Co has the over-riding philosophy that because they are the Red Cross, they are entitled to your life (as an employee), your blood (I worked for Blood Services for 12 years) and they never thank their donors, their employees or their volunteers "because of budget cuts". Is the most toxic environment in which I have ever worked....we in blood services worked nights, weekends and holidays....ALWAYS. The only 2 days we could actually count on being off was Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day. Once worked 45 straight days without one day off, and to go weeks at a time, esp. in the summer, with no personal time off. That was the reason I finally left....I realized that no matter how hard I worked, how much I cared...the situation would never change. So now I have a job that is 8-5, with weekends, holidays and nights off. Of course, I still work what I need to to do the job, but is MY choice...not a choice made from guilt ("Patients need the blood"), or brow-beating ("Make your goals or lose your job), and I don't have to be ashamed of what I do when I set up a blood drive and have us show up late, or forget equipment, or have "bad sticks" or unnecessarily long waits. Maybe my new job is not "the mission"...but now I finally have a life again. My advice to anone who may consider working for Blood Services is simply....don't.
