laboratory technician

IDEXX Laboratories

I strongly agree with other comments that said "work here ONLY if you really have to".

I worked as a specimen processor for about 6 months, night shift. My work hours are from 10:30PM to 7AM everyday, 6 days a week. At the beginning, I didn't like how I was the only one in the entire department working the night shift, cause I like to work with people, and working at midnight doesn't allow you that luxury. BUT, as I start  to get to know people from other department that work night shifts there, I was SO GLAD that I didn't have to interact with ANYONE there. Particularly, the lab manager for the midnight shift. She went around gossiping about people, and didn't do her job other than walking around the lab and interrupting people. People are often very rude and had no respect for others. The facility is a MESS! Clearly the ventilation was terrible, which is worrisome, especially because there are biohazard lying around everywhere. Clearly people there are not trained on WHIMIS properly (the first day of working there, I got a 2 page WHIMS quiz and the answer sheet to all the questions provided), and they were completely oblivious to the stupid and dangerous things that they constantly do. 

Don't even think about the opportunity of advancement at this place. You will get paid close to min wage, and 2 dollars extra per hour for working night shifts. At least for the night shift staff, nobody there wa s truly qualified to do their job, which is why they probably accept that terrible min wage. Honestly, after working for this place, I don't even trust the test results for my pet anymore, thinking that these are the people and this is the place that does the exams. 

Recommended for those that don't really wanna build a career and are okay with earning pitiful pocket money for life, CERTAINLY NOT for uni/college grads that actually think of building a career.

Overnight travel is significantly more than 75% and vets don’t support “drop in” visits since COVID but are enjoying phone/text/email support instead but IDEXX managers keep forcing FSRs to be “face-to-face” despite these requests. Territory coverage is huge and meeting requirements is almost impossible face-to-face vs virtually. Benefits are good. Pay is still a little low but is not a sales position so there is little room for more compensation if your paired with a less motivated sales person. Training is intense and through - you learn a lot very quickly and expectations are high. Some colleagues have formed alliances or personal relationships so they’re leery of welcoming newcomers to the team and being supportive - a lot of being nice to your face but talking behind your back which is not addressed by supervisors, especially when the “favorites” are doing it. Customers are great and managing your own schedule are blessings. If the team toxicity was addressed by managers and opportunities for more earnings were possible, it would be pretty much an ideal job. 

I work nights and there is always a sense of urgency to get our work done as quickly and proficiently as possible due to turn around times in the lab. Socializing in the workplace is generally frowned upon unless work is finished early; which can make it slightly awkward when first joining this workplace.

Cross training has been implemented and is encouraged which allows you to experience different departments within the lab. Co-workers are all friendly and management is helpful and attentive.

Training is a big issue with this company. There is no real set training regiment for any department which can leave new employees flustered to wait around for someone to explain what they should be doing.

My typical day starts between 8 and 9 a.m. and ends between 3 and 4 p.m. I spend my time carrying out experiments, sample preparation, sensitivity testing, use of lab instrument like vitek and microscan panel, reading, interpreting and releasing test results, filing lab records & documentation as per the protocol and submits reports to the lab supervisor,  keeping up to date with the current microbiology literature. I had very  knowledgeable and helpful who guide whenever I need their help and advice. they make the workplace smooth and comfortable. one day I had lot of sub-culturing, media preparation and report work but I managed my time and work thoughtfully . I completed my task without taking stress and enjoyed that day learning and using my time management skills.

We have a lot to do at Idexx! But it can be fun, specially when you have a good management team that is always improving something and when you work for a company with innovation culture. During busy season things can become tough  with a lot of extra work and not so much free time as we often do extra hours, but we are paied accordingly. Once busy season is over, things get smoothier. There are lots of learning opportunities and personal and career improvements, if you are willing to challenge yourself. They have a good online plataform for learning. Overall, it is hard work, but with a team effort everything ends fine!

We have a lot to do at Idexx! But it can be fun, specially when you have a good management team that is always improving something and when you work for a company with innovation culture. During busy season things can become tough with a lot of extra work and not so much free time as we often do extra hours, but we are paied accordingly. Once busy season is over, things get smoothier. There are lots of learning opportunities and personal and career improvements, if you are willing to challenge yourself. They have a good online plataform for learning. Overall, it is hard work, but with a team effort everything ends fine!

The company itself is very good, high work load and a lot of varying tasks that you have to learn and execute here. Work is challenging but rewarding and the lab techs are very nice and easy to get along with. Their problem is the lab manager who has very poor communication skills and turns it around on others. I left out of frustration of dealing with lab manager in delta and knew it would be a bumpy ride for the remainder of time I spent there. Lab manager has no accountability for her poor communication and does/say things out of spite when confronted about it. 

going to animal clinics and picking up samples and enjoying the staff at each clinic. some of the management were great but there were some that weren't there long enough to really comment. My co-workers were a great bunch of people to work with even though we didn't see each other we had our work radio to keep in touch with them.The hardest part of the job was going into a clinic and knowing someone's pet had to be put down it affects everyone who is there at the time. The most enjoyable part of my job was seeing the faces of the clinics when they were told their pet was going to be OK

What is the best part of working at the company?
Salary has been increasing over last 5 years through ‘career ladder’  promotions 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Turn Around Time is difficult to meet with excellence 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Stressful at times.  Lack of staff in some departments 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Usually require overtime to complete work!  At times overtime is discouraged and permission must be granted

I loved my time here, it was interesting and a pretty fun environment although many people who were capable of performing various skills in the company were held back due to politics and management.  The high pressure to work faster and get more done and to a very high, often unachievable standard lead to a stressful, sometimes biased work environment.

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