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American Red Cross

Is this your company?

don't donate to this company - Anonymous employee American Red Cross Employee Review

1.0
Mar 15, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

none. none at all. the entire organization is managed by some really not very good people.

Cons

don't be fooled. just because this company has been around forever, it doesn't mean it's an ethical organization. they treat volunteers and low-level employees like crap. if you complain, they get rid of you. if you notice that things are not right, you're rewarded for turning a blind-eye to it....I wouldn't trust this organization. if you give blood, they sell it to hospitals to pay salaries. if you donate money, it pays MOSTLY salaries. the money they give to people when their houses burn down is marginal. there aren't that many home fires where they give people money. AND, when there is a major disaster, the money goes towards mostly volunteers traveling to give away food and other things that it got for free, and again for SALARIES. the only thing i'd give to them is advice. get rid of the CEO, upper management, and all those people who DON"T REALLY CARE about people. Ok....well, that means they'll need to start all over again. the only people remaining may just be the volunteers. if the red cross fired ALL upper management and hired volunteers to replace them, i will retract this review. also, if you look at the reviews in here -- they're done by red cross people who were successful--it's management reviewing management.....

Explore other reviews about American Red Cross

5.0
Apr 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

My experience working with the Red Cross has been great. The work is fulfilling and the people are passionate. Benefits are good - Kaiser is $6 a month!

Cons

There is work life balance, but there is an expectation to work nights and weekends.

3.0
Jul 9, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Meaningful, mission-driven work that makes a real impact in people's lives during times of crisis. -Flexible remote work when not actively responding to disasters. -Volunteers are the heart of the organization. Many are passionate, dedicated, and genuinely enjoyable to work with. -Building strong relationships with volunteers creates an incredible support system. Many go above and beyond to help staff because they recognize the workload and truly care about the mission. -Unique opportunities to gain experience in disaster response, emergency management, crisis management, leadership, and volunteer management. -Deployment opportunities that provide exceptional professional and personal growth. -Every day is different, offering a wide variety of experiences and continuous learning. -Strong sense of teamwork and camaraderie during disaster operations.

Cons

-Inconsistent accountability for poor leadership and management behaviors. -Toxic relationship dynamics that overlook behaviors. -High burnout and chronic turnover; many employees do not remain beyond two years. -Unsustainable workload paired with unrealistic expectations. -Leadership often prioritizes metrics over employee well-being and long-term program sustainability. -Staff are frequently expected to fill operational gaps caused by declining volunteer capacity instead of receiving additional staffing support. -On-call responsibilities can feel like being available 24/7. Even when not officially on call, staff often receive calls from volunteers needing guidance, assistance finding disaster responders, or language support. -Employees who speak a second language are frequently relied upon across multiple territories for translation assistance without corresponding workload adjustments. Although translation services exist, using them is often discouraged, placing additional burden on bilingual staff. -PTO can be difficult to fully utilize because work continues to accumulate and responsibilities often remain waiting upon return. -Compensation does not reflect the workload, level of responsibility, or work-life sacrifices expected. Salaried employees often work well beyond 40 hours without additional compensation. - Recognition and incentives appear to be uneven across departments, while frontline disaster relief staff often carry significant operational demands with limited comparable rewards. -Diversity is more visible in entry-level and lower management roles than in senior leadership.

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