Pros
Friendly lab staff. Good experience in a variety of methods. Flexi time. Variation in daily testing, although can be stressful/last minute changes. The job involves mass producing results from microbiological techniques rather than much science, hence good for a graduate/to gain experience. Good internal training matrix/record, although very job specific. Highly focused on 17025 and accreditation.
Cons
You don't get a second to breathe some days. Treated like a factory worker rather than an able science graduate. They don't trust staff at all, having to clock in/out with your fingerprint for lunch/on arrival/going home, they seem to assume the worst of you. Company is full of unconscious & conscious bias. Managers haven't been offered any formal/official training to be a manager, just placed in the role and expected to manage staff. Stress in the workplace isn't recognised. Similarly no external training provided to workers, just the internal job specific training. Staff were 'secretly' picked for 'promotions' that weren't known of by the staff and told to remain quiet until they announced it - not good for staff morale or relationships. Staff turnover is huge, barely anyone has stayed more than two years which means the company are even less willing to invest in staff. Salarys are low, you can get a 5-10k pay rise and better benefits by leaving the company. Needed permission to work overtime which is tricky to plan in a lab setting. Change was too slow where the microbiologists were concerned, their staff room was forgotten about, promises of salary banding never arrived (at least not in the 12 months I waited). No HR department and lack of H&S/fire alarm tests. Visual CCTV that's for 'security', which they'll use to watch you with and bring up in 'chats' that feel far from professional.