assembler

cnc machinist

assembly technician

quality control inspector

senior electronic assembler

Thorlabs Inc

My job is somewhat specialized and is not considered a "normal" position, so take that for what you will.

My day can be just about anything since I've worked in just about every role in the department. Essentially a normal day for me is fixing problems people may have with procedures or issues with the system, close to IT. It's nice to be able to use your head, but not nearly as many people are as lucky as I am. Many people are frustrated, and my job is to help them with issues they have in just about all aspects.

I believe I've learned and continue to learn a lot at the company, but it's easy to hit a ceiling depending on your manager. I've found many people willing to try and improve the company and are eager to learn more, but poor/dismissive management stifles this unfortunately. Management is really a mixed bag, some are truly excellent professionals, while some you have to wonder how they even got hired in the first place. If you have a manager that cares, you are in for a very pleasant work experience, especially if you work hard and constantly try to improve. Others, not so much. I have seen plenty of co-workers quit exclusively due to their boss, but I would be lying if I knew the full extent of their work ethic.

The culture at Thorlabs is pretty mundane, but there is a pretty clear divide in workers. There is seemingly always a big push for everyone to be excited about their jobs, but it's easy to see how most people see it as a "job" and not a career due to this divide. It could be either by department, manager and how much pull they have, but most clear is the divide between those who use a computer a work compared to those who don't. My advice is to quickly find a position in which you are expected to use a computer, as those employees get treated much nicer than those who do not. I have personally been on both sides and the difference is pretty night and day. Since most of the positions are manufacturing, many of those workers "just get through the day" since managers are usually either extremely overworked due to unrealistic expectations, or are entirely incompetent which trickles down to these workers. It's a shame, really.

Hardest part of the job would be maybe just some very questionable decisions from management. I never really find my job "difficult" but it can be made unnecessarily difficult due to decisions from people who really shouldn't be making any decisions that impact the business or it's operations. It can be difficult to get through a day when you know how the day or process could be made much easier or better only to be told to do something a specific way because "that's how we've always done it". Probably the most annoying part of the job, many senior managers or workers have been there since the beginning and have a lot of political pull with very little evidence or substance to back up any decision objectively.

With all that being said, I do enjoy my job. People are very friendly to me and most workers are usually in good moods despite everything. I'd say this is not the case for every worker though, if you take everything I've taken into consideration, you should be fine.

The most important take away however is this company is a great *start* to your career. The low pay and sometimes incompetent or hard-headed management can make it difficult to get anywhere in the company, but it's very possible. A common strategy is to get a good position and then go to a different company for considerably higher pay. If management sees this, it's important to offer excellent pay to workers who really put in a lot and are valuable to the company, and actively not reward those who just "know" people. It's actively very discouraging and ultimately hurts the business when it is essentially expected to not get good compensation despite how hard or accomplished some workers are. No incentive = no talent.

•A typical day at ThorLabs consists of you navigating to your workplace that has overtaken a small town. Making sure you arrive and clock in on time. If you’re on a manager’s golden student chart you can socialize, but standard workers need to be at their desk and working efficiently. Two 15 minute breaks are split up along with a 30 minute lunch which is okay unless you’re deep in the building. That will cost you 5-7 minutes from each break if you want to go to your car or outside. That is mainly due to the lack of common sense and congested foot 
traffic in the building. If you end up in a clean room, you have to change your outfit; make sure you bring everything you need inside with you for the day. A day a ThorLabs is working for your freedom. 
•I didn’t learn much. I learned how to build expensive shapes with metals, plastics, glass, and silicon. Once I completed “training” I started to question where my work is going. Why am I building these objects besides my paycheck? Every time I would ask my manager, he had no answers for me. The manager / supervisor of the whole floor told me more than the person I report to. I also learned when enough is enough.
•Workplace culture… depends on the specific job role, manager, and Continent. I’ll go with “very negative” in Newton New Jersey and leave it at that.
• The Hardest part of the job was communication. The building was so diverse that people that spoke the same languages would almost always group up together, and speak their primary language. NOT ENGLISH. Most of my interactions with bilingual individuals often resulted in miscommunication and frustration. 
• The most enjoyable part of the job is the mental healing process one takes after leaving for the day or for good. 
This company is a paper tiger, and I feel bad for good people still working there.

Being as honest/fair as possible, I used to think this job was fine when I first started but after being here and seeing how things really work took a turn. WAY too much sitting all day creates a LOT of boredom/breeds drama. It feels like you’re a robot. if you mess up the people who QC will be loud so everyone stares at you and know you did wrong. Some directions are poorly written and unclear with typos. When asking for help some people talk to you like you can’t read or get annoyed because they’re busy. Only a few nice trainers other ones are rude and unhelpful. Coworkers constantly gossip in English/Spanish and put down people who they think aren’t good enough and even make fun of new people.It’s uncomfortable when trying to work alone while hearing it.  Vacuuming is done everyday for the entire area (new person every day but some people never have to do it).  ONLY boys mop every morning for some reason. You get rated on how well you’re doing for your cell which is written on whiteboard so everyone can see if you’re good enough or not when you walk by. Certain production orders take longer than others but you’re only given so much time so you must work fast and if you mess up it’s game over. Management is lazy. ONLY GOOD THING is that you have weekends off and is sometimes easy to request PTO. Benefits are decent, free gym and can do overtime. Pay is average. They’re desperate for people so hiring is easy for them. Oh and google “Thor labs death 2015” to get a real inside scoop on how some of us feel

Being as honest/fair as possible, I used to think this job was fine when I first started but after being here and seeing how things really work took a turn. WAY too much sitting all day creates a LOT of boredom/breeds drama. It feels like you’re a robot. if you mess up the people who QC will be loud so everyone stares at you and know you did wrong. Some directions are poorly written and unclear with typos. When asking for help some people talk to you like you can’t read or get annoyed because they’re busy. Only a few nice trainers other ones are rude and unhelpful. Coworkers constantly gossip in English/Spanish and put down people who they think aren’t good enough and even make fun of new people.It’s uncomfortable when trying to work alone while hearing it.  Vacuuming is done everyday for the entire area (new person every day but some people never have to do it).  ONLY boys mop every morning for some reason. You get rated on how well you’re doing for your cell which is written on whiteboard so everyone can see if you’re good enough or not when you walk by. Certain production orders take longer than others but you’re only given so much time so you must work fast and if you mess up it’s game over. Management is lazy. ONLY GOOD THING is that you have weekends off and is sometimes easy to request PTO. Benefits are decent, free gym and can do overtime. Pay is average. They’re desperate for people so hiring is easy for them.

There is always work to be done, as the company is growing more and more everyday. Photonics is an interesting field and the design/production/sales of the equipment is both intellectually stimulating and enjoyable hands-on work. The management I've encountered are open-minded, avoidant toward micromanaging, and focused on shared success. If you choose to challenge yourself, be an upstanding worker, and pursue self-improvement, then there is opportunity to grow. There is no shortage of demand for work; overtime is encouraged and the company seems to hold a cultural slant towards putting in extra hours. The pay is average, but with the very high overtime ceiling and a slew of incredible benefits (great health/dental insurance, good 401k, gym membership to the nearby Fitness Nation, and * Full Tuition Reimbursement*, alongside an attitude towards providing for their workers), the compensation is rational and allows us to be competitive towards rival industries, which in the long run spells success for all. I do truly enjoy this company! My review may make it seem like we are all very high-brow, but it is not so; we are a collective of many walks of life, levels of technical expertise, and ideals.

Thor labs has a lot of good people working here but there are a ton of issues that I would like to warn possible applicants about. There is 100% an issue with relatives of upper management working here. I am in distribution and out of the 6 managers here, 5 of them have a kid or spouse that also works here. There is little to no room for advancement although they will tell you that there is. Thorlabs thinks moving to a different department for the same pay is an advancement. The pay is very low (15$) and raises are like .30 cents a year. If you work a 2nd shift and would like to move to mornings they will only base it off of seniority and not performance. If I’m being completely honest there is almost no incentive to work harder than others because it is never noticed in an a manner that will positively impact you and your future with the company. If you need a job they will pretty much hire anyone and it’s fairly easy work. I’m not saying don’t work here but I am simply warning you so you don’t have a false idea of what it is like. I promise you this review is honest and after you work here for more than a year you will notice all of these issues. The managers themselves are good people and I’ve never seen anyone be yelled at or embarrassed or anything like that. You also get 17 days of pto fronted upon hire which is very generous

The leadership structure is poor with team leaders who complete no assembly tasks and do not have a workable knowledge of most the products. Team leaders in the electronics department really should not be in a leadership role due to the ongoing issues that are passed to them, but are then not passed through to the required channels. Management is not a lot better with the business unit manager having no production experience and is very biased. You are not allowed to discuss issues with colleagues under the threat of disciplinary action, so you are effectively gagged. There is a culture within the workplace of preferencial treatment towards some of the workforce and the only possible career progression within the company is if you are a member of the social friends clique that is very obvious and which includes certain team leaders and management members. This is a company I would not recommend working for if you want a career.

I liked my time at Thorlabs.  But, the managers in Sterling do not have enough research culture and expertise to survive the systems building market.  There is little (or no) R in the R&D in Sterling.  

Thorlabs has a history of success due to its lean approach to manufacturing, and this works up to a point, but sooner or later this Development heavy approach will reduce their chances of long term success in a microscopy systems building market with competition that is willing to hire talented scientific inventors and implement their novel ideas.  

I think Sterling is a great place for mechanical, electrical engineers, but Apps, software and optical engineers/scientists seem to not be valued like they should be.  Managers seem a little reluctant to admit when the better idea elephant is in the room.  

If you are new to industry, a few years at Thorlabs will look great on your resume, but you can easily find better pay and better treatment of PhDs elsewhere.

Your efforts and work ethic are not valued. The quality of your work means nothing. Management is just filled with favoritism/nepotism which is the only way to advance or “climb the ladder”. The “favorites” do nothing all day, try to get other people in trouble, and then don’t take any repercussions for doing nothing all day. Upper management nitpicks everything the little guys do but never actually try to improve the issues within themselves. They also continue to pad their salaries every year while the little guys continue to take the brunt of the companies downfalls. Their benefits and location are the only reason many people stay. The paychecks do pay the bill but leaves you living check to check. There is always plenty of overtime as well which is decent. All of their jobs pay under the standard pay. Anytime they want to save a buck it comes out of the pockets of the people at the bottom of the totem poll.

I've been out on furlough since the end of march. When that happened there was no rhyme or reason as to who was going or not. There is absolutely no seniority taken into consideration at all. I had only been there slightly more than 2 years and even though I was furloughed, there is another employee with approx 8 years that was furloughed and an employee with a little over 2 years stayed. Now they are calling back, again no rhyme or reason. the ones that have been called back have less time than I have. Also the whole company depends on who you know. The management is lacking and out of touch with certain sections of the floor.   there is no advancement and the only way to advance is to know someone. Most of the "management" team and "cell leaders'. ( I use that very lightly), shouldn't be in that position. No interpersonal skills whatsoever.  I think the owner is so far unattached from management and has no idea of the atmosphere that has been created.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Assembler 15 salaries reported	$19.38 per hour
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Assembly technician 14 salaries reported	$21.23 per hour
Quality control inspector 9 salaries reported	$20.22 per hour
Senior electronic assembler 8 salaries reported	$21.82 per hour

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