I never seen it so bad after 15 years with the company. The pressure on our team to perform without tools and resources with no backfills in critical areas. Now voluntary retirement will have tenured people walking out the door and then we will see the problems really get compounded in our IT department where people are already barely holding it together. I really like my job and the people I work with. I hope I survive the next round of lays offs if voluntary retirement doesn’t do its job of reducing the workers to the benchmark the directors believe they need to get to to satisfy the gods.
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@15y Same here. The timing last summer made perfect sense. I was close enough to retiring in the spring of ‘26 on my own anyway, so this way I got paid for 6 months, got paid for earned PTO, and got a prorated bonus.
Took it last year and happy I did! So many people told me they were hoping for the offer in 2026. Good luck whatever you decide.
@xb Spot on. You either learn it an excel or say it's bad. Cigna and a ton of other companies are going that way so you may as well get on board.
@cp So, if you know more than the average bear then the average bear doesn't know a lot.
My advice: if you haven’t already, start learning how to use AI for both work and everyday life. Don’t wait to be formally taught or told to use tools like Copilot, ChatGPT, or whatever comes next, take the initiative and learn them yourself.
Use AI to improve your productivity and, where appropriate, start applying it to your role. The reality is that organizations want to do more with fewer people. Those who remain will be expected to be highly efficient, using AI to handle more work.
You either get on board or risk being left behind.
VRP programs are not news worthy, they are common corporate practice, this is not a new thing. Many people actually appreciate them, at least the option is there, and if you don't want it, don't take it. Plenty of people denied the last round and are still here. And if they happen to be let go down the road, so be it, they will leave with nearly the same severance package and had that many more months/years of a paycheck.
Early retirement packages are a legal, accepted and common practice. Why argue against something that can help save your position?
@s9 10,000 people?
@s9 It's all in the way they present it. It's news worthy but will it hit the news? I doubt it until it's already done.
I'm taking it as a blessing in disguise. Already working on next steps.
So how is asking 5,000 employees that are 55 and older to leave the company not discrimination??
They are signaling out people based on their age to get rid of them.
You basically do not have an option either. Take this VRP now or take it the next go around or be laid off.
You are flagged until you are gone.
I think this is news worthy info what the company is doing.
Yep, I know it happens every year but the goal of getting rid of 10,000 people within the first half of the year is the most I have experienced.
@gz Yes I know. I was responding to the poster that said the VRP offering is no different than a standard JE.
The payment of unused PTO was in the first VRP but that perk has since been eliminated.
@gx I was eliminated last October and received a pro rated bonus.
@fp Do you get your bonus if you get JE’d? You get at least a pro-rated one with the VRP.
Anyone out there pass on VRP and later got job eliminated? If so, how long after you passed on VRP?
@fz good point! They should make the VRP offer to everyone. The only restriction can be the years of service.
@f4 Certainly. It is hard to understand that if you have criteria based on age, even though they are calling it voluntary resignation, that it is not discriminatory. That's probably the reason for the agreement we have to sign releasing them from any litigation. Imagine if the criteria included Caucasian, or Hispanic or African American.
But there is no guarantee that a future layoff would come with the same severance package as before.
@ew - with the exception of subsidized benefits, this is the exact same package you get when you are job eliminated. Many people are on or can move onto their spouses insurance so that subsidy is not an incentive.
Yep my 55+ colleagues in IT saying they got email re VRP
I'm 55+, in CIP, and received today's offer.
If you didn't get the email today, your department is not in scope, or you do not meet the qualifications, this go around. Offers went out this morning to 5K people aged 55 or older, in Evernorth RX and Care Delivery, US-based International, Finance, Segment Ops, Contracting, and CHC RX Contracting.
They’re trying to do voluntary retirement yet i heard band 6 is not eligible which i would think would mean higher salaries = quicker to meet their “savings” quota. 😒 has anyone heard the same thing?
I'm thinking a benefit for Cigna is getting rid of older and higher-paid employees on a voluntary basis, to avoid age discrimination lawsuits.
@f1 agree the V is for voluntary. Meaning you are NOT job eliminates. Meaning you may not qualify for you state unemployment. If you are job eliminated, quit, get fired - no longer with that employer and 55 over you can access your 401k under the rule of 55. It seems companies are using this as a tactic to get out of reporting as job elimination and all that goes with it. If the 401k plan allows Rule of 55 anyway why would the company care if you are “retired”? There has to be a benefit somehow on their side….
@f0 The “V” stands for Voluntary. There’s no status of retired as far as your state is concerned. You leave your job voluntarily or involuntarily. If you leave your job voluntarily you are not eligible for unemployment, unless you have extenuating circumstances like caring for a child, parent, etc.
Google Rule of 55 for 401k
I would be interested in the difference between the VRP offerings and standard severance. Given that you can access your 401k FOR ANY REASON if you are not with the employer at age 55 it would only appear the employer gets more if the benefit than the employee. If you are listed as retired you could be ineligible for your state’s unemployment. Also I am thinking it covers the whole job elimination classification to simply “retirement”. I would for sure read the fine print and get all the facts bedore jumping foe the VRP!
@ex yes, the FAQ is on IRIS, HR central, loop up VRP
Since you’re allowed to access your 401K when leaving your job in the year you turn 55, it may also be extended to some 54 yos who turn 55 in 2026.
Age 55 and over only again?
@eq That’s a very real risk.
People being offered to VSO should carefully consider the facts.
The company is rapidly downsizing.
You and your role were determined to be non essential and you are being asked to leave with a generous parting gift.
I have seen many times when people who remain behind get cr-p work assignments, get burnt out and quit or get selected in the next layoff round.
It is unlikely that future offers will be more generous.
I say this as someone who has been thru this process both as a leader in multiple large orgs and the recipient of more than one VSO.
Best of luck whatever you decide.
Not everything on Iris is available to all employees equally. Permissions are tied to your login.
Has anyone here ever turned down ERP and then gotten laid off? If so, how soon after?
@ef no one is sharing a internal company oath on a public forum. Just use the search box
@ef It will not be on Iris until the 5,000 receive their VRP eligibility email today.
I notice that people saying this is on IRIS don't say how to navigate to it. It's obviously not on the first page, because everyone would just say, "There it is!"
So if you are seeing it on IRIS, give directions. I'm not saying this isn't happening - David pretty much confirmed it at the last town hall - but if you claim to see something that's public, share the path.
@ch this time around people are notified on 1/7, the. 1/12 they get their Docusign and have u til 1/23 to decide.
@cp if you don’t see it on Iris then you don’t much. Many have already confirmed they see it.
@c2 its not on IRIS for 2026, there is some standard old docs but nothing for 2026. These folks are all wet. More conspiracy theories. It won't be announced until next week at earliest. And many groups will be excluded. Believe me I know more than the average bear.
@bz do you supervise people?
@bz We had a month to decide back in July. Most eligible then must have decided within a week or so that time for them to shorten the decision period this time.
I believe it is there, but maybe not for all. HR central is connected to your personal profile, it is possible the information may be targeted to certain people, managers, groups where it will be offered. Im not seeing it either.