in my lab despite the departing one giving three weeks' notice. Things had to go way, way wrong before anyone would listen. Company takes people for granted. Praise from management always seemed hollow. Cardboard and glass not recycled.