Watching promotions roll out is something else as well. It makes you really question if performance actually matters even a single bit. To say the names on that list don't always match the people who carry the weight daily would be an understatement. It's hard not to notice.
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@yb i'm under 3 levels of offshore/h1b "leadership". sr director and up. everyday it's just an ask for numbers and stats. all 3 levels. it adds to the real work and none of these levels do anything except compile some kind of status on projects while we're so short-handed on real workers. i've worked here for over15 years and it's getting worse every year.
@xy omg the constant ask for reports! It was bad before but has gotten worse. A lot of offshore “project managers” constantly asking for reports, updates, status. Without actually doing anything to guide projects or move them forward. Just “can you give me a status?”
@ss mine too. Wanted one ppt after other urgently. Non stop. Every day. Not one went past him. I was glad I moved to a new team after recent Reorg but my new manager is not much.different
@s8 do we work for the same boss?! Mine is always in fire drill mode. From fires he creates.
@pe my Sr. Director is mentally ill. He can't focus on one thing more than a couple mins, gives irrational tasks, drifts a lot, keeps giving us work n not one thing gets done as he-l give something More important.every single time.. he's mentally incapable of accomplishing anything n going to bring the team down too ..
In all the years at Optum(>14) had over 12 managers, some lasting only a couple of weeks. Not one was knowledgeable, some were mentally ill, burned out and some got taken down by their own colleagues. Of those coworkers who were qualified to be hired for management, not one was offered a position despite them applying. Once they left the company for more pay, guess what? They were offered management by their new company in less than a couple of months without them even applying. All Optum promotes is a toxic environment.
Promotions go to friends and aren’t even jobs posted in areas often times. I worked with someone who did basically nothing for 4 years. Everyone wondered what she did besides organize learning classes about the area. She even had someone who did that for her. Then she got promoted to an assistant director. No kidding as a manager she barely had a job.
@ez playing the white card, I see. I can assure you it’s AI and cheap offshore vs American labor. Pretty sure Helmsley couldn’t care less if you’re purple as long as the numbers work out for him.
@eq if you are white you are SOL
Promotions?!?! Do they even exist? I have been here for years and cannot get promoted “unless a job is open”. No one I know ever gets a traditional promotion anymore.
Its all about who you know or whose a** you kiss. I was asked by a director to apply for 2 jobs turned down for both. No feedback. Found out a VP stopped it bc he doesn't like the director and doesn't want to see them succeed.
In the past goals and outcomes were valued today is just number for headcount. Offshore performance is cr-p and the faulty code is fixed by USA employees on top of their daily responsibilities. The CEOs are ungrateful to USA employees and they are the ones keeping this business open.
@bq What isn't true? You think you're managers represent all managers? Maybe. Your experience may su-k, but doesn't contradict anything I said. Maybe reading comprehension isn't your thing.
@a6 absolutely not true. I have had 3 managers in 2 years and can't decide who was the most toxic. They were all sleazy, hid information, made it hard to my work so they can have an upper hand. They all took credit for my work in their monthly leadership updates. The ones from offshore was the worst. Rude and a micromanager on top of other common bad qualities.
Performance does not matter. It’s largely a popularity game. What matters is your ability to su-k up to people and act happy, no matter how badly the company sc--ws you over.
@ae Truth. But most just take on all the additional responsibilities (people leadership, strategy, budget management, etc.) of a grade-level increase without ever getting the grade lever increase.
Getting promoted at Optum is like taking a cheese-testing job with lactose intolerance and signing up to test more cheese every day.
One of my peers got a promotion to another team and salary went up 10%. The other coworker we had who got laid off got the exact same job title at a fintech for 35% more money LOL. Says it all.
"Don't tell me what you value. Show me what you do, and I'll tell you what you value." -- Rev. Dr. Rozella Haydée White.
The culture in Optum and probably across UnitedHealth Group is toxic. Individual managers may sincerely care about members of their teams, but they have no resources and no agency to do anything meaningful to demonstrate it. This is a company that craps on good people every day. Don't believe the b.s. that "the company" cares about your wellbeing. It doesn't.
Performance doesn't matter at all in a company where "merit" increases are capped at 1.5% even for those who earn 4- and 5-ratings. Performance doesn't matter at Optum, where promotions are based primarily on your demographics and not your skill or contributions.