Vistakon, Limerick

niallo27

I think it is a wonderful place to work.

killwill

Firefox11 wrote: »

I was at one of there job open nights recently. Was wondering what they were like to work for.

The first 18-24 months can be a bit tough especially coming from a hands on trade background as the lines are fully automated and alot of what you do is analysis work looking for gains in cycletimes etc.
There are pros and cons to all jobs. The pros in Vistakon are your health insurance paid for and a decent bonus scheme. Plus all the OT you want.
Its constantly expanding and for now seems to be one of the most stable jobs around.

Obvious cons are working weekends and nights but you know about that signing up to the job!!!

i contact

killwill wrote: »

The first 18-24 months can be a bit tough especially coming from a hands on trade background as the lines are fully automated and alot of what you do is analysis work looking for gains in cycletimes etc.
There are pros and cons to all jobs. The pros in Vistakon are your health insurance paid for and a decent bonus scheme. Plus all the OT you want.
Its constantly expanding and for now seems to be one of the most stable jobs around.

Obvious cons are working weekends and nights but you know about that signing up to the job!!!

That's not completely true.
Yes the first 18 -24 months are tough as are the following years unless you arw lucky and get on to a line with decent people and they just aren't there.
It is no place for a tradesperson or anyone with any qualifications. You are going to have your trade wasted and regret that you stayed there.
I agree with that poster there are a lot of obnoxious people working there and the culture is one of bullying.
I worked there for 4 years and when I left it was a huge weight lifted from my shoulders.
I moved to another medical device manufacturer and the difference is amazing.
No bullying what so ever and the workforce is a happy one.
You fail to mention the poor wages . €27000 ( approx €12.50 per hour) basic wage is an insult to offer any trades person or any qualified person.
People in there think they are on good wages but you can't consider shift allowance part of your wages. That is paid because you are working shifts i.e Nights and weekends.

Yes all the overtime you want but who wants to do it unless you are one of the people who makes it hell for everyone else.....
Finally healthcare is paid for but if they paid a decent wage you could pay for that yourself.
I moved and got a decent wage €46k+ shift allowance plus healthcare.

With regards to it being stable at the rate people are leaving they will run out of victims soon !

i contact

niallo27 wrote: »

I think it is a wonderful place to work.

You must be one of the people who make it a hell for the others !!!!

Roquentin

are people talking about the minimum wage line workers or the qualified personell or both?

Autonomous

Redundancy rumours abound....50 or so.

i contact

Roquentin wrote: »

are people talking about the minimum wage line workers or the qualified personell or both?

The starting wage for qualified line workers is €26,500k top end is €39,500k after about 15 years plus and kissing a lot of ass...

Wages in Vistakon are known to be very low. Grad engineers are similar at about €26k

The company consider shift pay as part of your wage and have the workers brainwashed into thinking the same. Plus all the overtime you can do if you are not mentally exhausted already.

i contact

Autonomous wrote: »

Redundancy rumours abound....50 or so.

There is no chance of redundancy there they can't keep people there.
They would only have to wait a month or so and they would have the 50 bodies...
From what I have heard from an ex colleague over the weekend another 2 have left...

niallo27

The workforce are phenomenal out there.

Roquentin

i contact wrote: »

The starting wage for qualified line workers is €26,500k top end is €39,500k after about 15 years plus and kissing a lot of ass...

Wages in Vistakon are known to be very low. Grad engineers are similar at about €26k

The company consider shift pay as part of your wage and have the workers brainwashed into thinking the same. Plus all the overtime you can do if you are not mentally exhausted already.

but whats it like to work as a minimum wage worker on the line?

i contact

Roquentin wrote: »

but whats it like to work as a minimum wage worker on the line?

I think the word used earlier was "HELL".

Its okay if you like to be bullied and degraded and paid a pittance for the privilege.

niallo27

i contact wrote: »

I think the word used earlier was "HELL".

Its okay if you like to be bullied and degraded and paid a pittance for the privilege.

That's bull****.

BrendanD

I know 2 people working there and they are very happy both have qualifications but they work the machines as well ,they fix and pm them.
They get a productivity bonus and share options as well.
I think its just a case of try it and see as everyone has their own opinions and you can always leave if you want ;-)

Roquentin

i contact wrote: »

I think the word used earlier was "HELL".

Its okay if you like to be bullied and degraded and paid a pittance for the privilege.

oh ok......i worked in dell and thought that was great. long hours no doubt but i like that kind of work

i applied for vistakon a few times. its only an 11 month contract i believe so that coupled with the poor vibes probably aint worth it.

probably better looking for a job that pays less but is more long term

i contact

BrendanD wrote: »

I know 2 people working there and they are very happy both have qualifications but they work the machines as well ,they fix and pm them.
They get a productivity bonus and share options as well.
I think its just a case of try it and see as everyone has their own opinions and you can always leave if you want ;-)

Sometimes people will say they are fine in their job but under it all they hate it.
I know when I left the consensus with my work colleagues was that I was a lucky so and so tho be getting out of there.
I'd say without exaggeration that about 60% of the workforce are very unhappy there and are planning to move as soon as they get the opportunity the other 40% are institutionalized.
There is no working the machines... It is an automated plant and you spend most of your day rooting out jams with a length of wire . The only ones really working the machines are the packers packing the cases they are kinda hands on ...
It'd be only okay if you were about to loose your house because the mortgage repayments are falling behind ... even then I would rather KFC or McDonalds...
You'd get paid just as much or very close to it.
Yep there are perks like the onsite shop where you can buy J&J products at cost price. I do miss that but the prices of some of the products are as cheap in Tesco !!!

I am happy to be out of it and when Regeneron open up fully there will be a mass exodus
from Vistakon . Mark my words....

jt84

i contact wrote: »

Sometimes people will say they are fine in their job but under it all they hate it.
I know when I left the consensus with my work colleagues was that I was a lucky so and so tho be getting out of there.
I'd say without exaggeration that about 60% of the workforce are very unhappy there and are planning to move as soon as they get the opportunity the other 40% are institutionalized.
There is no working the machines... It is an automated plant and you spend most of your day rooting out jams with a length of wire . The only ones really working the machines are the packers packing the cases they are kinda hands on ...
It'd be only okay if you were about to loose your house because the mortgage repayments are falling behind ... even then I would rather KFC or McDonalds...
You'd get paid just as much or very close to it.
Yep there are perks like the onsite shop where you can buy J&J products at cost price. I do miss that but the prices of some of the products are as cheap in Tesco !!!

I am happy to be out of it and when Regeneron open up fully there will be a mass exodus
from Vistakon . Mark my words....

Worked there for two years now and couldn't agree with you more. I made the huge mistake of leaving a job because vistakon is a bit closer to home and i though i would be better off without the travelling to work. About a month in i knew what a huge mistake i had made and started job hunting . It will make you appreciate what ever job you get afterwards just thinking of being back there. would say your comment about 60% of workforce being unhappy is being generous.I would say if you just take engineers and pt's it is a lot higher. Management have a god complex like you couldn't believe. Constant emails designed to intimidate. I know a couple people who work in the newest phase and they are all working hard on getting out, its a culture of intimidation and being treated like dirt. IF YOU HAVE A TRADE DO NOT GO NEAR VISTAKON. You will have to do an interview and aptitude test that would lead you to believe you are going to work for nasa and then get to do the most menial mind numbing work. Rooting at jams with a piece of wire is about the most appropriate description. As for people asking why people still work there its been down to lack of options for the last few years, thankfully that is changing and there is jobs out there again. I know a lot of people who have left there in the past few weeks alone and I am genuinely delighted for every one of them. I think even before regeneron etc. The mass exodus has begun

bridgeman

Hi,
I worked here in 2006/2007. It was the most horrible place ever to work the bullying form both management and technicians alike was unbelieveable. There was nothing you could do because people at different times reported it to HR and lies were then told and Hr also lied and covered it all up. If someone was sacked it brought a smile to the scumbags faces. Oh to meet some of them now for what they did to me. I worked in the 3GT area where we were expected to reach impossible targets on crap lines with cheap crap equipment. It wasn't possible to meet targets and have quality at the same time. In my time there I saw grown adults brought to tears by bullies. STAY AWAY.

tim3000

I am working there slightly over 6 months though I am not on the lines. I must say I find the people there friendly for the most part. I have yet to come across anything like the level of animosity other posters have seen. It is very boring and very repetitive but its easy and relatively well paid. Though I do think that 11 month contracts are a bit cynical.

jt84

tim3000 wrote: »

I am working there slightly over 6 months though I am not on the lines. I must say I find the people there friendly for the most part. I have yet to come across anything like the level of animosity other posters have seen. It is very boring and very repetitive but its easy and relatively well paid. Though I do think that 11 month contracts are a bit cynical.

Hi tim. Glad you are finding it ok but I think if you were working on the lines you would see a really different side to the place. The term bullying has been used a lot here and can be used sometimes too easily but it is definitely appropriate to use about that place. I worked on sites and am by no means soft but what goes on there is not funny. The amount of guys that go out with stress etc. is quite serious and I'm not talking about the usual suspects taking the piss. Real genuine cases who you can see when you work with them are absolutely depressed from working there

Sgt Hartman

Here's a little snippet of my experience working there.

I worked there myself 14 years ago in the QC laboratory and there were times when I found it pretty stressful. There was one girl there who was all chatty and bubbly with everyone else but she hated me for some reason and made me miserable. She was gone by Xmas though. We worked in teams of 4 per shift. One time 2 people from our shift rang in sick at the same time, leaving me there with a rookie who was only working there a couple of weeks. Not only was my workload trebled I had to try and answer constant telephone queries as well as try to help the rookie. I thought I was gonna go insane. I remember the 2 blond jobsworths on the other shift who seemed to revel in making the guys on the packing end of the lines miserable, always pointing out stupid petty things to them. The base curve reader, AARGH!! That device was a nightmare, forever breaking down. One time it broke down on the night shift. There was nobody there to repair it so all the base curve readings from the night shift were left for our shift to do I also remember the HR chief complaining that I wasn't doing enough overtime despite the fact she had a cushy 8-4 number and I don't think she ever had to do any overtime herself. The guys on the lines were lovely but they always seemed pretty miserable and pissed off about the place.

After 9 months my contract wasn't renewed and to be honest I was a bit relieved to be finally rid of the place. In fairness I was 21 at the time and I don't think I had the maturity or confidence for such a job at the time. One guy I went to college with is working in the QC lab at the moment and he seems to be happy enough there. Reading some of the comments here it seems that things don't seem to have improved on the lines there. It's a bit sad really.

phill106

Well just to counter all the negativity, I have been there 3 years and am happy working there. I am not on the lines though, just work days.

regeneron worker

I hear everyone in Vistakon are looking for a job in regeneron I would advise as I am working there not to even come near the place , I should have never left my last job to go work for such bad managers , I have never seen a place run so bad , I was lured by the pay and to be honest the extra 20k that I am getting is not worth the daily abuse and harrisment from management in this place , If you value yourself and your family time stay a mile away from this place , dell where I worked was a king compaired to this crowded , I am currently looking to get out here and I am even looking at vistakon now so that should tell people about this so called great place to work regeneron.

Roquentin

regeneron worker wrote: »

I hear everyone in Vistakon are looking for a job in regeneron I would advise as I am working there not to even come near the place , I should have never left my last job to go work for such bad managers , I have never seen a place run so bad , I was lured by the pay and to be honest the extra 20k that I am getting is not worth the daily abuse and harrisment from management in this place , If you value yourself and your family time stay a mile away from this place , dell where I worked was a king compaired to this crowded , I am currently looking to get out here and I am even looking at vistakon now so that should tell people about this so called great place to work regeneron.

thats the new place over in raheen is it not

who_ru

regeneron worker wrote: »

I hear everyone in Vistakon are looking for a job in regeneron I would advise as I am working there not to even come near the place , I should have never left my last job to go work for such bad managers , I have never seen a place run so bad , I was lured by the pay and to be honest the extra 20k that I am getting is not worth the daily abuse and harrisment from management in this place , If you value yourself and your family time stay a mile away from this place , dell where I worked was a king compaired to this crowded , I am currently looking to get out here and I am even looking at vistakon now so that should tell people about this so called great place to work regeneron.

What exactly do you do in regeneron? I have read on several sources online that regeneron is an award winning company, voted best biotech employer by science magazine in 2012, 2013 and 2014. I find what you say hard to believe. Are you actually employed by regeneron, and if so what is your job? Or are you a contractor employed by an agency?

who_ru

who_ru wrote: »

What exactly do you do in regeneron? I have read on several sources online that regeneron is an award winning company, voted best biotech employer by science magazine in 2012, 2013 and 2014. I find what you say hard to believe. Are you actually employed by regeneron, and if so what is your job? Or are you a contractor employed by an agency?

Something high up if he/she is currently working with them. They have only recruited and are currently recruiting the more senior positions at the moment AFAIK.

zulutango

uhmm ... it doesn't sound like somebody who is high up in the company.

Cookiemunster

zulutango wrote: »

uhmm ... it doesn't sound like somebody who is high up in the company.

They said that they went there for an extra €20K. Someone getting an extra €20K was either unemployed or is moving to a very highly paid /skilled job.

zulutango

Cookiemunster wrote: »

They said that they went there for an extra €20K. Someone getting an extra €20K was either unemployed or is moving to a very highly paid /skilled job.

Yes, definitely a highly paid job, but not high up in the company.

who_ru

To me it sounds like sour grapes. Applied for a job, didn't get it, troll Internet forums bashing the company. Besides from the standard of English used in the post it seems highly unlikely this person is 'high up' in regeneron. Extra large pinch of salt required here.

Sully777

zulutango wrote: »

uhmm ... it doesn't sound like somebody who is high up in the company.

or uses the spell checker!!