Pros
- Co-workers and lower/middle management are great. - Job security is great (almost too great for low performing employees... more on that later) - Can move around to different roles within the company (if management wants you to... or sometimes forces you to) - AO does give back to the community so it feels good to be part of a company with strong recognition
Cons
- Zero paid maternity/paternity leave. Plan on draining your vacation because AO does the bare minimum required by federal law. Sure you can come back, but you’ll be so broke by the time your child can viably attend day care that you probably can’t afford to because... - The salaries are SO low. They’ll tell you that you’ll get bonuses that make up for it and the benefits package is amazing but... - Good luck using the health insurance. Its so hard to find a doctor that accepts whatever strange healthcare they offer, you may as well decline it and pay out of pocket. - The job security is great but it creates lazy employees. You have to try to get fired. - They brag about how many career opportunities there are within AO, but they’re only available to those management decides they want there. - You’re stuck in a never ending maze of beige cubicles for 8 hours every day. Often times the only thing you can hear for hours is people sneezing from the latest viral infection plaguing the office, fingers tapping on keyboards, or elevator music periodically playing from crackling speakers. Hopefully that doesn’t drive you insane because... - No work from home. If it’s -20 and a blizzard and the state is closed and the police declared an emergency, you’re still expected to show up or take vacay. Oh your kids daycare is closed? Maybe you shouldn’t have had one. - Raises don’t even get close to matching inflation. - Last but not least, NO PAID MATERNITY LEAVE. It’s 2019. AO claims to be family friendly. Maybe for men? What’s the deal with this?
