phlebotomist

manufacturing technician

donor center technician

pharmaceutical manufacturer

mechanic

Grifols

Great place to use as a stepping stone to better employment for another company. You will be trained in different areas if you are cool with management (meaning they favor you) if not, you’re stuck in one department with no opportunity of advancement even if it’s inquired by the employee through HR.  Most of the time the center I work at is short staffed and struggling, While supervisors and management just hide in their offices. There is no work life balance unless you’re cool with management. You can’t put in vacation and use that whenever you want because management does the schedule 3 and 4 weeks in advance and most of the time they have signs posted throughout the center saying no PTO request up until this date…. These are taken down if upper management visits the center though. There is no sick time with this company. If your kid is sick, you better be sick too, to get it approved through management unless you are cool with management, then they’ll pretty much make those attendance infractions go away for you. I’ve seen employees get written up for calling off having to take their infant to the emergency room and because the Dr excuse had the child name on it, it was a unexcused absence. Management does not have children so they can care less about family sickness or any type of activities you may have going on outside of Grifols. Pretty much the only time management did their job is when they knew auditors or higher ups were coming to the site. Then the center is cleaned top to bottom, new ceiling tiles are put in and management fakes it like they have the center under control for a day or two. The hard working employees that actually do their job made this place enjoyable and bearable day to day, management has no parts in that! To praise their employees or acknowledge the good ones most of the time it has to be an outside manager from a different center visiting to see this and tell the managers at this center “hey maybe you should do this for your employees” they acknowledge your birthday for the month thanks to the operational supervisor coming up with that idea. But if the center manager is in charge of that, most of the time it’s not acknowledged. The background is diverse at this center but the center manager does favor Hispanics over anyone else or if you’re a previous employee he had at his other center that was shut down he’s best friends with you. If you’re a bad employee you’re praised and even covered by managers if you have attendance infractions. But if you’re a good employee you’re definitely picked on there especially if you’re contacting HR regarding management and their incompetence. The assistant manager and one particular operational supervisor take a million smoke breaks instead of helping their employees. And the center manager is definitely someone who shouldn’t be in charge especially after getting his previous center closed down. Overall very stressful environment and that’s a unbiased opinion of 90% staff that work at this location. There is no job security. If corporate decides to come in today and shut the center down it will be done and you’ll just be out of a job (maybe with a severance pay depending on how long you’ve worked for them). The pay depends on management. You have some that come in making more than the employees that have been there for years. No workable cameras there so if something happens on site it’s basically your word against management. There is no security there although their should be cause the donors do get unruly at times. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Health benefits, and new encounters/experiences everyday. If your a outgoing person this may be the job for you.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The amount of hours required weekly from a salaries position as well as an hourly position. I was formerly a hiring manager for TPR, and Biomat. We were unable to match or even come close to the payrates to local fast food restaurants. When I attempted to request a change in our GEO regarding hourly pay to make us more inline with the surrounding businesses (Ex: Mcdonalds) I was told to "sell" them benefits as an incentive for accepting low pay for a job requiring months of training, and our "step-pay" increases over the course of a year. Average starting pay for a new hire is between $11-$12/h for line staff. Throughout your first year of employement you'll receive step-pay increase with the amounts varying depending on title of which there are three in total over the course of they year being 60/180/365 which will btw disqualify you from an annual incentive increase for up to two years. These increases as far as line staff positions go vary based on the position you accept. You have the "potential" to either go up $1 or a $1.75 in a year in incremental increases depending on which position you accept. This puts you at about $13-13.75 after first year of employment if you start at $12.

The most stressful part of the job was justifying to my subordinates the reasons to stay when breaks were minimal, lunches always interrupted, and managers would call you on off days to ask you to come in on a regular basis. It was also common for a manager to "talk" an employee into staying past shift time, and though required by law to allow an employee to leave at scheduled off time would often make employees stay past scheduled shifts end until it became the "norm" thus destroying any semblance of work-life balance.

On a personal note prior to my resignation I was working 70+ hours a week as a salaried manager which is to be expected from someone in a salaried position. The new manager above me would consistently work 20-25 hours a week claiming he was out "marketing" when called. During these calls he would be consistently groggy as if waking up while stating this. This manager would also force others to contact employees VIA three way calling without properly notifying the individual who received the call that he was on the call, and privy to the conversation. Results of said conversations were typically used as a basis for written warning, and/or termination of said employee. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment is dictated by the management. The culture upon my departure was one of negativity, and fear as the former CM was consistently promising positions to individuals of which he would later when upset with  said individual would inform them he was taking it away.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Wake up at midnight on a regular basis to my CM calling me for 1-2 hours to discuss the business then proceed to get up at 9AM to go-to work to close the center "typically last employee out was around 9PM" 5-6 days a week, and then be accused of leaving early when he made me the permanent closer without my consent. When I'd ask how I could leave early when I was the closer, and on camera his response was always "perception".

I got terminated from my job and now that I'm out I am free after a while year to express what I had been keeping in for the longest time. 

At Talecris Plasma Resources - McAllen, TX, I was loved by most of my coworkers because I possess a naturally magnetic and cheerful personality. Identifying as a gay man, I was never anything other than myself, as I have been always, and a friend to anyone that wanted my friendship. 

I also did my job to the T and to the best of my abilities. Not perfect, but we're only human. I got complimented and praised by several. I will never forget that.

Unfortunately, that was not enough to prevent me from being targeted by certain individuals or to land me in the list of certain staff favorites. 
 
I got terminated for tardies that spanned over 7 months, when other people are tardy and constantly calling in oftenly while being on a final. I always tried to do my job to the 'T' til my last minute working there.

I was next to move up to become a trainer and be cross trained after 6 months, and I was skipped because I was "unreliable." They put someone else who had just started working and had less experience than me even though my area leads had asked for me based on experience. A while back a veteran known to have been on a final forever and known to miss and leave early often got promoted too.
A few months ago someone in a different area that kept calling in (known all over the center as a repeat offender) was promoted to become a trainer. I have called in probably 5 times in a year and some of those, I ended up showing up anyways to put in the work and even kept several hours after my shift and in other ocassions asked to close when other people that are supposed to close missed the day. So where was that "unreliable" card then?

Others were placed on a final, yes, but I kept track of EVERYTHING and Everytime I was issued a warning, a write up, etc. I was written up for not attending a meeting once in February after leaving the center at 11 and having to wake up at 6 to be there for the meeting after an 8 day straight work week. Other employees openly told me they missed as well and some simply because they didn't want to show up and NO WRITE UP for them. Idk why I didn't make the cut to get away with that one. 

People that were on a final still kept calling in when they know they're not supposed to, arriving an hour late after scheduled shift etc. Some were helped out by being told to not clock in the portal and being allowed to fill out a time adjustment sheet to hide tardies.  

How do I know? Because I asked around and they openly shared with me how good they were being treated. Everyone told me I should complain and I just sat there in silence and took it.

Everytime I voiced out my opinions and grievances, when I said I couldn't stay for x reason is when those disciplinary actions were  issued out to me. It almost felt as a form of retaliation for not staying, or for complaining. 
Out of the people that were in a final I did not deserve to be the 1st one to go but in this company if you're not "marketable" or "valuable" you're nothing. Your hard work and dedication does not mean anything.

If that's not considered discrimination in the workplace, idk what is. I guess I was just too different but not special enough.

If anyone feels like they are being discriminated in the workplace feel free to contact the Equal Opportunity Employer Comission (EEOC) and file a complaint.

I am a former employee for Talecris Plasma Resources in Fayetteville, NC. I am really writing to report the mistreatment of employees just in the event that anyone was interested in applying or even recently got hired there. Those that have been recently hired eventually you will see the unprofessional good old boy system that is in existence. Leopards can't change their spots. Sadly, the management staff is a display of what not to do in management. It is more of a elementary school atmosphere than a medical facility that creates products of a life saving manner. The management staff, more often than not, would seem to take what they do as a joke. This particular facility is ran by a bunch of women and sadly you would think that-that would make a difference in how things are ran (i.e. in an adult like and mature manner) but it is ran like you are working in a elementary school with the managers being the children figures.

For example, if they have it in for you because they feel threatened by you (just keep in mind it is a good old boy system, where all of them were put into high positions not because they are educated but because one person knew them from a previous plasma center, and decided they would build an uneducated plasma management empire). No matter what people say education is very important in how you run and maintain a facility. These people have the worst work ethics and attitudes I have ever seen and observed in my many years of working. I have worked for a few companies with hundreds of workers, I just don't understand why this building has a little over 40 people and there is more kayos, low moral, and confusion within it. The treatment of the employees is horrible and have to be a violation of some labor laws. They have you working hours on end and only having one break which is lunch, as well as having scheduled times on the schedule to get off, but you never get off at that time. They do not provide proper schedules because the management doesn't know how to do schedules. The center manager is not for her people and you can obviously tell that in the manner that she deals with individuals (which she doesn't have hands on with her people). Her recently promoted operations manager, and her assistant manager are also going to be two of the worse individuals, and assistant manager that doesn't even know how to interview people. Instead of being ran professionally, it will now be ran on the basis of personal agendas, popularity, ill fated egos, scheming, and childish demeanor. This would seem to be advocated by the regional quality manager and regional manager who are  part of this sad clique.

To those who have read this and are considering employment just know that until this is fixed, and I know every job has its select few, this particular center will continue to go below standard. Please be cautious if you are more educated then they are, you will be condemned before you even get past your 90 days. This is so sad because this company has potential for more greatness if they only place the right people to lead them into it.

Typical day: Clocked in at scheduled time. Depending on where they want you, you'll be doing repetitive work all day, either screening donors or sticking donors (Unless you have a lab position, still repetitive, just slightly less interaction with donors). Highly controlled and monitored environment. Lunch was an hour. Every once in a while you'll get a rude donor but it's nothing that can't be handled.
Let's start from the top: 
Management is... I don't know what they're managing really. During my time there, most months we were barely making donor numbers, even with extended hours and being open on Sundays. (Even going as far as not evacuating the building when the fire department suggested doing so because of a gas leak.) They can't even get along with the quality department about whose job is what. (Expect attitude from  a certain employee in Quality when they are asked by management to help out in production. If you DO end up working here, they're pretty easy to spot) Preaches about "too many chiefs, not enough indians" (their favorite phrase) but won't do anything to correct the problem. Every section (dct's, phlebotomists and processors) has a lead but there is poor communication between them, as well as between leads and managers. They play favorites as well. One of the most senior employees was late often or didnt even call in and still had a job. Training: Training, in and of itself, is in depth. They know how to pick trainers. Learned everything I needed to know about the jobs I would be doing. BUT, don't rely on management to place you with a trainer, or them to tell leads you need time to read the SOPs. You need to keep reminding THEM about the deadline for training, not the other way around. The workplace morale is so low that mostly everyone in scrubs (sans assistant manager) bonds (due to sharing an oppressive work environment) and gets along great and are truly awesome and helpful. (especially the guys in the lab and the OS's, most enjoyable) The medical staff is GREAT. (When they can keep them around. They are overworked and probably underpaid.) Oh, we were GRAVELY understaffed in production but when ONE Operations Supervisor got promoted they hired 3 (THREE) people to fill the place.
And finally, an experience I had: I was trained and worked both on the floor and in the booths. The lead on the floor and (an employee who thinks they are) the lead up front had me on both their lunch schedules and couldn't come to a conclusion as to which one I should follow. As it was getting closer to lunch I approached the OS (now Assistant Manager) TWICE about the problem. They said to me: "I don't care. Figure it out." There is so much more but this is already long so... Yeah..... DON'T.

A typical day at work as a CMS(formerly MST and CMS):
Screening prospective donors, performing new donor physicals, screening return donors, performing phlebotomy/plasmapheresis.

Pros: If you are eager to learn you can learn way more than you would in an EMS environment.

Cons: Medical is often cross-trained into all areas and tends to get "trapped" in screening or phlebotomy. We are usually the ones who carry the center during call-outs. SOPs do not care about your certifications or experience. For example a donor was very visibly high on opioids in the center and after alerting quality, was instructed we have to be able to prove it even though the donor had clear signs of an opioid overdose pending.

Management:
Management can be hit or miss. Managers are usually promoted from within and already familiar with operations.

Pros: Managers usually are people you've known or worked with, and typically will have an idea of how center operations run.

Cons: 1. Center managers are not truly in charge. Everything is ultimately decided by higher powers. So even if you have a strong CM who cares if the higher powers strike them down, it won't happen.

2. Management is usually "Grifol-ized" it's the grifols way or the highway. When this happens they are usually pretty unperceptive of outside ideas or new ways of doing things. This is because SOPs are not flexible and there is no way of recommending a new or better way.

3. Additionally with managers being promoted from within, they will promote a strong phlebotomist and leave a hole in phlebotomy when they do so. This takes a once strong phlebotomist and now renders them virtually useless to floor staff.

4. Meetings, Meetings and more meetings: I have never worked anywhere that forces management and essential personnel to be in meetings seemingly constantly. Preventing anything from actually being done.


The hardest part of the job:
The training. Training employees takes virtually forever. I've seen employees work for 3 months and still not signed off to perform the job they were hired for. When in training you must be signed off on all aspects of your job before you're allowed to perform. i.e. even if you are checked off on screening, you cannot screen by yourself until you're also signed off on registration and other tasks. This means you tie up two employees and render them ultimately unavailable to perform trainings. So hiring new people actually creates short staffing worse than if you didn't have to train them.

I left the job because I felt my skills were not being used. Despite being required to carry an EMT license, I was not able to perform any EMT skills in the event of a donor reaction, emergency or otherwise. I was not even allowed to take a manual BP. 

Working for the company in a plasma center is fast paced and exciting at times.  Unfortunately feeling support by your regional management, divisional management and above is not something you will be familiar with working here. The company is growing incredibly fast, but unfortunately the growth is not necessarily planned that well.  The organization is already running into issue with staffing Center Managers, Assistant Managers, or Center Quality Managers and aggressively opening more and more centers only compounds this problem.  Many Center Managers, Assistant Managers, and Center Quality Managers find it difficult to maintain and acceptable work/life balance and employees in those roles are burning out at an alarming rate. 

The company has made a lot of statements over the years relating to reformatting regional management and support positions to more of a service culture and allowing those positions to support the center instead of direct the center.  Unfortunately while making those statements and providing the centers with signage related to a new culture things have not actually changed much.  I have seen the organization promote problem employees into roles in which they do little to support the center and instead they increase the stress, anxiety, and unhappiness for management staff.  Unfortunately with the recent structural changes the organization seems to be moving in the opposite direction.  

The organization is very budget conscious resulting in difficult repairing center damage or obtaining the supplies/equipment that you need to operate the center effectively and efficiently (while at the same time spending millions to acquire other companies).  Upper management will deny repairs because there is not money in the budget; however, when the center receives an audit finding related to that issue the center is held responsible.  No one cares that the fix was denied and we were apparently supposed to wave our magic wands and get them fixed.  In regards to the budget it also results in pay being subpar for the amount of work an employee does, especially in management.  There is a bonus structure for management; however, it is based of seemingly rudimentary performance indicators that the center does not always have control over.  The centers that do specialty programs also are eligible for incentives; however, those incentive goals are unrealistic and exceeding 100% of your goal still is not good enough for an incentive.  

In general management is set up to fail and a lot of managers in the organization feel as though we can be terminated at the drop of a hat.  Consequently it is almost impossible to get rid of a problem employee who is bringing down the entire center.

I recently had the unfortunate opportunity to work at a donation center, and it would be an understatement to say it was a disappointing experience. From the moment I started my first day until the day I finally left, I was overwhelmed with frustration and disillusionment.

First and foremost, the management at this donation center was abysmal. The lack of organization and clear communication made it nearly impossible to perform my duties effectively. There was a complete disregard for employee training, leaving us to figure things out independently. It seemed like the management was not interested in helping us succeed in our roles, which only led to constant confusion and mistakes.

The work environment was appalling. The facility was poorly maintained, with outdated equipment and a general lack of cleanliness. The entire place seemed like it hadn't been updated in years, which did not instill any confidence in our work. The physical conditions were uncomfortable, making concentrating on the tasks at hand difficult.

Furthermore, the workload was unreasonably heavy. We were consistently understaffed, leaving us overwhelmed and unable to provide the necessary attention to the donations. It was as if they cared more about quantity rather than quality. This rushed approach led to the mishandling of items and the overall degradation of the donated goods. It was disheartening to witness how the center's focus seemed to be on maximizing profit rather than serving the purpose of helping those in need.

In addition to the chaotic work environment, the compensation was insultingly low. Considering the amount of physical labor and the demanding nature of the job, the meager wages were far from adequate. Clearly, the management did not intend to value their employees' hard work and dedication.

Overall, my time at this donation center was a complete disappointment. The lack of management support, the unsatisfactory work environment, the overwhelming workload, and the dismal compensation all contributed to an incredibly negative experience. I strongly advise anyone considering working at this center to think twice and explore other options. There are far better places to work that value their employees and provide a more fulfilling experience.

I'll start off by saying the management is GREAT... the staff, schedule, and the new "grifols day" policy (I'll explain later) is what drove me away... First and foremost the staff , mainly the  phlebotomists are messy, drama filled, fake, miserable, disrespectful, etc... it was like I was in high school all over again. Everyone talked about everyone.. instead of informing someone of their mess up; they would talk mess behind the persons back. I stressed going to work everyday. Schedule; the company started this new "A/B" schedule where one week you'll work 1st shift and the second week you'll work 2nd with the same day off..,  weekends were RARELY granted according to what I've witness and heard... with me having my first daughter , not even 5 months of age at the time, I found it very hard to only have a Tuesday off and work every weekend... where's the bonding time?? and with management being off every weekend I would think they would understand the importance of having a weekend off. One thing I HATED is the time you left always depended on what time the last donor got screened /poked /and left the building. Sometimes the phlebs would leave 3 hours past closing time (which is 5) .. also the company doesn't take in the fact that life happens... they started this thing called grifols days.. each time you're late or had to call in, you had to take one.. they don't care if your child is at home with a fever or In the hospital... you have to use one..if you have 3, you get written up and soon termination ..  I didn't agree with that AT ALL because when it comes to situations like that you cannot control.  Also the training was absolutely terrible... I had to literally ASKED to be trained on multiple occasions... they need to develop a training system because the one they have now is terrible. Also the work environment... as a DCT you stand in one spot all day... the open   Cubicle is about 3 feet wide and you stand there and screen donors all day.. the time you decide to walk away for some air, someone is talking mess about you not working. It was slaves work.... FOR ME at least... this may be the job for other people, but I simply couldn't do it.

Great company but the Garland center is run by poor management. You can only move up if you do as they say and kiss their behind for the most part but its a sin to stand up for yourself and if you do, they will consider you rude and a bad employee.
They tell line staff to grow a back bone and take criticism but Management including most of QA cant take criticism and lack a back bone honestly and if you do stand up for yourself, they dislike you already.
People in that center are fake and line staff is not allowed to do certain things but management is because they think they are better.
A manager once said that line staff are nobodys.
They like to micromanage everything even if you are competent at your job and management uses profanity toward employees.
If you are good friends with management its easy to move up and when they open certain lead/OS/QA positions they already know who they are choosing so dont apply unless they tell you because you will not get it. 
They also like to lie to employees, promise them things and never go through with it.
Christmas parties suck unless you have kids, they will enjoy it so bring them.
Management will also work with any life issues you have only if they like you.
They also let certain employees slide but like I said, if they dont like you, they wont. 
Most of QA stays on their phone 24/7 and always chit chatting in the office while areas are struggling. 
QA and some Supervisors also like to watch people like a hawk and wait till they mess up (even if super minor) and they go tell management ASAP. They dont know how to follow the chain of command.
Last thing...THEY SUCK AT COMMUNICATION. THEY CANNOT COMMUNICATE AT ALL. IF YOU TELL A MANAGER SOMETHING, THE OTHER MANAGERS DONT KNOW ABOUT IT BECAUSE THEY SUCK AT COMMUNICATION. 
My recommendation, go to TPR because they have a great teamwork. 
Also, the only center in Texas that is open Sun-Sat 7-8pm. 
They do appointments but still let people walk in last minute. What a joke of a center it is. 
They dont appreciate their employees,  only certain ones and that center has bad vibes...
Trust me when I say, that center will turn into Octapharma Garland.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Phlebotomist 59 salaries reported	$19.65 per hour
Manufacturing technician 11 salaries reported	$24.14 per hour
Donor center technician 30 salaries reported	$18.45 per hour
Pharmaceutical manufacturer 6 salaries reported	$22.78 per hour
Mechanic 3 salaries reported	$33.62 per hour

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