Helix has an amazing mission as a company: to empower every person to improve their life through DNA. And that mission is not just words! The people here live it, and besides meaning good things generally, that creates a pretty cohesive culture. It really feels like we're working as a team.
Cons
The only potential downside that I can think of is that, since the company is still forming, there is a lot of change. It works for me, but I can see how some people, especially people not used to startups, would find that disconcerting.
Helix Response
9y
Hi There,
Thank for taking the time to write a review about your experience working at Helix. We make a concerted effort to uphold the values of the company in the way that we approach our work. We're glad that you see that you're having a positive experience so far!
We hope that the frequent change that you've discussed is seen as an opportunity for all employees to influence the direction of the company. We definitely understand that frequent change has its challenges and that employees who haven't been in a startup environment could find it challenging. If you have ideas of how we can improve the work environment, please reach out to your manager, myself, or anyone on the Leadership team with suggestions. Thanks again for the feedback!
-Derek
Talent Acquisition
Dynamic fast modern company with lots of opportunities to learn modern tools.
Cons
Modern fast companies often require occasional uncompensated overtime and rapid changing priorities
1.0
2 Nov 2024
Anonymous employee
Current employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook
Pros
The industry the company is in has potential.
Cons
After a decade, many basic processes are still not standardized. Simple tasks that should be easy elsewhere take unnecessary effort here. Mid-level managers form cliques, handling conflicts by forcing the more reasonable side to back down. Double standards are everywhere. People who don’t do the work tend to oppress those who do. Managers have a shallow understanding of both the work and people, resorting to bullying those who are kind while avoiding confrontations with the strong or rude.
There's a constant manpower shortage, and higher-level issues are often dumped on lower-level employees, but salaries and promotions don’t reflect this. Meetings are mostly for show—employees are only allowed to ask trivial questions or praise each other. If you bring up real issues, they’ll either ask you to fix them yourself or tell you to stay quiet. Layoffs have been frequent over the past year, mostly targeting decent employees who won’t cause trouble or those who dare to speak up.
The company is rigidly hierarchical, both in title and race. Middle managers give speeches as if they’re important figures, which is laughable. The quality of employees has dropped, and management is full of holes. Issues in old negative Glassdoor reviews remain unresolved to this day. The tolerance for toxic employees and the chaotic management have left good employees discouraged—they either find excuses to leave or simply cut down their productivity. As one one-star review said, this company needs a complete overhaul, not just minor tweaks.