administrative assistant

service manager

director

mediator

senior administrator

American Arbitration Association

I was never bored at AAA.  On daily basis, my task calendar will guide me on how to get organize by effectively using my time management skills and focusing on critical issues and setting priorities.  In the meantime, I will be often answering the phone to maintain the efficient flow of information between the parties and neutrals and assist in the compliance of the applicable rules.  It was a very fast paced environment but I enjoyed it.

Specifically, I enjoyed Initiating and conducting administrative conference calls and facilitate preliminary hearings on cases assigned to me in timely fashion. 

In my opinion, the hardest part of the job was coverage when I am on vacation for example.  My co-workers will be very busy with their own caseloads and unable to cover my cases correctly creating a very stressful situation.

What I learned on the job is as follows:  Time management and  communication skills to inform and educate clients on alternate dispute resolution processes, knowing when and how they should apply.  Also, proactively identifying case management issues and working with the Manager of ADR Services takes appropriate action to resolve case problems. I also learned to maintain a professional demeanor under pressure and approaches conflicts with the confidence necessary to maximize available opportunities.

Some of my co-workers positively influenced my learning process.

I was a Case Manager for 11 years. In the beginning the values were very high. I always came to work from the beginning to the end. I liked my arbitrators that I had in the beginning. I had two of them for 11 years. It is best to get to work before 9:00. I would always work through my breaks. My original arbitrators had my cell phone number in case they needed to reach me after 5:00. The supervisors in the beginning were great but firm. It wasn't that way at the end. We were on the phone and the computer a good portion of the day. We had filing, greating clients and meetings, etc. But I liked my job. They were not many advancements. I was able to obtain this job because of my experience, but I do not have a degree. I am now getting my degree in ParaLegal. The greatest part of the job was my co-workers and the amount of time that a person would have off (benefits). The hardest part of the job was that we did not have adequate back-up. So if I was absent, my back-up would have to handle here arbitrators, which was 4, and my arbitrators which was another 4. I would have to do the same thing for her.

The hardest lesson that I never realized what the culture at AAA was. While they seek feedback from all employees and say they value open and frank discussions, be careful what is said. Most valued employees will get a 3 out of 5 on their annual evaluations. Accept it and do not offer any rebuttal. One can be a superstar but the performance evaluations will only highlight the one or two mistakes made over the past year. While they always hold management meetings, one will see the senior employees contribute little to the discussions. This is because any dissenting opinion will offend the upper management and your days at the company will be short. Other than that, it is a good company to work for. Keep your mouth shut, do your job, and go home at the end of the day. Good benefits, competitive salaries, many festive parties. Although AAA has a high employee turnover, it does have many seasoned employees there also.

My day's start always depending on what projected I was working or if we were expecting a new development build.  My position allowed me to understand the development cycle of platforms and software I was not aware of previously.  I worked closely with my immediate manager and assistant Vice-President on several projects.  Our relationship was one of respect and understand of our strengths and weaknesses.

My Vice-President also oversaw the Finance and Analytics departments in our division, so I worked very closely with both.  Like any work place, there were times where we were rushing to deal with a situation and times where we just got projects completed.  For me, most of those situations I had to work with our outside vendor but we got through them.  

I greatly enjoyed completing different projects that aided the productivity of the staff and company as a whole.

Working for the AAA was an excellent opportunity for growth and knowledge within the lega industry, of which I was a novice at the time I was hired. Even so, the teamwork and overall atmosphere was inviting and although after training I did not need immediate supervision it was well known that help or assistant would always be offered.

The mission, motto, code of ethics and general priciples guiding the entire organization are the key essentials to answering the questions of how and why do these offices run so smoothly. Teamwork and shared vision is fully embraced within this organization. Furthermore, it was our goal at all times to maintain a good rapport with our clients and in doing so, our dedication to serving our customers was evident throughout every sector.

A typical work day for me consist of a variety of task. I process paper cases which has be reviewed and approved to move on the another department. i also process a few indexers which cansist of name out mail documents which is received by either paper or via the web and i also index cases that are submitted by the web. I also make calls to the attorney and or the claimant or the claimants attorney to provide corrections to a case. 

I have learn more about the regulation 68. identify different types of documents overall learned about Arbitration on a whole

Managements is like most jobs there are a set of rules for the company to follow which are then bent by each supervisor to accommodate there departments. 

Hardest part of my Job. difficult to grow in this company 

The most enjoyable my coworkers they make that day much better.

The environment is toxic unless you conform. It is well understood by staff that supervisors are allowed and perhaps encouraged to act unprofessional, disrespectful, and show favoritism.

The atmosphere is fearful. They tell staff to act a certain way when certain people come. They test you by sending fake email hacks and if you fail you get fired. There is no talking allowed on the floor, no cell phones, no music (even though the work is repetitive and mind numbing) and if you assist with a project no credit is given, your contribution is considered a "win for the supervisors". There is no room for growth and they don't seem to realize how convoluted many of their processes are.

In a matter of months droves of people quit or got fired. Turnover is high. People keep their desks cleared, just in case.

Handled preparations for Vice President, Counsel, Neutrals, Union Elections and CLE Trainings. Learned about business development, conflict management, strategic planning, and critical thinking/problem solving. Managed cases in multi-cultural and socio-economical client populations. Organized events such as educational seminars, union elections, arbitrations, mediations and fortune 500 marketing meetings. These events strengthened my skills to manage logistics in fast paced environments and offer resources and recommendations where needed. I loved meeting new people and assisting with their needs.

I only worked for AAA less than a year.  Our office was a new office and they will get rid of people at the drop of a hat.  One employee was fired without warning 2 days before her probationary period was over.  Three people quit the intake department in the course of  45 days.  Three people were fired within a week and without warning for inappropriate behavior.  The job was basically an input clerk position.  You were expected to be at your desk at your allotted time and stay there other than your lunch break to input 60 cases.  You get a daily email with everyone’s numbers.  The environment is stressful and competitive.  The supervisor I worked for was extremely petty and vindictive.

I found that the employees did the best they could under the circumstances however, I worked under several managers and one was worse than the other. You only get a head in that company if you kiss up to certain people. One would never believe the stories I could tell about the AAA middle management. I've heard rumors that at least one of the horrible managers that I experience has been demoted so I guess that's a good thing. I decided to move out of town and stay in the same business and I'm much happier to work for a company that actually values me as an employee. Only accept the job here if you are destitute and do not have any other options.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Administrative assistant 356 salaries reported	$56,344 per year
Service manager 99 salaries reported	$83,294 per year
Director 59 salaries reported	$94,613 per year
Mediator 70 salaries reported	$62,924 per year
Senior administrator 24 salaries reported	$66,850 per year

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