BioLabs supports scientific advancement globally and locally by creating unique shared laboratory and office work environments for early-stage science-based start-ups. With a strategic presence in key innovation hubs including Munich, Paris, and Boston, BioLabs offers science-based startups access to shared lab and coworking spaces with premium scientific equipment. In addition to lab space, BioLabs provides access to a global network of scientists, executives, and industry leaders to foster connection and exchange of ideas, knowledge, and resources.
“As a company in the business of people, building strong relationships, maintaining trust, and creating space for authentic communication is crucial. For small businesses, funding for training that facilitates team development can be limited. That’s why BioLabs pursued a grant through the Workforce Training Fund Express Program (WTFP), which provides fast, easy-to-access funding for small and medium-sized businesses in Massachusetts to train their employees in response to emerging needs.
“Our entire company is based on teamwork,” shares Barbara Leven, Director of People & Culture at BioLabs. “We are happy to have diverse talent on our team, and this program helps them to leverage their skill sets to work in a global and diverse environment.”
The long-term growth of BioLabs depends on the productivity of their 23-person team in Massachusetts today. To thrive, BioLabs employees need more than technical expertise—they need to be able to work effectively across departments, communicate clearly under pressure, and resolve challenges without slowing down projects. In a fast-paced environment where startups rely on BioLabs to keep operations running smoothly, even small miscommunications can lead to delays or missed opportunities. BioLabs chooses to conduct training for their employees in “Giving and Receiving Feedback” – including using radical candor and case-based reasoning. This training, provided by Elysian HR, was funded through the Workforce Training Fund Express Program.
By sharpening their ability to collaborate, share feedback constructively, and align around shared goals, BioLabs employees strengthen both their individual contributions and the collective output of the team.
The training delivered high-quality instruction and meaningful content targeted to BioLab’s needs. Employees were excited to participate and responded well to the training. They embraced specific techniques and integrated them into their day-to-day operations; when providing feedback on the course, employees used the radical candor method learned through the training. In particular, the procurement team has improved their communication and increased engagement in their workflows.
The training, according to Director of Procurement Thierry Leclerc, enhanced evaluation by establishing a more robust communication framework to deliver feedback. “I think the training enabled managers to feel more confident and better prepared for challenging conversations,” Leclerc shares. Creating better feedback mechanisms allows for more inclusiveness of team members’ opinions and better alignment on problem solving. While the procurement team had productive workflows in place, the training clarified the “why” behind the workflows and encouraged staff to contribute more. The ability to explain the purpose of a workflow – such as regular review meetings – and how it benefits the team has also eased the onboarding of new managers.
As Leven shared, the training BioLabs received was small in scale, but large in impact. It has helped to influence company culture and create effective team dynamics, leading to more productive employees. Their focus on creating positive and direct internal feedback methods – now used for performance reviews – has reduced friction that can lead to employee turnover. When teams know how to give feedback in ways that are candid yet supportive, they are more likely to innovate, experiment, and take ownership of their work. Similarly, when employees trust each other and understand how to leverage one another’s strengths, they can move more quickly from problem to solution, increasing efficiency and productivity.
BioLabs encourages other Massachusetts businesses to apply for funding through WTFP. Leven shares that the training program was easy to navigate and approachable. “If the idea of the training is to serve small and medium-sized companies in Massachusetts, it is 100% achieved. It was very worth it for us to participate,” she says. BioLabs plans to participate in another training course this year – the Five Behaviors for Team Development – on building interpersonal skills to create positive team dynamics.
“Investing in our people and making our workforce stronger is tremendously important for our business. We are grateful to the Commonwealth for this opportunity,” shares Leven.