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American Red Cross

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Amazing Staff, Horrible Upper Management - Phlebotomy Technician II American Red Cross Employee Review

3.0
14 Dec 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Staff are like a family. I miss my coworkers so much, they made this job worthwhile.

Cons

Upper management was horrible. Policies that hurt everyone and prevented the goal of the company. Upper management would get angry at us for simple things. For example: getting a $1 smoothie at the smoothie truck at the Gail Singer drive. We worked 16 hours days and they would reprimand us for enjoying a $1 smoothie even if we offered to pay for it because "It's gor the donors not you." That is one example of many. Around the time I was let go the company lost 4 other remarkable employees. I was let go despite having put in my 3 weeks. My significant other also works there ans he got his final ding on his attendance because his car slid off the freeway. They do not give any leniency for callouts ans they do not let you use your sick hours at all (they just sit in your account). If policy was better the turnover rate would be far less. One of my most professional coworkers there wrote a list of all the people who had come and gone in her 2 years working there... the number was somewhere around 20 employees. It has been bad since I left, so I have been told. ARC went from fun chaos to real chaos in the recent months since most of the old crew had left (mostly due to crappy policy and lack of compassion). Employees are people you know ans we don't get paid enough to come in sick or be treated like crap for calling out due to life events. My cousin passed away (23, my age, a sister to me) but because I said he was my cousin and not my sister they couldn't let me have a single day off to mourn.

Explore other reviews about American Red Cross

5.0
30 June 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great humanitarian mission, non profit

Cons

None, great place to work

2.0
15 Mar 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You feel connected to a larger mission, and go to bed knowing you did good work. Most of the volunteers are amazing people. The job is a good stepping stone to other disaster management jobs elsewhere. PTO policy is generous and Healthcare is decent.

Cons

You are INCREDIBLY overworked and GROSSLY underpaid. You get zero work-life balance. Even when you're not on call, you'll still get tons of calls from volunteers with questions and concerns. If a volunteer is unavailable to respond to a fire call or tend to any other responsibility day or night, you're on deck. You're salaried, so there's no overtime pay. Your pay barely covers the basic cost of living in today's economy ($40k-$50k). Diversity is bottom heavy, meaning there are lots of employees of color in entry level or lower management roles, but beyond that there's a steep drop off. Most of the volunteers are great, but the Red Cross is so desperate to keep them, that poor behavior and language (racist/sexist/phobic) is not properly disciplined or responded to, if at all. Employee retention is poor, especially in the Disaster Specialist role, because they burn you out so quickly without decent pay.

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