Max-Planck-Institut 

für 

Gravitationsphysik

Unternehmenskultur

Pretty much abysmal, shaped by tension and lack of trust

The institute is dominated by an outdated work culture. The location is also far from everything: still, home office is expressly unwanted and treated as the ultimate exception. The cherry on top goes to the bad transport connection, which makes daily commute feel like an extra punishment. If you live in Berlin for instance, you can easily waste 3 hours of your day commuting. That's not healthy.

I had great coworkers who made my routine there less unbearable. But after leaving the institute I also realized some people were not so honest.

It varies, depending on whom you report to. There are competent supervisors who know how to push people forward through effective work dynamics and good communication. Unfortunately this was not my case, as I reported directly to the managing director. Her inability to distinguish between leadership and simply bossing people around is impressive. Her interpersonal skills are inversely proportional to her competence as a physicist.

If you're working with the managing director, be prepared for spending a big chunk of your time answering to her micromanagement emails. You'll need to justify yourself a lot. She is quick and frequent in expressing criticism, but employees are not really encouraged to voice criticism themselves, as doing so threatens the (constantly tense) work atmosphere

My job would have been far more interesting and productive if I had not been constantly occupied with responding to micromanagement emails and justifying my decisions and working hours.