Pros
Health insurance, steady hours, pension. Highly recommend if you are lazy and Strive for mediocrity.
Cons
Entry level associates are treated like children, although once Covid hit they were proven to be the essential workers. If you don’t have a bachelors degree you will be treated as inferior to those that do. Billing management will not hold associates accountable, which results in their good associates quitting and keeps the associates who drag down the team. Instead of letting people know how they can improve And get opportunities, management lies to associates and tells them nobody will be leaving the department, then multiple other associates will transfer out in the meantime. Thin women get in trouble for wearing stretchy Skinny dress pants, although it’s acceptable for older overweight associates. If you do not want to maintain the status quo you will not fit into the culture. AO is about old school loyalty although they will not be loyal to you. Before covid remote positions were not even an option. Most jobs at home office could be done from home but AO likes to keep things “traditional.” They do not give flexible shifts even though many positions are not customer facing. If you commit to work a certain shift, that is your shift. They don’t want you changing things up for once a week appointments. If you are a go getter, if you question why old systems remain in place, if you want to make a difference in the world and feel welcome at work, AO is not the place for you. Some management will discriminate against you if you have to file FMLA. Instead of taking suggestions most management denies that there are any problems. When I told a manager about an associate with FMLA who’s manager accused them of wanting to be fired to collect unemployment (even though this person worked 2 jobs because AO pays so poorly), my management said that everyone has different management styles. Speaking of pay, you can make more money working less hours at any decent restaurant in Lansing than you can in an entry level position at AO. AO pays less than the industry standard and tries to say that their health benefits and pension make up for it. Their health benefits are not as great as they make them out to be and pensions are unnecessary if you are investing correctly for retirement. Yes, there is potential for a profit sharing bonus. But that just brings you up to the average salary at all the other insurance places in Lansing. Raises are about $800-$1500 a year. I started making 30k and after 4 years and multiple promotions ended making 36k a year. They want everyone to have bachelors degrees but don’t help pay for them. Instead of giving raises to outstanding associates, they take advantage of those who started out on a low pay grade. Meanwhile, people who hire in with a bachelors degree in a field unrelated to the position and no experience will start at $40k. Would not recommend if you are progressive and forward thinking. There is almost NO transparency. Management keeps things very tight to their chest. Again, they have little respect for most associates.
