IDEXX HATES ITS EMPLOYEES

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Anonymous said:
Hello,
I am at an investment group and doing research into the employee culture at IDEXX. I would like to find out not only how IDEXX treats its employees and sales reps (which doesn't seem to be great) but also how employees treat one another.
Also if anyone has any other insights into this company's culture that they think are particularly interesting or pertinent that would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
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I doubt an Investment firm would want to invest in people that sue everyone....literally everyone. Like babies throwing a temper tantrum when they don't get their way. Exploit the courts is not a way to gain any positivity either on the inside or outside of idexx. It's embarrassing. But sadly
Not surprising
 






To provide a picture of the work environment at IDEXX on Thomas Drive, which is located in a separate building from IDEXX corporate offices off of Eisenhower drive, imagine a sea of cubicles with a few hundred people working at this location. Each row contains ten cubicles, five on each side, all employees are facing forward.


At times employees would goof around between calls, throwing balls between cubicles, playing with small nerf guns, playing small desk games, office betting pools, sports brackets, general chatting, etc. In my experience at IDEXX employees were never reprimanded for such actions, because our performance was quantifiable through sales achievements, call volumes, team participation, etc.


During my 18 months of employment at IDEXX, I had 3 different managers supervising our team. Each with a vastly different management style. My 3rd and final manager was very hands off, and seemed to avoid any sort of confrontation and unable to address issues as they arose. As such there was tension and conflict within our team, because new employees were hired at a higher pay grades than those who had been working longer at IDEXX with proven track records for reaching and exceeding sales goals. One person who was particularly unhappy was ________, who was well known throughout the department as a very negative, disgruntled employee who often complained about IDEXX and most of her colleagues. She would regularly confront our new manager about her pay or any other workplace situation that she was unhappy about. She was very confrontational, sometimes mean and condescending to other coworkers, especially with other female employees.


Fast forward a few months, I was proving myself as one of our departments strongest inside salespersons quarter after quarter, so I was asked so start selling one of IDEXX’s newest programs (IDEXX Neo), however I was also in the same pay grade as ______ (which was lower than all of the new hires) and requested my manager review my job leveling in accordance with my new responsibilities.


During this time, my colleagues and I were playing with some small nerf suction cup guns in our cubicles, as a way to break up the monotony of sitting in a cubicle all day, making sales calls. This type of behavior was ordinary within the department, and no one on our team seemed to be bothered. One afternoon a colleague was antagonizing _____ a little with the nerf gun and ________ said: "Why don't I grab my real gun from home and show you what that's like." Everyone within ear shot of _______ took a step back and said, "that's not a good thing to say at work." we thought she got the point, and assumed she was trying to joke around and just went too far. Four people in total heard the comment, and when __________ wasn’t present, we all started talking about what she had just said. All four agreed this comment was not appropriate especially in the workplace, and it was concerning since the statement came from a disgruntled, indignant employee.


The following Monday a colleague was playing with the nerf gun again. Again _________ said, "If I bring in my real gun, I can show you that power." After the second comment from ______ about bringing a gun into work HR was alerted. Since I sat directly in front of _______ and heard both comments, I was called into a meeting with HR. I never met with an HR rep in person, it was all over the phone, with someone from eau claire WI, even though the entire IDEXX corporate office is located a little over 1 mile from the Thomas Drive location. HR asked me for my recollection of the events, so I outlined what I heard from _____ about the two different gun statements. After speaking with HR I told my manager that I didnt feel comfortable sitting right in front of ________ after she made those comments, the thought was now in my head that something bad could happen and I didn’t want to be at the office if it did. So my manager suggested that I work from home for the remainder of the week. Three days later, and ________ is still working IDEXX, there were no updates from HR. During this time a colleague started a team office betting pool, which 8 people participated in.
 






I had a pre-planned vacation with my family from Monday to Wednesday of the following week. During this time, there were no updates on _______, until I received a call from HR on my cellphone on tuesday evening at 6pm. HR left a message requesting I call first thing wednesday morning, even though I was on vacation. On wednesday morning, I was in a hotel room on vacation with my 18 month old son, but I called HR anyway. HR had a more questions about the events, this was the second round of questioning by HR about the incident with _________, but I was highly distracted by my upset son who was trying to climb on anything possible while crying for my attention. I was juggling two very important situations at once.


When I asked for an update, HR stated the investigation was still on going. I asked what I should do about going into work on thursday, because I have a family I would like to be assured that I was returning to a safe environment. HR suggested that I call my manager, when I did he said it was ok for me to return to work after my 3 days off. So on thursday I walked into work without knowing if _______ was going to be there or not. Around 11am ______ wasn’t in the office and I still didn’t know if she was coming in or not, by 1pm I felt certain she wasn't coming in for the day.


Friday afternoon, I was called into a private meeting room by my manager. On the phone was HR, they asked me a few more questions about _________, then out of the blue HR started asking me about the office betting pool. They asked me if I was involved, and I affirmed my participation. They questioned me about who started it, who organized it, who was involved, how much money, etc. I was asked to send any relevant emails about the pool to my manager. During the week leading up to HR questioning me about the office betting pool, my manager knew about the pool, because everyone joked around about it. He did not participate, but he was aware of it. He was also aware of the nerf dart guns well before ________ made the comments about bringing a gun into work. At no point did our manager talk with us about not playing with the nerf guns or about discontinuing the betting pool. To all of us it seemed like a way to have a little bit of fun while working.


I went home after work on Friday with a strange feeling about the events over the last two weeks. Why did it take HR so long to investigate these events? Was HR taking the possible threat of bringing a gun into work seriously? Would this situation been handled differently had the threat come from someone other than a caucasian woman? Why did all of the investigations take place over the phone with an HR person in Eau Claire, WI when the corporate headquarters are located just a mile down the road? ______ had not been in the office for days, but no one called a meeting to explain her absence.


On the following monday, our morning sales meeting with our manager is pushed from 9am to 4pm on monday. Usually not a good sign. Five minutes before the monday meeting at 4pm, the meeting is canceled by our manager. Our sales meeting has been rescheduled for 4pm on Tuesday, but again it was cancelled a few hours before 4pm.


I left work on Tuesday still suspicious of the events, and the lack of communication from our manager and from HR, but I returned to work again on Wednesday. Our manager showed up mid-morning on wednesday and skips back to his desk without saying hello to anyone, which was very strange. He spent a few minutes at his desk, then left again without talking with anyone. A few hours later he sent me an instant message to meet him in room 110. Which is the kiss of death from an employee’s perspective. Room 110 is a tiny private meeting room with a small table and four chairs, located right next to the security desk. No one ever has meetings in 110 unless it’s HR related. Sure enough, my manager was there with an HR person who I never met, and who I had never spoke with over the phone.


My manager terminated me on the spot for “unprofessional behavior” in the workplace. I asked if this was because I was involved in the office betting pool, but the woman from HR quickly jumped in stating that I was playing with nerf guns which could have lead to a possible incident in the building and for participating in the gambling pool. I didn’t voice any opposition, because I could sense the woman from HR was preparing for confrontation and it was clear the decision was already made to fire me; there was no point in trying to make a stand against it. I decided to take the high-road and leave with my head held high, stating I accepted their decision. They asked me if there was anything from my desk that I needed, which I replied, “The pictures of my family.” The woman from HR stated they would mail everything to me. I was not allowed to return to my desk and gather my personal belongings.


Two other colleagues were fired a few minutes later for the same reasons.


Prior to the two HR investigations (nerf suction cup guns and the betting pool), I had no disciplinary actions against me, in fact all of my performance reviews had been stellar and at one point my final manager stated that I was a model employee who set good examples for the rest of our team; I have the written review to prove this point. I don’t know I'm not sure why my actions were considered to be so egregious to warrant termination, especially considering I took my job very seriously and strived for high performance, but apparently the decision was made to forgo any warnings and proceed directly to termination of my employment. I would most certainly have been amenable to change had I been given the opportunity. I was dumbfounded by the decision from IDEXX to eliminate my employment after achieving top sales quarter after quarter, but I have no other option than to look ahead and be the best salesperson I can be with all future endeavors.
 






anonymous said:
I had a pre-planned vacation with my family from Monday to Wednesday of the following week. During this time, there were no updates on _______, until I received a call from HR on my cellphone on tuesday evening at 6pm. HR left a message requesting I call first thing wednesday morning, even though I was on vacation. On wednesday morning, I was in a hotel room on vacation with my 18 month old son, but I called HR anyway. HR had a more questions about the events, this was the second round of questioning by HR about the incident with _________, but I was highly distracted by my upset son who was trying to climb on anything possible while crying for my attention. I was juggling two very important situations at once.


When I asked for an update, HR stated the investigation was still on going. I asked what I should do about going into work on thursday, because I have a family I would like to be assured that I was returning to a safe environment. HR suggested that I call my manager, when I did he said it was ok for me to return to work after my 3 days off. So on thursday I walked into work without knowing if _______ was going to be there or not. Around 11am ______ wasn’t in the office and I still didn’t know if she was coming in or not, by 1pm I felt certain she wasn't coming in for the day.


Friday afternoon, I was called into a private meeting room by my manager. On the phone was HR, they asked me a few more questions about _________, then out of the blue HR started asking me about the office betting pool. They asked me if I was involved, and I affirmed my participation. They questioned me about who started it, who organized it, who was involved, how much money, etc. I was asked to send any relevant emails about the pool to my manager. During the week leading up to HR questioning me about the office betting pool, my manager knew about the pool, because everyone joked around about it. He did not participate, but he was aware of it. He was also aware of the nerf dart guns well before ________ made the comments about bringing a gun into work. At no point did our manager talk with us about not playing with the nerf guns or about discontinuing the betting pool. To all of us it seemed like a way to have a little bit of fun while working.


I went home after work on Friday with a strange feeling about the events over the last two weeks. Why did it take HR so long to investigate these events? Was HR taking the possible threat of bringing a gun into work seriously? Would this situation been handled differently had the threat come from someone other than a caucasian woman? Why did all of the investigations take place over the phone with an HR person in Eau Claire, WI when the corporate headquarters are located just a mile down the road? ______ had not been in the office for days, but no one called a meeting to explain her absence.


On the following monday, our morning sales meeting with our manager is pushed from 9am to 4pm on monday. Usually not a good sign. Five minutes before the monday meeting at 4pm, the meeting is canceled by our manager. Our sales meeting has been rescheduled for 4pm on Tuesday, but again it was cancelled a few hours before 4pm.


I left work on Tuesday still suspicious of the events, and the lack of communication from our manager and from HR, but I returned to work again on Wednesday. Our manager showed up mid-morning on wednesday and skips back to his desk without saying hello to anyone, which was very strange. He spent a few minutes at his desk, then left again without talking with anyone. A few hours later he sent me an instant message to meet him in room 110. Which is the kiss of death from an employee’s perspective. Room 110 is a tiny private meeting room with a small table and four chairs, located right next to the security desk. No one ever has meetings in 110 unless it’s HR related. Sure enough, my manager was there with an HR person who I never met, and who I had never spoke with over the phone.


My manager terminated me on the spot for “unprofessional behavior” in the workplace. I asked if this was because I was involved in the office betting pool, but the woman from HR quickly jumped in stating that I was playing with nerf guns which could have lead to a possible incident in the building and for participating in the gambling pool. I didn’t voice any opposition, because I could sense the woman from HR was preparing for confrontation and it was clear the decision was already made to fire me; there was no point in trying to make a stand against it. I decided to take the high-road and leave with my head held high, stating I accepted their decision. They asked me if there was anything from my desk that I needed, which I replied, “The pictures of my family.” The woman from HR stated they would mail everything to me. I was not allowed to return to my desk and gather my personal belongings.


Two other colleagues were fired a few minutes later for the same reasons.


Prior to the two HR investigations (nerf suction cup guns and the betting pool), I had no disciplinary actions against me, in fact all of my performance reviews had been stellar and at one point my final manager stated that I was a model employee who set good examples for the rest of our team; I have the written review to prove this point. I don’t know I'm not sure why my actions were considered to be so egregious to warrant termination, especially considering I took my job very seriously and strived for high performance, but apparently the decision was made to forgo any warnings and proceed directly to termination of my employment. I would most certainly have been amenable to change had I been given the opportunity. I was dumbfounded by the decision from IDEXX to eliminate my employment after achieving top sales quarter after quarter, but I have no other option than to look ahead and be the best salesperson I can be with all future endeavors.
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Wow, I'm really sorry for you. That's pretty BS of IDEXX and unfortunately is a sign of our current state in this country. I would personally speak to a lawyer if there is not something written in the employee handbook about office pools.
 






Halloween!
Another great opportunity to enjoy one's children...watch them dress up, go out, have fun, eat loads of candy and make memories. Such a wonderful experience for a parent and a kid.

Unless you walked on your own kids long ago. Then it's just Monday.
 












anonymous said:
Wow, I'm really sorry for you. That's pretty BS of IDEXX and unfortunately is a sign of our current state in this country. I would personally speak to a lawyer if there is not something written in the employee handbook about office pools.
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I spoke with 3 different attorneys, but unfortunately Maine is an "at will" state, which means they can fire an employee for nearly any reason (or even without reason), provided it's not discrimination, whistle-blowing, or you have an employment contract. In the IDEXX handbook it outlines the steps for disciplinary actions, but there is a clause which states any step can be skipped at anytime and proceed directly to termination.
 






This is complete horseshit. What a way to treat employees.

If you know anything that Idexx may be doing that is illegal then you should turn whistleblower. Do they promote anything off label (maybe this is not a issue in the vet field)? Do they in any way pay kickbacks or offer any type of questionable incentive to vets? Is there any age/race/gender discrimination there? If so then burn them down.

At the very least, tell this story to everyone you know and direct others to this post. Idexx has to pay for treating people this way.
 






You think you have it bad? I temped at Idexx for two years before being dropped like a hot potato. Fuck those conceited money grubbing greedy fuckers. They string you along just to fuck you over. Thanks for laying me off 3 weeks before the holidays assholes!
 












I can't help but notice that posts about a certain individual are commonly deleted. That means this person monitors this board and has posts deleted because they run counter to the image they would like to project.

Can you imagine being hated by so many people that you have to spend time checking all these posts and threaten to sue to have them deleted?!

Perhaps lawsuits aren't always the answer, maybe you could just not be such a dirtbag so people might be less likely to point out what a loser you are.
 


















Can you imagine what it must feel like to be sooooo hated by sooooo many people?

Well at least he can take comfort in the fact that he is loved by his children........oh wait, nope, they hate him too.
 




































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