ONTARIO NUTRI LAB

I was a coop student for 4 months and it was the worst 4 months of my life. Their job posting was not an accurate representation of what it would be like to actually work there. It was my first coop so I didn't want to be picky, but the management was awful - overly fastidious, rude, and condescending when I would ask questions. Salary was $14/hour which was higher than minimum wage at the time, but even then, that was not nearly enough compensation for the amount of work they ask you to complete by the time your shift ends. If you're cleaning the animal cages, it's physically grueling work and you're only entitled to one 1/2 hour break for lunch. 
No benefits, no work/life balance, no advancement, and extremely poor job culture.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Learning opportunities in different areas, especially in animal nutrition and behaviour.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
There is a lot going on and if you are not a multi-task it is not your place.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The group of people are amazing! Hard workers, lovely people. Safety and excellence in the data collection are a must.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
The days are long, and lots of extra hours are available ($$$). Lots of exercise which is great for keeping me fit. I  love to be around amazing animals and people who take good care of them.

It’s to be expected that a job as an “animal care attendant” will tire you out. Considering the number of animals that require daily cleaning, feeding, grooming, etc., you must expect to be there for 7-8.5 hours a day - on your feet, doing heavy work the majority of the time. Does this make the job bad? No. But you need to be prepared to WORK at ONL. These animals need their caretakers, they rely on you in every way. 

Also be aware that if you have previous knee/back/muscle or joint issues, this job isn’t for you. The work is very heavy and risk of injury is high. 

Overall the job is very rewarding (if you’re an animal lover like me) and the staff + animals there are lovely. For me, they made the heavy work worth it.

I quit this job after a dispute with one of the vet techs due to constant interference and nitpicking. They expect the world from you and yet never give you enough time or workers to get anything productive done. And if you do manage to get your tasks done, you get sent to help the other half of the facility who will leave their work unfinished and expect you to pick up their slack.

While I enjoyed working here in the beginning, the atmosphere was toxic and full of personal bias/politics. For instance, dont expect to get a bonus for working hard and even doing other people's share of the workload. Instead be prepared to be criticized and gossiped about by not only the team leads, but also by the supervisors. I had more education than most of the people working there yet had found out that I was being paid less. Makes sense though right?

I worked here a long time ago. Old owners were fantastic. Full time hours, great benefits, bonus's. Approx. 20 employees in the entire building. No drama and we got along great. Happy family. Love it so much. Then buisness sold. New owners took away ft work, took away benefits, added partime uneducated people. Dog bites started happening. Cats became scared. All over toxic environment.

Be prepared for management to micromanage you and gossip behind your back. Also, be prepared for management to be dismissive of all major concerns from staff. Absolutely not worth it for the low wage that staff are compensated with.

Management is clearly in it for the money and nothing else.

Independently in charge of six areas of the facility (total of 100+ animals) duties included; maintenance and hygiene to ensure the safety of the animals. As well as daily grooming and ensuring a safe conflict free environment for the cats and dogs. Reported and issues to the Veterinarian on duty after inspecting the animals daily

Do not work here!
Not enough employees so everyone is overworked with not enough pay.
Management is horrible and don’t appreciate extra effort.
Too much gossip and turnover is horrendous.
The only good thing is the animals.

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