There's something odd in my department and I am wondering if it's happening elsewhere in Optum. The senior VP is a "business" woman for Amway and other MLM's which is her business. But her downlines are also her direct reports in Optum health. People who sell Amway for her or one of her downlines have been given promotions to higher grade jobs that were not posted and haven't the performance, skill or results to justify it. One director who has got employee engagement results of 30-50% year over year and several HR complaints for retaliation has been promoted to Senior Director. She is also the VPs top recruiter for Amway. Some of them have admitted business decisions about restructuring the organization, performance reviews of other employees are discussed at the Amway sales meeting and executed. This has been confirmed by a few colleagues who participate. The idea is more pay means you can buy more Amway from your boss at Optum making their MLM business "more successful". Our town halls are now like MLM meetings - fake it til you make it, never offer feedback and optics are more important than performance. This is putting very unqualified people in influential positions that is already having a negative impact on members seeking behavioral health services. A few people and I discussed this with HR and they did not seem concerned and the item was closed without any action or research. Now end of year performance is being doctored to make it look like some of us who do not participate in the MLM are under performing so we are targets for a future lay off regardless of actual results.
I wonder if this is happening in other areas of Optum where the nepotism internally is driven by involvement in MLMs with your leadership like Amway? It just seems like it's bigger than just my area. Does anyone know if it's even possible to report this unethical behavior?
22 replies (most recent on top)
Agree. No amway in our department. But 2 of our supervisors definitely promote based on who they hang out with after work rather than who is actually qualified.
Most folks who worked/work there have very few options. That's the truth. Sorry if reality offends but no one in their right mind would even consider applying there if they had options.
I’ve seen promotions and rewards for far worse than selling Amway. Playing Hide and Seek and other games. Worked for a very long time and in a couple other top Fortune 500 companies. Never saw unethical behavior until Rx 😳 .
Allergy to reality. Do not go quietly into that good night.
There's so much propaganda at the corporation. It's unreal. Lots of cognitive dissonance. Lots of neponomics.
"it was a typical american psy op. Tell the employees that they're not working hard enough, they fell short, trivial matters fixations, etc....it was all rigged. the us was built this way. never a real country–simply, a work plantation of debt and tax lackeys. rigged and deeply corrupt"
Awe, isn't this cute? he's trying to trigger all of the Americans by posting an insulting, nonsensical rant. Absolutely precious. pats head Now put your helmet back on before you hurt yourself.
it was a typical american psy op. Tell the employees that they're not working hard enough, they fell short, trivial matters fixations, etc....it was all rigged. the us was built this way. never a real country–simply, a work plantation of debt and tax lackeys. rigged and deeply corrupt
These people stuck in this corporate clog are busting to do the job and being told no matter what they do, they aren’t good enough. Upper management talking about employees and making decisions in Amway meetings is highly unethical and just shows these people have no boundaries. Whatever happened to doing your job versus playing a game?!? This shouldn’t be a game. All we can hope for is this management somehow shoots themselves in the foot with their ineptitude & finally gets moved (like they did to highly effective employees who they didn’t like) or laid off. I never wish for anyone to get laid off but this “game” has impacted businesses getting their claims paid & effectiveness to be productive area.
It is known that several people selling Amway have been given promotions to GL28s and higher. It’s gross. It is the worst kept secret in OA.
Maybe brush up on hindi and learn how to do the corporate hustle..
"The 2 thousand dollars will be made up with promotion increase. By the way, you have leverage. Any attempt to get rid of will expose the scheme. This is how you work the game against the VP. Document everything that you had to do this to get that. It is just now s-x, yes it is soap now."
^^^ This is why you don't hire Indian-born managers. They have no integrity. Not saying they're the only ones who do this, but it seems to be a systemic cancer amongst them.
Lot of fraud there. They hid it well, games, rigging, stacking the deck, and the employees all they thought they were doing that "health" "care" thing. LOL. It was all a sham.
The 2 thousand dollars will be made up with promotion increase. By the way, you have leverage. Any attempt to get rid of will expose the scheme. This is how you work the game against the VP. Document everything that you had to do this to get that. It is just now s-x, yes it is soap now.
Dropping thousands of dollars into a pyramid scheme selling soap to hoping to please a VP for the chance at a 2% raise? Now there's some sound business advice right there. NAILED IT!
So be a corporate lackey and simp, have no self respect, boot lick– because you're debt and tax slave living in a failed corporation. Great advice! Stay asleep and make sure you watch lots of American movies that promote corporate culture and slavery AKA: US work propaganda.
Everything was covered with a thick layer of fraud in the US. And that place was NO exception.
There was a big thread on Amway infecting departments earlier in 2020 or last year. Lots of garbage going on and it was terrible a real organization could be infested with pyramid scheme tactics. Awful just awful.
Neponomics ran the show. It was all who you know. Not what you know. That's that corporate cesspool. A microcosm of the us empire.
The 'advice' you're giving plus the somewhat broken and improper English usage makes me think you're undoubtedly a foreign-born Optum worker, most likely Indian. Since you're advocating for pretty much, yes, nepotism and a$$-kissing, rather than actually skilling up and becoming better at whatever you do for a living, makes me think you're terrible at your job. Putting the two observations together, I would hazard a guess that you're likely also in management. That right there is enough to tell me how bad Optum really is... Thanks for posting and exposing a microcosm of the underbelly that is the cancer of this and all companies.
Instead of kissing a$$ and licking boots, go to a better company that doesn't (mostly) play id–tic games like this and be rewarded for a job well done regardless of what your personal life entails. If you think being a disingenuous corporate clown is the definition of a good career, then by all means, stay at Optum!
The money a senior VP makes at Optum is far far more than any Amway money. You really do not understand. This is all buddy system. If your VP skis, and you ski then match. If your VP likes the Chicago bulls and you are a bulls fan, then match. Same for amway. Not nepotism. When you like to do that same things your boss does, yes you will move up. Simple. Or perhaps protected during a layoff. Basically, if your boss likes you, you be in good position. Now, if your boss leaves, well, game over. The boss will always save favorites during a layoff.
My advice is meet with your boss, and go over how Amway works and see if you can participate. Tell her you are really excited about this opportunity to learn about Amway. I would do it. It is all a game. Learn to play and win.
Not in my area. Anytime a leader comes from another org., will bring in their posse.