The Red Cross is so large and so disparate it is hard to have a handle on what is happening within the organization or how to operate. My first week was awful. The orientation was simply a background on Red Cross and a packet to figure out how to activate benefits and a computer and cell phone that I had to figure out how to set up on my own. If you are not willing to ask questions or not a self starter, Red Cross isn't for you.
When starting on a team, there was no welcome to Red Cross meal to make me feel good about joining the team and there was no real guidance on priorities, what to tackle, or resources available.
The cubicle environment is depressing and there is no real sense of collaboration there. The home office (or hq) was trying to serve as a resource for the chapters (providing marketing materials, fundraising materials, membership info, etc) but the chapters didn't really know how to utilize those resources and basically did their own thing.
HR doesn't really exist. The lousy benefits are all through some 1-800 number and the HR people are not helpful if you are dealing with an issue. They don't even do an exit interview when you leave! The health care benefits are outrageously expensive and the company does PTO rather than vacation and sick days.
Management seem diconnected from their teams and do not serve as great mentors or managers.
