On the brink - Anonymous employee Helix Employee Review

5.0
24 May 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I've worked at small startup, big tech, and massive fortune 500 companies. This is hands down the best company I've ever worked at. It starts with light-touch things: the executive who joins your on-boarding; the founders who recognize new faces and ask you for feedback on their company; the kombucha on tap. Then it starts to hit you: complete transparency across finances, marketing and ecommerce data, partnerships, even HR; top-shelf perks and benefits; colleagues who are smart and fun and really truly care; a workplace built on trust. And all of that is just the icing on top of the fact that our business model is on the brink of massive success that will remake the personal genomics industry. It will not only be profitable, but actually improve the lives of billions of people (doing right by our customers in the longterm is baked into our business model).

Cons

As you'd expect at a startup, from time to time we'll change directions—not on the mission and not on our company goals, but on the tactics that we use to reach those goals. As we grow and bring in new people and new ideas, these changes can feel larger and affect larger groups than they used to. This in itself is not a problem so much as the small group of folks who feel maligned by these changes are. To succeed you have to work fast, work hard, always be open to new ideas, and know how to advocate for yourself.

Explore other reviews about Helix

5.0
19 Feb 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

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
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.

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