Pros
-super flexible around other jobs, school, ect -on the job training in phlebotomy -a lot of opportunity for advancements, a center employee can easily move up to corporate -good benefits -average wages -really good place to get a lot of experience, hospitals like to hire plasma center employees -a lot of job security -lax enforcement of rules -high turnover rate=frequent promotions, no lay offs, and makes it very difficult to get fired -annual raises and bonuses from overhead -employee donor fee bonus (employees who donate get more money than donors who do not work for csl) -PTO, personal holiday, call out system that does not require you to tell management why you will be absent (in essence, it is okay to play hookie) -really fun holidays -closed most major holidays (xmas, thanksgiving, easter) and fulltime employees make holiday pay -general pros of working for a multinational corporation
Cons
-poor management training -unstable hours (some weeks may require 50 hours, you do not have the right to say no to the extra hours and they are often forced on you at the very last minute, which can be bad if you have children. or, if the center is slow, like during tax return season, you may only get 20 hours in a week. being sent home early is usually on a volunteer basis though) -little to no breaks, in right to work states centers that are understaffed may deny lunches. most centers do not offer 15 minute breaks. if the center has more employees than needed for absolute efficiency management will send people home instead of giving breaks to all the employees. in some cases, you can work a 12 hour day with no breaks. -phlebotomy as a career attracts immature, irresponsible people so there is a lot of employee conflict. work can be a hostile environment -chronic understaffing due to high turnover rate. company puts hiring freezes during the slow season (january to may) and a lot of people leave. but, we cannot train new employees while it is slow, so we are stuck attempting to train them when it's busy -exposure to vomit (you have to hold the emesis bag for a sick donor who is usually in an altered state of consciousness, but this is an infrequent occurrence), stressful but mild medical situations, potentially infected fluids -in order to maintain the best cost effectiveness, employees are treated like robots and given unreasonable time constraints, but are expected to provide the very best customer service possible. -in certain centers, exposure to vagrants/filthy rude people (not at all centers, so pick one that is difficult to access by bus. that's where all the clean, employed donors will be) -on the donor floor: constant walking, in plasma processing: constant standing+ a lot of time spent in a negative 40 degree freezer -excessive personal protective equipment (lab coat, gloves, face shield, pants, non-permeable shoes) combined with constant walking makes the working environment about 95 degrees which can be intolerable. expect to sweat. -highly regulated, frequent internal and external audits -exposure to dissatisfied public (if they are deferred, you bruise them, ect) -general cons of working for a multinational corporation.