laboratory analyst

analyst

receiver

courier

environmental intern

Advanced Environmental Laboratories, Inc

The coworkers are great, but management from the department managers on up are terrible. They act like and say they care about their employees, but at the end of the day, all they care about is how many clients they can cram into their clientele and how much money they can make. Training is very poor, and you have to learn most of it on the go. If you make mistakes, they assume you didn't pay attention to your training, when in reality, the training was poor and sporadic to begin with. Several current and former employees (I do have names but I'm not going to list them) have all agreed the training is highly inadequate for the requirements they expect you to complete. All the analysts have their own way of doing things, and so there is no common ground for newer analysts to learn. Unless you're one of the "select elite" you won't get promoted. There was an 18-month period between when I was told I would get promoted and when I was actually promoted. They dragged all of us on a mandatory unpaid trip to UNF to display their part in funding the new NMR machine, despite it being super inconvenient and a busy day for me. I frequently would be without any form of reliable backup for my methods, so if I wanted to take a long weekend or vacation, the days before and after would often be spent until from 8am to 9/10pm. Under high duress and humongous sample overload, one month I was working 110 hrs per pay period for 2-3 pay periods, because they overwhelmed me with sample quantity and wouldn't listen when I said I couldn't physically perform all of these methods. I also missed quite a few dates, movie nights, social events, and band rehearsals due to having to work overtime. And if I got off on time, I'd be leaving the work to pile up for tomorrow and get fussed at for not doing the work, so it was a lose-lose situation. Any voicing of concerns or desires will most definitely fall on deaf ears. I've mentioned multiple times being overwhelmed or getting taken advantage of, but nothing ever changed. You only get raises on yearly reviews, so don't bother asking, and the raises were only a half dollar to a dollar an hour. And the payment is not near enough compensation for the amount of hours you'll spend or methods you will do. You'd make more working at most other related companies around town, and especially at Publix or other retail stores. Corporate will also occasionally limit the amount of overtime you can have, which really throws a wrench in the busy schedule by having less time to complete more work. Stepping away from the work side, the first building is in a huge state of disrepair. Dropped ceiling tiles are moldy and blackened, water drips from the ceiling when it gets hot or rains, the metals department had a colossal mold buildup at one point, floors are stained and uneven, organic extractions laboratory has a permanent thickness of dichloromethane vapors hanging in there, AC is never working in the summer, and the analyst rooms are often crowded with broken or ill-maintained machinery. The second building is not much better, as micro and TCLP vapors are often wafting down the halls. Back to the work environment, the only positive side is the coworkers below the department manager level. They are genuinely amiable and supportive/fun to be around.  Overall, terrible place to work. Do not ever join if you have somewhere else to work. 

AEL is a wonderful place to gain experience and knowledge throughout the laboratory. With a large variety of instrumentation, quick turn around times, and heavy sample volume, there is plenty of work to be done, which makes time go by quickly each day.

The people at AEL are some of the best I’ve had the pleasure of working with. In addition, the bosses do NOT micromanage and allow employees to work independently in the lab, which is a big plus. 

As with many laboratories, a good portion of the  equipment present in the lab is in need of replacement or heavy maintenance. This can lead to added stress on analysts trying to get quality data to report to clients in a timely fashion. 

Biggest downfall of the company is the neglect the building has seen over the years. 
Improvements are occurring within the building. Management is beginning to step up and address some issues, but there is still much more work to be done. It is unfortunate to see the damage that years of neglect have caused, when upkeep and repairs done in a timely fashion could have prevented such occurrences. 

Lastly, the pay is a bit lower than most would like, but there is opportunity for advancement and overtime. If you are new to laboratory work, it’s an awesome place to really get hands on experience and learn your way around the laboratory. 

As with any job there are pros and cons. I think AEL seems to be moving in the right direction at this current time, and necessary steps are being taken to improve the overall work environment. 

Don't listen to the indeed postings: this job is not 8-5. Overtime is expected, and if you work with shortholds don't plan anything for after work because samples come in after five on the regular. There is very little life-work balance here, and although I'd suggest this job to recent graduates without any experience, I'd also suggest to start applying on the side for other jobs after six months to a year in this one. No sick days offered and although there is pto, good luck trying to get days off if you're short hold wetchem. You have to convince your coworkers to take on your workload and, of course, no one wants to do that so you're going to feel guilty. From the beginning, the upper management will try and force more work upon you due to the lack of employees. And if you refuse them for too long, well say goodbye to your job. The only pros I can mention is the coworkers are some of the best people I've ever met and that there is some flexibility with your work schedule. As in, you can come in a bit later if you have a doctor's appointment but its very rare that you can leave early and not have to return to work.

To make a long story short, I only stayed here for almost two years because of my coworkers. 

This job is as soul crushing and soul draining as one would expect from a corporate job. Obviously the most important aspect is profit so having fast turn around time on samples is a must to keep clients happy. This is kinda difficult when so many of the instruments in the lab are very temperamental even with routine maintenance. I understand that we technically don't have to work 12+ hours of overtime, but yes we do because we need to get out our samples on time. It doesn't help when samples that have a time limit as to when they can be run arrive late. Also, God forbid we have some banter at our stations as we work while any form of higher up is in the vicinity. They will report us and say we aren't working even though we are. My coworkers are literally the only reason the job is bareable. I personally don't mind having the job be as draining and tiring as it is because it was a good opportunity while right out of college. However, I see how it affects my coworkers of all positions, departments, ages, and varying amounts of years at the company and it is heartbreaking to say the least. The turnover rate is insanely high and I've seen so many coworkers leave or contemplate leaving. I'm not sure what the company could even do to fix this. 

I love working at AEL. I was given the opportunity to join the Company out of college with no previous experience and I work as Analyst II now. They taught me all I know at the job. AEL has been a solid company for over 25 years. There are some fun people to work with and mostly you can work independently. The managers are there for you if you need. They pay 60% of my health insurance which is pretty good considering this is a company with barely 150 employees. Social events are always fun, with catered food. Sometimes overtime is necessary, and some positions require it a lot but managers try to be flexible and accommodate your needs as much as they can. 

I came to this job with some experience in other private labs (ie not straight out of college) and this was by far the worst experience I have ever had professionally. My direct supervisor was extremely intimidating and demeaning, I did not sleep well due to work induced stress/anxiety and was relieved when my contract ended. The workflow process here could use some improvement, understaffed for the work volume & their sample inventory system was frustrating and inefficient. If you need some lab experience or a temporary position, it fits the bill but in all other aspects I was miserable.

Only been working for AEL for a couple months but I find that I am really settling in. I really enjoy the team at my location and I feel like I am paid a decent wage and have decent benefits for an entry level position as a fresh graduate. The work is repetitive but the people make it interesting. There is definitely a lot of workload and I do work a little over time but it's certainly not as bad as some of my friends jobs that they got after graduation. Tampa is not where I work but I hear it's our busiest lab and quite stressful so be prepared. I hear that all our other locations the workload is reasonable.

The best thing about this place were some of the co workers who knew what they were doing. Both management and corporate acted like they cared about the well-being of their employees but in reality, they cared more about how many clients they could shove in to make more money and at the same time, force their employees to work overtime. In addition to all of this, most of the lab equipment would break down and management would rather spend the money on new furniture. 

Avoid this place at all costs if you care about your physical and mental health. Safety is the least of their worries.



Overall I have nothing bad to say about AEL. They meet high demand and the staff are great team players in Gainesville. Working there was always something I enjoyed. Really great friendships were forged over sometimes chaos. Like every workplace you have that one employee that is a jerk, but there is always one in the family! Upper Management really works with you when it comes to personal needs and time off. They are pretty transparent with most decisions. Know what's expected of you and deliver, as you should in any job, and this will be a forever home. 

The only good thing about this job is the experience and the people. Management only cares about samples going out and not the well-being of the employees. Expect 12+ hour shifts, samples coming in at 5pm and they want it done that day, and when you want to use your PTO they will deny it because someone has to take over your position and no one wants to do that. This job honestly isn’t great at all and working here has crushed my soul. Don’t work more than 6 months here and even that is pushing it. I read the reviews before applying and still applied and that was a huge mistake.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Laboratory analyst 20 salaries reported	$18.65 per hour
Analyst 3 salaries reported	$19.33 per hour
Receiver 10 salaries reported	$18.10 per hour
Courier 5 salaries reported	$18.80 per hour
Environmental intern 4 salaries reported	$16.00 per hour

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