43: Australian Red Cross Lifeblood Employee Reviews

After working 9-years at this organisation I can honestly say the following:- The pressure from top-down to perform is INTENSE. Compounded at every level.- Upper-management make knee-jerk reactions and expect the lower-levels to conform or-else,- Communication is dismal at best. You could log-in one day and the media know more than you do.- Management at every level is toxic, are not accountable, and will blame everyone but themselves for results- The NCC is especially toxic with Operations Leadership pushing KPIs over quality of work performance- Nothing is ever good-enough, coaching is an opportunity to put you down and they always find something despite your excellence to put you in your place- Advancement is a joke and NCC management groom those who brown-nose above others with actual skill & merit

Pros

You help to save lives

Cons

Management is deplorable and needs a clean-out

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Great staff, poor upper management and HR

DSNA (Former Employee) - South Australia - 29 March 2023

The centre I worked at was great. Fellow workers and in-house mangers are very supportive. A great team overall. 4.5 stars. As for upper management and HR I'm affraid its very disappointing. Serious issues are not dealt with and allowed to fester. They do not follow their own policies and procedures for example they made a big deal of the RU OK day and to contact them if you are not OK. This was done and I never received a reply, let alone help. This is not an isolated incident and many staff have had the same experience. In conclusion if you are lucky enough to get a job at the centre I worked at you will be fine, just don't expect any positive outcomes from HR or upper mangement

Pros

Great local team, work life balance

Cons

Hr, staffing levels, upper management

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Australian Red Cross Lifeblood insights

Based on 6 survey responses

What people like

Inclusive work environment
Feeling of personal appreciation
Clear sense of purpose

Areas for improvement

Time and location flexibility
Sense of belonging
Ability to meet personal goals

Toxic

Donor Services Nursing Assistant (Current Employee) - Sydney NSW - 26 January 2023

Favouritism is rampid.Hard work gets you nowhere.If management don't like you as a person for whatever reason, the will find a way to force you out of the company eg. bullying.HR is also unhelpful and will side with whoever is in the company's best interest.Majority of coworkers are great.Probably not worth the emotional turmoil.I've heard all the centre's nationally are more or less the same.

Pros

Most of the coworkers are great

Cons

Toxic culture, harrassment, bullying

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Worst job ever!

Registered Nurse (Former Employee) - Hobart TAS - 15 January 2023

Don't waste your time with this company! The most toxic culture of all nursing jobs I've had; Being undermined and micromanaged by Management seemed a daily ritual. Colleagues openly encouraged to "report mistakes made" by fellow workers (which had nothing to do with product/donor safety) Low morale; low pay. A lot to learn in a short space of time with high expectations to perform at top speed within weeks. Now suffer PTSD from this job.

Pros

Home time

Cons

Narcisitic Management

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Great salary packaging

Phlebotomist (Former Employee) - Adelaide - 20 November 2022

Absolutely toxic culture. Bad behaviour gets rewarded, loyal employees count for nothing. It's all about meeting targets, no regard for donors or staff.

Pros

None

Cons

Long days, no work life balance

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Great place to work

Business Analyst (Former Employee) - Melbourne VIC - 25 July 2022

Great place to work and like all places of employment it can come down to your direct manager and mine was great! Awesome facilities at HQ and your work regardless of what it is directky/indirectly helps humanity.

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A great team and a very supportive Team Lead

Application Packaging & Patch Administrator (Former Employee) - St Kilda Road VIC - 7 December 2021

A great organisation, providing a very important service. ARCBS were positive about innovation, work/life balance and a friendly, supportive environment with some great Leadership, Management and Staff.

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I learned a lot.

Donor Services Nursing Assistant (Former Employee) - Sydney NSW - 4 December 2021

Huge amount of information to absorb, and a very high amount of technical skill to be acquired in a short time. Huge pressure to achieve satisfactory door to couch time and to meet blood collection numbers for the day. Be prepared to be criticised for any and every mistake you make, and to not have your achievements recognised or valued by management. If you are confident, capable and liked by the right people it could be a wonderful place to work. But if you're not liked it can be awful.

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Don't that's my recommendation

DCM (Former Employee) - Perth - 15 November 2021

Very toxic place to work. Steer clear. Senior Management are the main problem and lack of guidance from area managers. Back stabbers. It could be a job for life if you got the support that you require.

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Increased demand and poor work life balance

Registered Nurse (Former Employee) - Donor Services - 31 August 2021

They only care about the donors and draw every ounce of blood, sweat and tears out of their donor services staff. They hours are extended beyond what staff can cope with while trying to achieve work life balance and maintain their mental health. I regularly see colleagues in tears because of the ridiculous workload.

Cons

Unsustainable kpi’s, senior management don’t give a rats about regular staff

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Official response from Australian Red Cross Lifeblood

13 October 2021

Thank you for taking the time to leave this feedback. As we know, Australian’s ways of living have changed a lot over the past year and a half, and this includes our donor’s habits (finding time to donate blood and plasma). This has resulted in some changes to our Donor Centre operating hours, however, our employee’s wellbeing remains an absolute priority for us. If you feel comfortable sharing more, please feel free to email us at lifebloodcareers@redcrossblood.org.au so we can pass this on to the appropriate team.

Jobs at Australian Red Cross Lifeblood

Processing Technician

Management concerns

Manager (Former Employee) - Queensland - 7 June 2021

Horrible company to work for!!! Treat their staff horrendously, including the ones that have been there for several years and dedicated a large portion of their life to the company. Cliquey management drama creates poor workplace energy and does not encourage good team morale. Continued complaints and grievances lodged about this and still nothing to show for it. Cons: Ineffective management, inside hiring of staff and friends to ensure that the hierarchy is biased, mental health affected, no work/life balance at all, horrible colleagues

Pros

Nothing. This job will ruin your life.

Cons

See: your review

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Official response from Australian Red Cross Lifeblood

13 October 2021

Thank you for taking the time to leave this feedback. We’re concerned about the issues raised here which do not align to our values, leadership principles and regulated recruitment processes. If you feel comfortable sharing more specific information so that we can escalate this, please feel free to email us at lifebloodcareers@redcrossblood.org.au.

Close scrutiny of performance, micromanaged.

Qualified Nurse (Former Employee) - NSW North Coast NSW - 11 December 2020

What started out as a fun and strict workplace became a stressful and strict environment that wears thin over the years. The donors mostly were great and the work did feel very rewarding.Management and some of the up and coming "Champions"of the centre became extremely painful to work with!It's a good role for a few years but as a qualified nurse you lose a lot of skills in clinical practice. It's ok perhaps to finish out your career as an older nurse but it becomes very monotonous, unless you're a rising star who is power hungry to climb the corporate ladder, and in the meantime walk all over colleagues, and demean them in a bid to win favour with those higher up in management, which seemed to happen all the time. In the end it was just too toxic to deal with all the wannabes who were power hungry and spiteful.

Pros

Salary packaging.

Cons

Mean spirited people.

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Official response from Australian Red Cross Lifeblood

21 December 2020

Thanks for taking the time to leave this review, and I’m sorry to hear that what started as a positive experience with us went downhill recently. If you would like to provide further information, you can contact us in strict confidence at lifebloodcareers@redcrossblood.org.au. Aside from this, it’s great you felt rewarded by our life-saving work, and recognised our amazingly generous donors as a positive aspect during your time at Australian Red Cross Lifeblood.

The kpis will kill you

Consultant (Former Employee) - Adelaide SA - 11 December 2020

You are treated like a robot who cannot think for themselvesThe kpis are too highTelstra on steroids They pick on everything , u never do a good job

Pros

Good money

Cons

Shift work

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Official response from Australian Red Cross Lifeblood

21 December 2020

Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback with us, it’s much appreciated! If you feel comfortable sharing more specific information so that we can notify the right people and make improvements, please feel free to email us at lifebloodcareers@redcrossblood.org.au.

Horrible place to work, you have been warned

Donor Services (Current Employee) - NSW - 8 October 2020

Where do I begin?Management are KPI driven and the bar is constantly being raised to unfair and un achievable targets. The management style is dictatorial and anyone who challenges the business model is pushed outManagement don’t listen and shut down any suggestions that don’t benefit the business, they lack any empathy and common sense.Rosters are inflexible and forget family friendly shifts.Staff performance measurement is highly unfair and basically you need to keep a record of what you do and what went wrong so you have an answer when asked to please explain.Training is way too quick, new starters are expected to be performing at top level 2 months after starting and if you are not performing at their level you won’t pass probation.Culture is basically if you don’t like it there’s the door (this was the exact words of an area manager)I could go on for ages but might run out of space.

Pros

Salary Packaging

Cons

KPI driven management, inflexible rosters, unfair expectations, horrible work culture

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Bullying, pressure and toxic management

Phlebotomist (Former Employee) - Perth - 14 June 2020

It is a toxic work place where bullying from management seems to be acceptable. Double standards and If you are pegged as someone management don’t like then you are better off leaving on your own terms as they will find a way to push you out anyway. No room for movement unless you are a favourite. Pushed to hit KPi’s never given positive reinforcement but constantly told about anything negative

Pros

Team members, donors

Cons

Management

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Excellent

Nursing Assistant (Former Employee) - Sydney NSW - 1 April 2020

It's good that you understand that this Organization is to .care for the sick and wounded in war,and calamities secure neutrality of Nurses,Hospital etc.

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Management needs to get their act together

Nurse (Former Employee) - Sydney NSW - 25 February 2020

Covert/overt bullying by managers. KPI driven and staff always pushed to do more even when staff is low because eg illness. Inflexibility in rosters and now 7 days per week. Late shifts difficult and apparently centre will be moving to finishing at 22:00 on ?one ?two days per week. Difficult to change shifts so work/life balance very difficult. Only good thing was the donors who on the most part were lovely people. Renumeration and and salary packaging very good.

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A wide reaching humanitarian and medical organisation

Adviser to Director of Internal Comms & Media (Former Employee) - Melbourne City Centre VIC - 24 January 2020

The work done across the organisation is broad - deeply based in research and leading the way in medical advancement (in blood, organs, tissue, genetics and other areas). If you love to learn, be part of a bigger humanitarian organisation, the Red Cross Lifeblood is world-class.

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Favorite job to date!

Donor Services Consultant / Social Media Officer / Administration (Former Employee) - Adelaide SA 5000 - 29 October 2019

Great work /life balace and working environment. Lots of room for advancement and growth. Great pay and fun place to work while helping to make a difference and save lives.

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Has the potential to be a fantastic place to work

Registered Nurse (Former Employee) - Adelaide SA - 11 October 2019

The management culture is toxic and bullying in nature and due to being a National company sites are isolated and vulnerable to the poor management structure Whistle blowers are pushed out the door and policy is not adhered to or respected I was warned about the culture prior to starting and didn’t realise how bad it would be! All the good staff leave or are pushed out the door

Pros

None

Cons

Toxic culture in middle management

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service

Sales Representative (Former Employee) - West Perth WA - 25 July 2019

red cross save lives knowing i was part of a team that is giving some one other there in the world a second chance to live, for me that all the motivation i needed as a represented them on a door to door sales basic through a company that gave me the chance

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