Thread regarding Optum layoffs

The VP that hired me was let go after 20 years of service at Optum. We then reported to a different VP (based in another State), who had no idea what our department did. I was laid off six months later. My direct reports were not happy.

Brown-nosing, plain and simple. An SVP is given a number of heads to cut, which gets doled out down the line of middle-management until your direct supervisor is staring at their fraction of the cut. In theory, they should make the best decision for the company, but in practice they protect their friends.

My first rule to not being laid off is to watch for signs of trouble and act accordingly. The majority of these layoffs are not random and are business segments we've heard rumblings about for awhile. If you were on one of these teams, try to find another job while you can. Sometimes they come out of nowhere, but for the most part, teams start getting less work and stop hiring new employees before layoffs happen. Pay attention and always be ready to respond accordingly.

always add value

Brown nosing is truly the key if you’re a GL 27 or lower.

maybe we are just smart, change adaptive and actually useful? Or in some cases an a-s kisser.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/10-signs-that-show-someone-is-an-id--t/ss-AA1lFSqI?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=EDGEESS&cvid=e0ca1c2b15504a788c6d899f7e7fbb73&ei=13

Optum Leadership in summary.

Check out the leaders' Linked In profiles. You will see a lot of moving around, sometimes every few months. They do not care about longevity and if you grow in your position. They tend to get rid of those who have been around and built the company. Kind of a strange way to have a company that should care about people.

I think these last two years have shown us that no one is safe, even those with connections. Some of the higher ups who had been here for years were eventually let go. It was made to look like they resigned or retired, but they were actually asked to leave. These were people who did all the right things such as smiling and going along with whatever leadership wanted!

I don’t think it has anything to do with being good at your job or knowing anything. It all comes down to if the people in power like you or not. If being good at your job and being knowledgeable was really valued, the people that get promoted and laid off would be a lot different.

Best bet is to fly under the radar with no ambition to be promoted or move up. Better strategy would be to work at a company that treats you like a person.

Networking and knowing the right people.

Ditto. Optum leaders only prefer those who can str0ke their egos. Be sure to provide plenty of original ideas to the uppers for them to use as their own. Then be sure to enact on your own ideas while they take all the credit. If it requires you to work 24 hours a day x 7 days, kiss them good night after their 1-2 hour “working day” as you toil away. Then come review time, tell them you don’t deserve a bonus and only a low rating since you haven’t worked enough or provided enough for them. With this formula, it’s a 0-100% success rate for lasting here.

The last poster is right. Do everything your management and leadership suggests and tells you and smile, regardlessOf how many hours you have to put in to get it done.
If they suggest classes, take them all.
If they talk about a seminar they went to, go to it. Always tell them things are great and they’re doing a wonderful job and you wouldn’t change a thing.
I think you see where I’m going with this.

Obedience seems to be the key for non leaders. Leadership doesn’t want to hear any resistance.

Upper leaders , it’s a lot of relationships and manipulation, not what’s good for the business necessarily

Some have been moved around involuntarily. Last program I worked in, upon sunsetting, a colleague with 15 years here said "no more" and left. In my tenure here, slightly less than 8 years, I've had 6 different titles. I'm exhausted!!! And doubt I'll stay much longer...

1. Be good at your job. Not everybody in the same position is equal.
2. Be likeable.
3. Be the person with the institutional memory. I've worked at companies that would fall over if one or two certain key people left, because they had deep knowledge of how everything worked, especially when something breaks. Be the person that people go to when SHTF.

I’m at 15 years. That’s because 13 of them were pre-acquisition. I suspect that’s the case for many folks with those higher numbers. I’m actively looking for a way out though.

At UHG it’s not about what you know it’s about WHO you know.

Many of us have seen the absolute most toxic people you could meet keep 30+ year careers at UHG. Why? Becuase of who they know.
I have seen people who literally handle the business for a certain customer be told they are not allowed to attend calls with said customer because of their toxic behavior. Why weren’t they fired years ago? You guessed it, because of who they know. So, this individual has to have information relayed to them by a third party on daily status calls. You’d think that would be a red flag to management, nope.
In the meantime, other employees with just as much knowledge and experience have been let go who were far more pleasant to work with.

And that’s just one example of many I’ve personally seen.

Acquisitions. They are like relatives, you don't get to pick em.

Rule number 1 dont rock the boat. Just do your job and let some other loudmouth get the spotlight. It ll comes down to luck in most cases just landing in the right spot and hiding out being the magic elf getting things done. If you one of those career climbers that could work if you are a pro at backstabbing but the higher up the ladder you go odds are less that you have much longevity. Managing up and st-----g those fragile management egos helps. Most times your immediate manager was the worst when individual contributor so they morph into micromanager from he-l since they know how to sc--w off and do nothing

There's no easy answer - Optum is a large company, composed of many distinct businesses. I can't say anything that applies to all the potential readers here.

People on this forum tend to ignore this when posting, and speak as if their office/team/group is the entirety of the company. So much of what gets said here is of little value to the whole community because there's no context. There's a recent thread that starts along the line of 'What should we do....?' with zero context who we is, but clearly there's a specific group of folks impacted.

Keep this in mind for any other answers you receive here.