American Red Cross Employee Reviews for HR Specialist

"ARC is a good place to work but hard to advance in managment positions because of employee longevity."

What do you like about working at American Red Cross?

"I love the mission of the ARC. I enjoy working with all the various departments. I advise and consult with all levels of managment from the CEO to frontline supervisors on all areas of policy, practices, laws, labor. I have enjoyed the freedom to initiate best practices as it relates to the company's obligations towards its employees. I have enjoyed creating good working relationships between staff and management. I really enjoy coaching management and conducting training on how to be a more effective and better manager. I like being the go to person in HR. I like being busy every day so that at the end of the day I am surprised that it is already time to go home."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"The ARC can be challenging in that it experience a lot of changes in policies and practices due to the regulatory nature of its business. The organization is evolving and the systems in place at a national level can frustrate the workforce on the ground. Patience is key."

What don't you like about working at American Red Cross?

"It is difficult to move up in the Human Resource area because the job is limited to one HR Manager in the Southern California Region and one HR Director in the Division. Historically, people stay in these positions until they retire. So, there is no room for movement up. Also the pay is below the average wage for this type of position."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"When in house managers are managed by offsight managers, there should be more regular oversight and in person visits with managed staff to get a true picture on how the manager is really doing."