laboratory analyst

service associate

chemist

environmental test technician

environmental intern

Suburban Testing Labs

There are not many good things to say about this company. Working as an analyst in the lab is a miserable experience. Pretty much everyone who works in the lab is unhappy which is why the turnover rate is embarrassingly high. 
First of all, there is absolutely no work-life balance. You work long hours and a lot of overtime. On top of that, you have to work a weekend shift once a month plus holidays. How is there a balance when all you get is a week of PTO? The work itself is very stressful making it impossible to take your breaks. If you do take your half hour lunch, you can bet that you will be leaving an extra half hour late that day. Typical work days averaged about 9-9.5 hours. It was not uncommon to see 10 hour or more days.
Next, management is a disaster. None of the supervisors have actual laboratory experience making them virtually useless. If you have an issue, you have to hope that one of the very few analysts who have actually stuck with the company for over 2 years knows what to do. Even though many employees have expressed negative opinions about how things are managed by the supervisors, nothing ever gets changed. You would think that one supervisor losing a dozen employees in a year would be a cause for concern. They say one thing but then expect the total opposite. For example, they say they want everyone to have a good work life balance but then expect you to work overtime.
The pay is very low compared for the industry and the benefits are not great. There isn't much room for advancement in the company as a lab analyst. There isn't much opportunity for learning either since turnover is always very high. If turnover is high, current employees are stuck where they are making them even more unhappy. Management tells you to deal with it and that things will get better... They don't.
You deal with some pretty nasty sewer samples containing fecal matter and waste. It's pretty dirty work. However, you are helping make a difference which is a positive.
The best thing about this company are the coworkers. It's very easy to get along since everyone has something in common: They want to leave this company.

     In my role at Suburban Testing Labs I have the opportunity to assist with the training and development of my team and work on projects that can make improvements in the lab. These are projects that can improve workflow, supply costs, data quality, SOPs, etc. Members of my team are also contributing by performing investigations in microbiology, method development and lean 6 sigma. I've enjoyed seeing employees that I helped to train succeed by becoming leaders in the company or developing great technical skills. I see it in the other lab teams, too. This is probably the best lab staff in terms of ability and culture that I've seen in my tenure here. There are plenty of opportunities to grow and advance in the lab if you show initiative. STL tries to create a caring, family culture, and I see it every day in the lab. The lab teams work well together, and there are lots of friendships among the lab staff. Lab leadership will always listen and try to help solve problems together.
     There are real difficulties, too. There can definitely be a sample grind at times, and the lab should have more instrumentation. Surges in workflow are often unaccounted for. This can create a lot of stress. Lab staff is frequently stretched when a team member is on vacation, too. 
     STL has rolled out a High Performance Culture Initiative for 2021, and the lab supervisors are working on making improvements in all its components. I truly believe that it's already making a difference and the gains are just beginning.

I've worked in several departments, all outside of the lab. Because we are a smaller company, there's not much room for advancement for Lab Analysts outside of the lab, except for moving to the Quality Department. Several of our analysts were transferred to Quality after applying, and, generally, management encourages application to alternate positions if you express interest. I find that if you are a go-getter with a positive attitude and a team-oriented mindset, you will excel at Suburban and make great work friends! Management tries their best to receive feedback and implement changes, though the growing pains of a small business can be seen at times- ex: the cycle of needing more employees to earn more revenue, but not having quite enough revenue to hire more employees. Overall, I feel like part of the Suburban family and I've enjoyed working here for 4 years. Be positive and do your job with joy, understanding we are all human, and you will love it here!

Going downhill. After a loss in sample receiving, the field department has had to accommodate for this, working up to an extra hour every day doing their own sample triaging without being compensated. I’m impressed with the ethics of this company, but choosing to overwork your employees rather than hire one or two people and then building a brand new service center is disappointing. PTO is great, but just changed to accruing. My department was very courteous with health issues and having to miss work, and approved my accommodations. Days can be long, routine is rare, scheduling doctor’s appointments is even harder. The schedule is 7-3, but can vary from 6:15am-7:00pm. Get your job done well and you will be secure.

The people here are great and will almost always back you up. The co-workers are very inclusive and will typically help each other whenever they can. The problems are with a lack of organization and communication about many issues that arise, as well as the work conditions. Some areas, especially in the warehouse, will have extreme and uncomfortable temperatures that you must stay in hours on end. Many jobs will unexpectedly be placed on people due to being understaffed, leading to many hours of overtime(this is paid, which is a plus). Many have also not been paid their full salary, and had to both discover and bring up this issue, in order for it to be resolved.

There was not a day that went by at this job that I didn't see one of my coworkers either on the verge of tears or actively crying due to stress. The workload was always insane and managers cared more about kissing up to their clients than helping their employees. We were forever behind due to not having enough employees to cover all tasks and ten hour days were more the norm than the exception. Any breaks taken usually guaranteed you'd be there far beyond your scheduled time and there was little to no help given by management to improve work-life balance. The only positive of the job were very pleasant and easy to get along with coworkers, but only because we all hated the job and were trying to escape.  

The pay was ridiculously low compared to competitors. Everyone was friendly but walked on eggshells because of management. As other reviews stated, management said one thing but their expectations were completely different. It’s a very stressful environment. It’s a small company, so they are VERY concern about cost-savings, ie cheap. Something breaks, they keep it and send it to get fixed. There were times when certain glassware came back deformed and we still had to use it. Then the analysts were blamed when the extractions didn’t yield the expected results.

Overall a great place to work. Health & family come 1st which is a culture I am not used to in any of my work history. It can be difficult to take time off due to workload. Most coworkers are very friendly and are willing to help if they are able. PTO is competitive to other companies. Salary is also competitive. Although there are days that can be highly stressful, I am overall happy with my employment. My direct manager has made me feel needed & an asset to the company. 

Most reviewers complain about over time. That is mostly due to mismanagement of their time. This is a seasonal type job, so at times, yes, over time is there. I think this place has been wonderful to work at. If you are willing to learn, you get it here. Whether it’s lab analysis knowledge to supervisor/management advancement, they will work with you, and help provide the tools for you to push yourself to succeed in many ways. Co-workers are great to work with and helpful. 

The field is on the rise and is applicable more with each passing year. Not a bad time investment for the post-college applicant. However, the boss is a complete jerk and while he may surround himself with kind caring and helpful people he is uncaring and lacks fair judgement. I would recommend working in a meat factory before i would work for this man again.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Laboratory analyst 6 salaries reported	$22.81 per hour
Service associate 1 salary reported	$25.00 per hour
Chemist 2 salaries reported	$29.25 per hour
Environmental test technician 3 salaries reported	$31.17 per hour
Environmental intern 6 salaries reported	$14.50 per hour

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