Good purpose but bad company all the way around - Hospital Technician Vitalant Employee Review

1.0
Aug 5, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The blood products going out potentially will save someone's life. Some good co workers

Cons

would say this is the worst job I've ever had. Starting from the management--they love to create new rules and add more to the already heavy work load. A very "top heavy" company. You'll have 3 supervisors and 2 managers telling you what do to and how to do it a certain way and each of them are telling you how to do it differently. If one of us tells them we need help on the line, not a new rule on how to do things, we will be pulled aside or even called out in front of all the colleagues and shamed for not being a team player .All of them have fancy titles and offers you a title as well as long as youre committed to added more to your work load. To break it down simply... first thing in the morning were sending out daily inventory orders plus additional orders to the hospitals in the bay area and greater bay area. Additionally taking new orders for blood products from different states too! 5 days a week--8 hours or more a day--total non stop hustling and more work is piled on, if we dont finish we will get evaluated and told we need to work on our time management. Management threatens and warns staff that they "watch" us during our breaks. Constantly hovering over us and creating little rules. When we finally get a raise which is a few cents, they will say something along the lines of "you're lucky you're even getting a raise, you need to step up and prioritize" Favoritism, backstabbing amd gas lighting is the daily norms. Did I mention they were in a class action lawsuit for not paying overtime? Now the San Francisco location is closed and moved to Brisbane. Word is that work load has lightened up but the culture is the same. I do not work there anymore, but I have people I know that does. I advise anyone applying here, dont. Starbucks,home depot, other lab jobs etc..will pay you more,better benefits and won't be harassed by management. You will save lives and it gives you some purpose but it will cost you your health, time with family and self respect

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Vitalant Response
10mo
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We're truly sorry to hear that your time with Vitalant left you feeling this way. While we’re proud of our life-saving mission and the commitment of many dedicated team members, we also recognize that no workplace is perfect, and we take concerns about culture, workload, and communication seriously. We’ve made several changes over the years, including evolving our leadership practices and refining our workload distribution to better support teams. It’s never our intent for team members to feel unsupported or undervalued, and we’re committed to continuous improvement. We appreciate your feedback and hope your future endeavors bring a more positive experience.

Explore other reviews about Vitalant

5.0
Jun 1, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Fun team to work with

Cons

None at this time, thanks

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Vitalant Response
2w
Thank you for your review and for being part of the Vitalant team for more than eight years. We are happy to hear that your team helps make Vitalant an enjoyable place to work. The dedication, collaboration, and support our employees provide each day are essential to our mission and the patients who rely on us. Thank you for your continued commitment and for the impact you make. Your contributions are vital.
1.0
May 23, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The pay was nice and some of the coworkers were great to work with.

Cons

It’s a for profit company hiding behind a non profit mask. They don’t care about their employees or the patients they’re supposed to care for. The coworkers I worked with directly in my lab were amazing, but the people in the reference lab were extremely rude. Heaven forbid you call the reference lab on a Saturday and the on call tech has to come in to work on a stat sample. You instantly become their verbal punching bag, especially if you interrupted their grocery shopping. Policies change randomly and nobody bothers communicating anything properly. We used to get 5.25 hours of PTO every two weeks, then they changed it to 3 hours of PTO. If 1st shift is short staffed, they constantly pull people from 2nd and 3rd shift, leaving those shifts short too. But when 2nd or 3rd shift is struggling, nobody from 1st shift ever stays to help. People also get fired out of nowhere, then they turn around and hire less qualified friends and family members to work in the lab. They’ll fire someone with degree in medical laboratory science and who has been there for 3 years claiming they “don’t meet minimum requirements,” then hire the director’s friend with a computer science degree a week later.

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Vitalant Response
1mo
Thank you for sharing your feedback and for your years of service supporting our mission. We’re glad to hear you had positive experiences with some of your coworkers and found the work meaningful. We recognize the importance of strong communication, consistent leadership support, and a respectful work environment across all teams and shifts. Feedback like yours helps provide insight into areas where we can continue improving the employee experience. We encourage employees to raise concerns directly with leadership or HR so they can be appropriately reviewed and addressed. We wish you the best in your future endeavors.
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