C’est La Vie.
by workinghereislikeworkinginnorthkorea
Today marks the first day of my separation from the greediest, most vile company of which I’ve ever (shamefully) been a part. The shit-canning followed the following itinerary:
9am – Clock in to work.
9am-11:29am – Work dilligently and enthusiastically. As prior posts had mentioned, I hadn’t received a bonus in quite some time, and I was slated for a pretty decent one, given my hard work, in October. “Alright, now I can buy Christmas presents for my family!” I thought to myself.
11:30am – Manager arrives at my desk. “You got a second?” he says. I follow him into the meeting room, where the resident HR lady (which I believe is largely a ceremonial position, given the lack of any real accountability within the company), waits.
Everything was carried out by HR lady, who “had some bad news.” She laid it out on the table, weaving a story about how business volume was down, and how they’re having to consolidate and eliminate some positions to stay profitable. I look at my manager, who refuses to make eye contact with me. He doesn’t say a word. Not a single word…
…coward.
So I’m asked to turn my key in. I slide it across the table. I glance back at my manager. Still looking at his feet.
Coward.
In an almost unfathomable act of kindness, they allow me to stay until my lunchbreak, as to avoid the awkward ‘walk of shame’ back to my desk to collect my things, of which there were few; You don’t want to make hell look like home, after all.
But then, they realized that was probably a bad idea, and they made me leave at noon. My manager, I guess, was pretty eager to send the memo out.
This is bittersweet. As the sole provider for my family, we are now officially a ‘no-income’ family. On the flip side, I no longer have to drive home every day contemplating whether or not I truly have a conscience if I’m willing getting up each morning to work in such a crooked, evil industry.
What frustrates me the most is the likelihood that I won’t be getting the bonus I busted my ass for (as described in the past several posts), which means that I will no longer be able to buy Christmas presents for friends and family. It was slated to be a pretty decent bonus.
I’m not so naive as to actually believe that my being laid off was simply due to a lack of business coming in. As demonstrated in previous posts, there was plenty of business coming in….I just wasn’t receiving any of it. I have documentation that very strongly suggests this as well. Could I take it to an attorney and have a case against my prior employer? Probably. Are they worth the time and stress it would take to do that? I doubt it. I’m sure this decision was at least partially based on the incident that evolved regarding unassigned, short-fuse submissions, and my working them after hours.
So what’s next for me? It’s hard to say. Unless I land a job that is equally as soul-destroying as this one, I don’t imagine I’ll have a reason for keeping this blog going. That, of course, is assuming I’m able to find a job, being the proverbial ‘99%’ and all.
My employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance run out as of midnight tonight. That means I have 8 hours to get a flu shot, and my eyes checked. Might as well stick them with a couple more claims on the company insurance policy before I’m out of their lives for good.
What have I learned from these past 3 and a half years? I guess primarily, it’s easy to become a slave to money. It’s easy to do the bidding of someone if they’re paying you a competitive amount for it. It’s when they use that as a means to exploit you, though, is when things go south. I don’t think anyone with a soul could truly enjoy this line of work, any more than a single mother could truly enjoy stripping to put diapers on her kid.
I don’t anticipate making as much money at my next job (whatever that may be), but I think this time around, I’m going to aim for something that is a little more balanced on the pay vs happiness scale.
Coincidentally, my wife and I both have interviews tomorrow.
Maybe we’ll just leave the country.
C’est la vie, for now.
workinghereislikeworkinginnorthkorea 
**** ******* and whoever else is reading this site. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your site. By reading this site it reminds me of someone that enjoys having animal sex, who is not a man and will never be a man. It is apparent to me your are bitter because you are a little man that is a failure. A failure in his career. A failure in his manhood. In other words…a LOSER.
P.S. If you or anyone else wishes to discuss, please call me at 865-300-0782.
Otherwise FUCK OFF!
I don’t hide behind a computer.
William M. Arowood
U MAD BRO?
LOL
Hehe….Bill’s not so bright. He is letting this get personal. That kind of immaturity draws a crowd. I was referred to this blogg because of the drama.
Come on…tell me this isn’t the owner of a company. This is surely some 9th grader pretending to be “The Boss”
You’re a moron, Mr. Arowood. Go suck on that corporate dick some more… you proud of yourself? You’re a goddamn zombie, and proud of it, from the sound of things. You’re a weak minded loser who accepts anything that’s given to him… and apparently, a pervert (animal sex? Wtf did that come from, lol)… Be proud of the fact that your life is as good as it’s gonna get, William. How about you go do something of little to no consequence to the world around you, and go kill yourself.
Wow… a VP of a company spouting off like that? I’d bet dollars to donuts that you’re spent more of your waking life with a cock in your mouth moving up that corporate ladder than without.
Now you can put a face to the name.
http://www.appund.com/About%20Us/OurTeam.aspx
Lol… he looks like every child molester I’ve ever seen a mugshot of… nice.
gettin a rapey vibe
is obesity a requirement or just helpful to get a job there?
Wow. Looks like a convention of inbreds.
Heh, they took his picture down.
Go fuck yourself, Bill.
Hmmmmm…..I think I hear 60 minutes clock ticking William M. Arowood!
TL;DR – Fucked an employee out of a christmas bonus and leaves them stranded at the holidays. Then replies and calls man a bitter, loser, failure, pussy and infers that he’s commiting bestiality which is a felony. What utter professionalism! Did you never hear of Scrooooooggggeeee??????
Yer a fucking pretentious idiot, who’s just attracted the angry youth of the world to your fucking company. I’m thinking once this goes national, and it is now, as it has a fucking news aggregate, reddit, you’ll see many of your customers leaving your services. Say goodbye to your christmas bonuses for awhile, fuckturd.
Going forward, watch how you treat employees. I’m giving the next guy who talks to me this way, a fucking limp. Want to walk with crutches, keep thinking yer untouchable. Yer one ski-mask and crowbar away from walking funny for the rest of yer fat-headed days. Go hide in your cubicle, you’re just another generic cog in a very large machine. SO FUCKING REPLACEABLE.
Bill is mad that the truth it out there… AU is a shitty place to work for.
Bill you also just gave the name of you company away… Just google your name. WOW
Classic!! Just proves every bad thing I’ve ever heard about this guy over the years. Way to out yourself and make yourself look like even more of a jackass. It’s a shame that your clients and the rest of the people working for you don’t get to see this.
Bill Arowood, you sir have just won the super douche of the year award. Congrats. Take a bow.
wow wonder which one of the ass kissing Appalachian Underwriters employees told Mr.A about the awesome, nothing but the truth blog. He sounds tough in his comment. I wonder if he was crying for his mommy when he was in jail. If you would like to call and discuss, call 1-800-U-FUCK-OFF!!!!
Hahaha. I am not so sure. Miller is guy who was afraid to say anything face-to-face. I think he should man up.
68.32.103.2. <–Millerpuss' IP address.
Same IP Address?
Hahahahaha!!! I’m going to have fun with this guy.
Man up and do what exactly? Please explain.
So is Bill up there the old man, the son with half a mullet and a foul mouth, or the one with the stammer?
Considering the guy’s grammatical structure, he’s a fucking idiot with shit for brains. I’d love to meet this guy for a fight somewhere. William Arowood, please fight me. I’d love it. One on one. We can film it, since I’m sure you’ll bring legal shit into it after I remove your teeth with the claw side of a Home Depot end-cap special hammer. I’ll gladly take jail time in exchange for five minutes of you begging me to stop stepping on your throat (not that I could hear you. I’m sure you have rosatia, so that’ll indicate any indication of a plea). You have the verbal luster of fucking limestone–translated in retard terms–you’re a fucking retard. It’s obvious that your elevated position at Appalachian Underwriters is due to the fact that you’re (proper spelling of the contraction involving “You” and “Are,” you redneck piece of shit) a member of old money society. You did not gain your monetary success from any strata dedicated to intellectual progression. You gained it because your great grandfather was probably a decent member of society who received an education involving individual thought, and earned money that was passed down to your Nazi father and probably dead mother. Also, to the user named “millerpuss,” I’d say you’re a child of the ignorant dip-shits running that company. Please meet up with me for a fight. You and Arowood both if you’d like. Respond and we’ll exchange contact info. I can’t wait to play some smear the queer–you being the queer, of course. Please. I’m serious here. Really fucking serious. I’m not making threats, I’m just asking for a man to man fight involving two (maybe three, if Arowood can get some vacation time) men. Sounds homoerotic, I know (homoerotic means it isn’t gay, but could be taken that way from a spectator’s point of view. Like high school wrestling), but don’t be afraid. I’m as straight as an arrow. I promise I won’t try to talk to you about the benefits of socialized health care after I stomp the living shit out of you. I’m serious about this meeting, but only if you agree to it. Otherwise, I’ll know that I’m just having another internet flame-war with two cowards that (despite Arowood’s assertion) will not man up and take a consensual ass beating. Thank you for your time.
Lol. You forgot to leave your phone number so he knows how to reach you.
Actually, that definition of the word “homoerotic” only applies to the context in which I was using it. Sorry for the confusion, Bill. In most other cases it means pretty damn gay. But don’t worry–our fight won’t damage that sweet ass haircut you’re rocking. Wouldn’t want to mess up that salt n’ peppery fuck-puff. Daaaamn. That shit proves that Ross is the fucking boss… of making people look like legitimate retards.
Classy shit, Bill!
Now, how many old, white dudes did you have to suck off with that mouth of yours to get this far in life?
Your former boss needs meds. I’m actually tempted to call him. But that would be almost as trollish as he seems to be, despite the strange invitation to do so – which, if I have this right, also involves animal sex. Hmmm. Also, I doubt he’s stopped trolling your site. He doesn’t seem mentally balanced enough to let it go at that. But looking on the bright side, you couldn’t have asked for a nicer ending to your blog. Fin.
I was waiting for you to turn the tables on the mofos……but real life.
Go through the org chart and you can literally put faces and names to numerous characters….wonderful.
Well what do ya know. Mr. Arowood has yet to answer his phone. (I’ve tried that number he gave a plethora of times) I guess he IS going to hide behind his computer.
Yet the pure fact of typing a response is hiding behind a computer, I mean after all Billy does have ****’s address surely in payroll, why not just drive to his house and get it over with?
Animal sex? Really? Is that some kind of default metaphor for Southern hicks or just this guy really trying to tell us something about his own lifestyle?
Millerpuss: Anyone wanna take bets that this person is either: an employee who really thinks kissing will help, family member or both?
This fully brings to mind a favorite quote of mine from Weiland, that fully applies to anyone with such an inflated ego:
“What we’re talking about here is a frightened little man who once thought he was king, but unfortunately this king without his court is nothing but a memory …”
Its a pretty tough world out there Mr. Arowood. Surely you didn’t expect the people not on your payroll to let you treat them the way you treat your wage slaves did you? You should thank God that your parents built a business that your brother could take to the next level. You couldn’t hold a job as a bathroom attendant without them.
MAN, how much does Arowood’s comment sound like the speech that the wheelchair Lebowski gives The Dude? Right?
!!!HAHAHA!!!
Just noticed that http://www.appund.com/About%20Us/OurTeam.aspx does not show Bill Arowood at the top of the leadership ladder as it did just a few days ago. Damage control or firing? Either way, great job with documenting your journey in a detailed, professional, legal manner. Ironic that Bill was the one who identified himself and his company through a nasty blog comment. Not too bright. Really makes you wonder about that organization as a whole if they have/had someone like that running the show. Good luck with your future endeavors. Hopefully you will learn through your new job that not all those who manage are evil, soulless zombies.
I don’t think it’s the first time they have taken his existence within the company down. They will likely put it back up once the storm blows over.
I saw that too. It happened 3 or 4 times the 6 months I was there.
Gosh everybody, they have a Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/AppalachianUnderwriters?sk=wall
wow they are feeling the heat; our reject on staff attorney (disbarred) and cfo basically threathen us: if anyone commented on the blog they would find out and deal with us. Still trying to buly us to keep us quiet. well I have one word to say to you becuase no one could say it in the meeting. Fuck you I quit or we quit. if we all walked out that would be the end of Appalachain Underwriters.
I am loving this i used to work for them and they screwed me too, ****** I remember you and thought you were an awesome worker im glad someone finally has the balls to say something about that shit hole, but you did forget to talk about the manager over customer service i won’t mention names but i will tell you this he’s done nothing but make that department so much harder then what it really was and has done nothing but run it into the ground. Since i left people have asked me if its a good place to work and i tell them don’t even apply its not worth your time you’ll just get fucked in the long run.I’m honestly surprised that place is still up and running.
I don’t think I could have said it any better myself. While I do still currently work here, I agree 100%. I did see Bill in a suit here the other day. Must have had a meeting, and they still have his name an pic removed from the site. I will never understand how they can claim they “need to make cut backs” and then hire so many people since your parting. I do agree with the customer service comment ablove. I guess that’s why within the past 4 months they have hired 3 new employees…only one has made it past a week; and lost one of the, if not the bets employee they had left to another company. Also shouldn’t it say something about your supervisor when, before they got their position, half the time they never knew what was going on and had to ask questions all the time to another employee (which also left to go to another company.) I am here because I have a young child and have to pay for doctors and pull ups. If I had my choice, I would walk out today and not think twice. It should also say something when you have employees that have worked for you for multiple years and have never had a raise.
I will give AUI one on the plus side. I worked Walmart before here and they are only a half step above because you can make more money.
The 9th floor was no better my friend. Every department meeting you were reminded of how she could walk you to the door at anytime. Actually had a meeting to talk about the fact that she didn’t like what everyone was bringing to her “picnic”. Not to mention hearing about her sex life daily and how she has Mark by the balls. This woman should not be managing anyone! I felt like I was in middle school. I too have moved on to brighter days! Good job, more money, respect from my employer, I feel like an adult again. No one should work anywhere that they are too ashamed to go home and tell their family how they were treated at work.
“Some of you are saying that no one ever tells you that you are doing a good job, well I don’t have to tell you, if you show up in the morning and you have a job, you must be doing something right.” PB
That woman shouldn’t be managing a Taco Bell let a lone managing anybody at a large brokerage firm. I wouldn’t touch that with a 10 foot pole. She looks as if she has been smoking 4 packs a day for 40 years. Nasty and evil. That sounds like a direct quote from her. And another thing. Sonny boy was quoted in the paper a few months ago that they pledged to add 125 jobs if the city of Oak Ridge updated the power grid for Jackson Plaza.
I hear that she was doing on a regular basis the CFO.
Clarification on wording: “doing” means going to lunch.
i just posted this to their FB page, instead of in a message. legitimate questions. lets see if they delete the post.
Hi guys, I’m a lobbyist in Alabama as well as part time commentator for a number of websites. I was brought here by way of https://workinghereislikeworkinginnorthkorea.wordpress.com/. I must say, it gives a very poor viewpoint of both working at your company, and how your company works (at least in regards to the branch in question). My questions are, what have you done to help rehabilitate your image to the public, and does the infamous Mr William Arowood still work there? I would love to get an interview with him personally, if at all possible. Thanks for your time! jpt
He left his number, you could just as easily give him a call.