Thread regarding Elevance Health (Anthem) layoffs

Calibration is NOT done at the manager level. Directors and above.
We are given a % of staff that can have exceeds. That means if you’re on a small team you’re fighting against every person for that 1 allotted exceeds. We put in our recommendations and send up and then get the response back,all we can do is pray our recommendations hold.

We must justify each exceeds- 1 year I had to write basically a dissertation on why the people I put up deserved exceed with verifiable data to support. Director still wanted us all to cut back…
Getting an exceeds is difficult. Meets means you’re not only doing your job. You’re doing a GOOD job, per HR. Exceeds you’re an amazing superstar—sig exceeds you walk on water.
These definitions are all in the guidelines no one reads that we receive from HR each year when we do our PEs.

@38b I am a manager, this is 100% the case. I have had ‘exceeds’ eval ratings returned to me for ‘calibration’, code for change this back to meets.

@3nf I personally have not noticed any posts that would lead me to believe there are any trolls. But it would not surprise me of there are not persons from our competitors visiting and posting on this forum. After all, basically all of the main large health insurance corporations are running the same way with almost identical playbooks, including how they are going about laying off and displacing employees.

And besides, why does that even matter? It is not like any of these separate layoffs sections actually belong to each respective corporation. This layoff site I have read in the past is owned by a completely separate entity than the corporations themselves.

So, basically point I am making is that it is a free country and freedom of speech on an anonymous layoff forum had no explicit boundaries, except for keeping within the forum administrator’s stated forum rules for posting on the site.

Basically, your post holds no merit as anyone really can post on any of these sectioned out corporations layoff sites because none of the layoff site belongs to any of tje corporations.

In reading through this thread and others, i've realized we have outside trolls attacking people. Several years ago there was a Director whos pseudonym was Riffy who would give accurate information. Two trolls started attacking Riffy and they stopped posting, we don't seem to have a Director willing to post on Rifs anymore. The trolls seem to be from outside our company, based on their view of how things work or lack of understanding how the company operates. They seem to attack the same way each time.

@38b The problem is on the budget line for labor costs, they would prefer to have that to be a fixed cost or even less.

But employees appreciate in value. Reason I say that is because each year someone is on the job performing the tasks and responsibilities for their given role, they get better and better at it, year after year…until at some point, usually around four years time, they become what could be considered a “master craftsman” in their role. And as such, should have their pay each year to be raised to be commensurate for that growth and mastery, not only in appreciation for their value in what they bring and do for the corporation but also just to at the very least keep up with inflation.

Once again, employees appreciate in value, they do NOT depreciate in value!

Everyone above me exceeds at mediocrity, all the way up to and including GB…….why shouldn’t we all?

@377 "She said her hands were tied because they have percentages they need to hit and her manager wouldn't let her give anything above meets. She said her manager actually blamed it on his manager."

They aren't lying so much as not admitting where the blame actually lies, and that's with HR and HQ.

I distinctly remember when suddenly the language to managers was "remember that most people here are meeting expectations, which is a very good rating, be sure your people understand that's a GOOD RATING!" and they shifted the goalposts for what is actually required to get an exceeds that will be blessed by HR, and even then, it's not a given. And most teams are allowed one at most.

I always got exceeds before this, as well. The policy change came sometime after our current ceo came on board.

I was consistently an exceeds before Elevance purchased our company and even the first year after. Several team members were laid off. My manager said she needed my help to step up and cover for the fewer staff. I did and worked a lot of extra time. Come review time, I got a Meets. She said her hands were tied because they have percentages they need to hit and her manager wouldn't let her give anything above meets. She said her manager actually blamed it on his manager. The review process at this company is a joke at best.

As a former 20 year people manager at Anthem, executive leadership & HR/Compensation always mandates what percentage of associates can get a rating of highly exceeds/exceeds/meets/doesn't meet. Highly exceeds was, is & will always be almost impossible. Exceeds is achievable, but a manager has to spend a ridiculous amount of time making a case to the directors and VPs to justify giving an exceeds, especially if that pushes beyond the target percentage of associates who can get that rating - all with no guarantee it will be granted. I usually had to take on work of other managers, often had director responsibilities (they were lazy & over-delegated), and my teams were always collective high performers. I was told how appreciated & how valuable I was. Yet, each year I always got a meets rating. I quit stressing about performance ratings long ago. All that really matters is what merit & AIP you get. I left a few years ago, and so glad I don't have to deal with that annual head game anymore.

@2j4 OMG you believe what a manager tells you. That’s hilarious. After 20 years you’d think you would understand the game. Guess you’re not as smart as you think you are.

@2j4 Did you ever stop to think your boss just told you that bs just to stroke you apparently huge ego? This is a way to get you to work even harder without additional compensation because you think you actually make a difference when you really don’t. This is mental manipulation at its finest and you fell for it. Now you’re outraged that you can’t get exceeds but you can’t see that this is just a game no one wins. So simple minded you are.

@2j4 God your a whiny baby. You’re so important this company just couldn’t survive without you. OMG you’re so important !

@277 Lets see my boss told me that if the problem wasn't identified and a plan of action created quickly, they had been told they would be fired. That's pretty clear. But hey what do I know? Apparently I think i'm "important", when really I just did my job.

@ty How do you know YOU saved the VP their role? Sounds like something a person who makes their job seem way more important that what it is would say.

@26y and skid marked. 😀

@250 Go get yourself some new underwear already. The old stuff is probably all stretched out.

@zy Do I care about what you think? No, I don't. The thread was about ratings, not if you got an impact award. And yes I did get peanuts of $500.00...once. All of the people I reported to, ended up getting RIF'd off, and I was transferred. Not sure if that Math is Math enough for you, but I honestly do not care after 20 plus years I have underwear older than you.

@zy 2 million dollars is nothing to this company. They will gladly pay that in a fine than “do the right thing”. Which is d-mb as they will milk a COC initiative for 20k that isn’t even worth the administrative hours to complete just to deny patients something they need This company is so whacked.

@OP Jeeze retired two years ago as a Director and nothing has changed. Just about everything said in this reply string is true, how can that be you ask, some of it conflicts? Well it just is and that’s without the other gaslighting about “bad time”, “new leadership” too many other teams hit homers this year”, focus on those values”, focus on that culture”, we are instructing every manager to give everyone at least one 2 this year”, “ no one doesn’t have room for improvement”, “your long tenured team is too high on salary maximum for zone, BUT no promotions available right now, hiring freeze, movement freeze, promotion freeze”, “hey I’m a VP and I only got a meets”, “meets in the new exceeds”, “just focus on that 9 box skills matrix, McKinsey is GOD”, lather, rinse,repeat! They had some pretty smart girls and boys at the top 20 years ago, been heading south with each corporate and ELT name change since. What a ch--d rodeo. Good luck, you truly are lucky to still have a job though if you do. After the last get rid of everyone that knows anything about the business or has institutional wide knowledge and replace them with anyone who once had “digital” in their CV or now “AI”. Best of luck!

@ty with all due respect you saved your VP job once and this company 2 million dollars and you didn't even get an impact award? wow - 2 million dollars and a VP job should be worth at least a gift certificate. And you are still here - hard to believe headhunters are passing you by or you are saying no? Math is not mathing for me

In my >20 year career, i've only gotten an Exceeds twice. First time I saved my VPs job and the company 1M. That year I got an Exceeds. The next year I got a Meeting. Then 2 years later I got an Exceed again for finding a major issue and saving the company 1M again. That was the last time I got an Exceeds.

I doesn’t matter how hard you work, volunteer for OT and holidays or volunteering 24+ hours in your community. The bottom line is the managers are allowed to give 1 exceeds in their department (if even that). That’s what they are told to do. The same thing with merit increases. And the way the economy is these days you’re lucky to get a 1% increase. My merit increase was actually .99% That’s how cheap this company is. The morale is great here! (Joke). So why try?

@h6 I had a Manager that did have a recalibration meeting with all the other managers that reported to the Director and they actually discussed between them all. I mean each director does it differently but this is how I learned about recalibration meetings. I guess other managers I didn’t report to didn’t like me and this is how I found out. My manager told me this

@h0 when managers get into their recallibration meetings? What? This is hysterical -

You complete your spreadsheet - it tells you if you are at the "approved percentage" of each category - you keep working it until it is "green" and you submit to the next level. Managers don't "meet" to discuss a dam thing except on the side to talk about what BS this all is-

if your next level needs their total direct reports # of each category to change - you get asked to "move someone up or down" by that person -

@ge I don’t think manager gave her less than she deserves. The system in general only allows for a small number of exceeds and when managers get into their recalibration meetings other managers can tell personas manager why they think employee doesn’t deserve it and it gets knocked down to meets expectations. Blame the system not the manager.

@gt Really? They censored the word "Ba----G"? Wow.

@f2 Unfortunately,, it appears as though your Manager succeeded in manipulating into thinking that you ate less and deserve less than what you are truly worth.

Children learn at a very early age how to manipulate their parents into getting what they want. Well, as we age we continue to learn how to manipulate others until we master the art. And Managers and Directors, especially the people ones are particularly in the type of role where they learn how to become master craftsmen in the art of manipulation.

Do not allow them to question yourself about your worth. Also, we should not be comparing outcomes to other employees but rather to whether or not we believe that we are exceeding expectations of the work responsibilities having been asked for our particular role.

I had a manager ask if I really thought I "exceeded" compared to what my peers have done. I was the only one in the team with my function and scope. I guess they were referring to others in the department but I don't know what they work on. learned my lesson then.

I had a stafff VP tell em he gave everyone a 3 since it don’t matter on merit increases.

@dn I give myself meets. I see no point in doing otherwise; I know I'm going to land on meets regardless - at least I don't have to hear about my lack of self-awareness. Or just as bad, "I thought you deserved exceeds too, but as you know, I'm only allowed to give one."

@cj I did the math this year after my impressive 1.5% merit increase, following another on the pile of floridly complimentary reviews.

Though I'm currently earning 25K more than I was some years back, with inflation and ever-increasingly worsening and more expensive medical, I'm exactly where I was before (if not a little worse off).

It's to the point where I dread my reviews, not because of my disappointing "raises," but because I feel bad for the managers who have to deliver them. I know they'd do better if they were allowed to. We both have to pretend this is great news, when we both know it's insulting.

In multiple categories, I receive exceeds. In a few, I meet expectations. However, my overall score is always meets. At this point, I have accepted it’s not achievable.

@dx Yeah, cannot win. If in a self evaluation you give yourself “exceeds” you get accused of being “lacking self awareness.” If you give yourself “meets expectations,” then your leaders will “agree” with you and follow suit and give you the same.

It is a rigged system.

@dn Yep. Now you get how the game is played.

I have been told in the past that I deserved an 'Exceeds' ranking for all of the extra work I carried during the year, but unfortunately, all they could do was rank me as 'Meets'. My extra work didn't include bootlicking. I guess that is the part where I missed the 'Exceeds' ranking by the manager....

@dd wow reductive much? "Full grown adults" care because this "arbitrary ranking" is tied to moneyyyy, even if less than your cited .5%.

That's a couple hundred (or thousand!!), depending on base. Can make a big diff to someone in need.

I feel this pain. I gave myself high ranks in past years during the self assessments because I was told I achieved more than the expectations my leadership set out, only to be told I don't have "self-awareness" if I think I should have assessed myself that high. So are we all just giving ourselves Meets?

We’ve pretty much been told that exceeds is only for 1% of our group. Which means one person. And I know of one person in my group that spends after hours and weekends working and honestly, I believe that person deserves the exceed. At the same time it’s ridiculous to set a goal for employees and then tell them there’s no way for them to achieve it. If 99% of us can’t get that rating, especially those of us who saved the company a significant amount of money or perform heroics. It feels insulting to then get a Meets. As if to say, my performance is the same as someone who did the bare minimum and gets a meets.

Exceeds are only given to a set number of associates across the entire org. It’s not that managers don’t want to give that ranking, we cannot!! Literally cannot. With that, the raise difference between meets and exceeds is literally less than .5%. If you think there are “big raises” happening in this company, you’re delusional. But I also find it very very odd, full grown adults, put so much weight into an arbitrary ranking. It marked absolutely no difference at the end of the day. It’s a participation trophy and some of you all are showing why they’re not the best idea overall.

If you know you are never going to get more than a C grade - then you should never give more than a C level of effort. The people who get an A are ar-e kissers who take credit for other people's work and who just state the obvious. Summarizing what needs to be fixed is not the same as fixing things. My favorite was the people who had the urgent Thursday meetings to dump all the action items on others because they took every Friday off. Phone it in- work on getting some certifications and making your resume look better for your next job.