Illumina

For a company that prides itself in diversity and inclusion it is not seen in the manufacturing area. I went out of my way to see San Diego's demographics and Filipinos make around 4 - 6% of the population but at work this can be close to 100% in different manufacturing areas. Really diverse workplace right?  Has started to get slightly better this last year though. I mean slightly. 

We are suppose to be in a one-language rule for the safety in the lab area but leads/supervisors turn the other way. Not a single day when this rule inst broken goes by even after this has been brought up to management. 

I have trainers set me up for failure where they don't train with SOPs and try to go by the process really quick hoping you don't catch somethings so you make a mistake in the future. This then leads to management, which only cares about giving you write-ups so they look good themselves with their higher ups. It's really a farce that they care about your growth. You only have interactions with higher management if there was a mistake done on your part, but never for the extra work done or outperforming others in product being pushed out. 

Again coming back to favoritism, EVERYDAY people take shortcuts that don't follow the SOP but leads wont say anything because its their ethnic group and they get a pass. But if you're not part of the group you get a bulls-eye put on you so you can be written up so at the end of the day the minority seems like they're not up to par with other group. So one group gets a pass everyday for DELIBERATELY not following SOPS and the other write-ups if mistakes are made. 

And forget about a good review since you're not going to be given credit by coworkers but at the same time any mistakes will be highlighted to management. So the people doing the favoritism get to tell the supervisors how you're doing. 

Upward mobility from manufacturing area is close to 0 unless you have connections. Had a coworker get an Engineering degree and he couldn't move out of manufacturing even though engineers were being hired. It was perplexing because as a technician you learn the whole process and troubleshooting so you would think that would make you a strong candidate, but that's not the case. He left for another company to get his career started because Illumina does't give you that opportunity if you're from manufacturing.  

I remember having an experience with a coworker when it was my day off and she was the only person of a different ethnic group that day working. The following day when I came back she came to me crying that people were saying why are you coming to work if you take so many days off for being sick. They were hinting at her that she should just quit. She told me that they would speak in Tagalog while looking at her and laughing and that the whole night was just her feeling bullied. This coworker missed days because she had advanced cancer and came to work as a contractor because she needed money for bills. This really was unacceptable behavior. Very inclusive, riiight.  

Lastly, don't bother going to HR. They will always side with management.

I took this job expecting to be treated like a valued professional.  Over the course of time I realized there were too many people who were more concerned with the title they held rather than doing a good job of managing people.

I reported to 2 managers, one of whom was my direct supervisor, and the other a manager of another department who continuously lost people under her.  She made my life very difficult, had unrealistic expectations that didn't add value, which didn't help my standing with my own manager.

I'm not negative, but it's clear expectations are high, as they should be from time to time, but many are unrealistic in most cases.  There was a project I had been working on and it required that I interface with a lot of people, some of which were helpful, while others not so much so.  Again this reliance on others didn't help me complete what was expected of me and I was railroaded out.  And no, I'm not bitter; I'm more disappointed in myself that I hadn't done the research before taking the position.

Most of the employees are stretched thin and there are too many meetings that not only interrupt workflow, but makes it nearly impossible to work with others who are stretched thin.  In many cases it's so bad one colleague showed me his calendar and it was booked solid with meetings, so I asked how he does it.  His response was; "just pick the meetings that seem the most important."

Management by crisis seems to be the operative word, and there's a reliance to the cultural shift from being a RUO (research use only) to a FDA regulated environment and people resist those added burdens to their already over-burdened responsibilities.

Reliance on contractors can be a major concern, since these resources are dedicated to specific tasks and they're not as easily enlisted into pressing projects.  On that note, expect that 1/3 of the people at Illumina are not employees and are actually contractors.

To be fair, the work-life balance is good, and the company strives to make it an enjoyable place to work.  But, underlying all of it is the fear of failure that seems to be in the back of many employee's minds whether they'll admit to it or not.

I learned so much at Illumina, I loved my job but it wasn't all fun and games. I worked my tail off and got no monetary or promotional recognition. I had a great boss for my first couple of years, but they never replaced him and left me holding bag. 
GREAT:
The people in all other departments were great to work with. There were inspirational managers and scientists. Some people had worked there since graduating from college.  I learned so much while I worked there, and I had a wonderful boss for my first few years.  There is a large, fun, and well-attended Toastmasters group. All kinds of training and different seminars. Great gyms in both locations, a huge cafe at one site, and many killer free lunches in the other. The facilities department was always very busy, never a dull moment. The company had lots of money and there were lots of bonuses. Need ergonomic equipment? You got it. Everybody had sit/stand desks but there were no offices.  Everybody was in cubicles, managers and directors included.
NOT SO GREAT:
There was a high turn-around in all departments between 2020 and 2022 and probably beyond, and there were 2-3 lay-off rounds during my time. But the facilities department was a toxic atmosphere. They can't seem to keep facilities managers or directors for very long in Norcal. There were none most of the time I was there, or they were new, like a revolving door. This is tough on the staff. Promotions were scarce,  or given to the wrong people, and those who worked their tails off and deserved promotions stagnated at the same level for many years. Annual raises were determined by people down at corporate who didn't know or work with us, and raises for individual contributors were between 0.50% and 2.5%. I could never get ahead because the base pay seemed to be under industry standards for the SF Bay Area. Staff constantly complained about unfair treatment and about each other. 

I worked here first as a temp then earned a conversion to FTE. 

A typical day at work was fairly simple, most days you're manufacturing and trying to hit your numbers. This was fine at first but became a problem as management was reluctant to hire staff as we kept losing workers. Extra work was then piled onto contractors and FTE's often resulting in low team morale, especially since the issue was brought to management many times with no luck or transparency. 

It wasn't all bad though, free lunches/parties and free company merchandise was super cool but usually only FTE's were included in that, not temps. 

Workplace culture was not the best. A lot of drama between shifts and even people in your team could sometimes make the environment hostile or stressful. It's a very fast paced environment so everyone is a little on edge, also didn't help management encouraged an environment in which people made others look bad in email chains. 

Hardest part about the job was the micromanaging and lack of support. Anytime we didn't hit numbers we had to give a whole run down hour by hour as to why we didn't meet goals. Management never listened to us when we told them we needed help because demand was up and our workload was increasing. 

Though, I did have some great times at this company too. The benefits were great as an FTE, the campus was beautiful, and I met great people. Ultimately, I chose to leave due to the lack of mobility in the company and the lack of support from leadership.

We always start the day right by setting up, organizing and cleaning up our work station to make sure that we are able to work conveniently, hassle free and free from contamination of our finished products. 

Every body are working together, friendly, caring, always giving a helping hand, making sure that one's work is done efficiently and effectively. Everyday is productive, communication was excellent and the work is done on time.

I've learned the value of effective communication, for this I was able to do my task in appropriate manner and on time, making sure that before I make the finished product, everything is accurate and cleared by the trainers and lead. I've learned that team- work is always effective in providing quality services and products because through it, mistakes are avoided and a fun work environment makes the job a bit easier, brings more positive outcome and be able to reach the goal for the day. 

Management gives us the opportunity to be the best workers and people we are. When we are able to reach our goal, we are being acknowledged for a job-well done and they are grateful for us. That is one thing I am also grateful for and because of it, I make sure that I will do my very best to work even better and give the best of my time, effort and dedication to my work.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Long winter break - combined christmas and new year

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Blame focus instead of solution focus, petty - promotion of obsequious employees

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
 Socially - passing by, most employees seem friendly - a few tribal in the sense that they tend to only associate with people of their own groups - be it department, culture,.... Supervision and HR seem somewhat only focused on what they need or want - not too concerned about employees. There is an appearance of concern, but it seems they're ready to chop personnel as if they're just warm bodies they temporarily need to fill a position. We often feel like we've been treated unfairly - or we've encouraged to take time off, but at the same time get whatever . The more obsequious the employee's behavior is toward management, the better is their outcome in terms of advancement.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
You continue working on projects until your supervisor stops you and directs you to prioritize another project, kind of like a game.

I had amazing managers and supervisors that were really invested in me doing well for myself and becoming an asset to the company. One particular manager really did invest her time in all of her employees, including the contracted workers, to make sure our skill sets were not just employed, but also expanded. Put a lot of trust in our team a lot of the time, and in doing so, the rest of the company in different departments did also. Gave us good exposure with other co-workers, supervisors, and managers.

Work-life balance
Work-life balance at Illumina is difficult to maintain.

Pay & benefits
My pay and benefits at Illumina are fair.

Job security and advancement
In terms of job security at Illumina, I think if you perform well you have nothing to worry about.

Overall
My experience working at Illumina is that they have the potential to be a great place to work, but fall short with disorganized chaos. Our guiding value “move fast and embrace change” is a great principle, but this is oftentimes perverted at the expensive of moving the ball forward too fast without addressing root cause issues that create unnecessary work and stress on teams and individuals; adding to the adage “work harder not smarter.” Often times there is a chaotic sense of urgency without clear direction forward, leading to a failure to properly document decisions and procedures, and teams must lean heavily on tribal knowledge.

Lots of really smart people.but poor management. I was more or less pigeon-holed even though I had a PhD. I found myself being extremely under-utilized. There is very little room for advancement and way too many meetings.My boss is really nice but extremely inefficient and a poor project leader. In my department my boss plays favorites and only gives opportunities to 1-2 people. No matter how many hours you work and what technical knowledge you have you get nothing if you are not the favored employee. I put in long hours and worked really hard and the feedback I received was that I was too slow. The motto: "Just meet the deadlines and we'll fix it later." it is very competitive and if you are a person who tends to be more quiet in meetings, you will be ignored. I am glad I had a chance to learn the technology but I doubt I will stay long-term.

Would have stayed at Illumina but I left the country for a year.

My direct manager was pleasant to work with but the Director of the department had no vision or leadership. Because of this, we all left to other departments or left the company. Unfortunately, this director is still employed there.
I have been contacted several times to go back but I am looking for an opportunity with a leader who knows how to build a team of mindful contributors with one united vision and goal. I also need to have a high level of trust to be a successful contributor. Micromanagers are a cancer that kills creativity and collaboration.

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