I don't know why people are so certain there'll be layoffs today. We just had a major round, what would be the point of having another one so soon after?
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To the comment of sticking to the script. I rest my case. Employees are numbers & simply that. For profit and not loyalty or doing a good job or years of service. And as far as sleep, there may be problems for some because they know they are robots and have to do what is told because if they misbehave and don’t follow they will be next. Again that is being bullied and forced to do and tolerate things that you don’t agree with or believe in. Puppets. That simple. Back to the sleep comment many will lose sleep because they have morals and know people were blindsided. I was only speaking of my experience today and I doubt this person will think twice about this. Also fyi I was not referring to a manager. As for as doing the right thing starts here. If you lost your job and a way to feed your family today or take your children to the doctor then you can tell me to do the right thing, until them know I did do the right thing. I showed everyday for years and worked hours over and not paid and time & money given to this company. And it may not be tokd to do but it is expected because id job requirements, we all know that is true. there for years. Here is a side note for you, a local company here prides that they have never laid one employee of since they opened their doors in over 60 years. And they are worldwide and very successful so it can be done. That is how you repay loyalty and hard work. So if you didn’t get laid off please don’t lecture on do the right thing because you aren’t being let go from your job, your families livelihood. We as employees have done the right thing. We showed up. We tolerated. We worked endless hours for free often in less than desirable circumstances and immense stress and we stuck with it because that is what you do when you are loyal. Possibly they can take lesson from their employees.
First, sorry to hear that you were on the negative side of this "corporate event", I do wish you well.
That said, I do feel the need to address your comments about your manager.
- The "training" provided by HR explicitly told mangers to "stick to the script" and avoid any "side "conversations".
- HR is laser focused on "CYA", not unexpected, but certainly not going to leave those affected with a positive feeling.
- Your manager is just as likely to be next on the chopping block, and they DO know this.
I can absolutely guarantee that there are many managers who had to deliver the bad news to those let go who will "lose some sleep". To be fair, I don't know your manager and yourself so I can't speak for your specific situation.
Point being, we all want "the powers that be" to evaluate us as individuals and to factor in as much information as possible to determine our value to the company. If we, despite that knowledge, are fine with stereotyping and vilifying individuals based on only surface, and often biased, views of their actions, then have we not become poster children for the very thing that we are supposedly rallying against?
I get it, many, a great many, folks are angry/hurt today by the actions of "the company". That said, these situations are checkpoints that allow us to evaluate ourselves. It becomes not surprising that folks in power feel justified in their actions because even the folks without as much power feel justified in thinking in a similar vein.
Bottom line, "do the right thing" has to start somewhere.
You were wrong!
There were lay offs today. I was one of them. I was completely blindsided and no idea this company is managed as poorly as it is. I had a 15 min call and was not able to ask questions, The person providing the news was abrupt and dismissive, loyalty and hard work means nothing. I’m sure she won’t miss any sleep. We are a number to these companies, plain and simple. Was told downsizing was can apply for another job within the company. Completely uncaring and sounds like this is the norm. They bully employees and people are job scared. Things like this prove it. People sit scared of their jobs daily and it is based on production. Shame on Optum & UHG.
Maybe it’s because there have been several layoffs today? I know for a fact.
@yfj+1o2Kl6H7 Please do not make false statements, I never said I have a problem with people on H1b. Not sure from which country you are posted this message from, but here in American you can even question president. And I have contacted congress and other agencies and requested for an audit.
@mph+1o2Kl6H7 - I am assuming you are a real person and not a troll that is paid to drive traffic to this website.
Shouldn't you be asking your question to Optum , the State Dept and the Dept of Labor instead of random anonymous people on an obscure, poorly designed website?
The H1B is a legal program following laws that the Congress of the United States passed. The program is administered by federal agencies overseen by Congress.
H1Bs play by the book that was handed to them. If you have evidence of foul-play or non-compliance , you can contact the Dept of Labor with it. If you don't have evidence, you should shut up.
Is your problem with the program or the people on H1B ? If you have a problem with the program, you will have to get Congress to do something. If you have a problem with the people on H1B, that is entirely your problem.
@klj+1o2Kl6H7 Every person who wants to enter this country before entering it will have to go through a background check. That goes for all the visas. But H1b selection is done through lottery. I will find is close to impossible that a company can't find 307 people out of 300 million and had to export from other country? Are you saying the job you are doing only you can do it, no one else in America can do it?
https://homeabroadinc.com/h1b-visa-lottery/#:~:text=Overview%20of%20H%201B%20Visa%20Lottery%2C%20FY%202022,-The%20USCIS%20announced&text=The%20H%201B%20lottery%20selection%20process%20began%20on%20March%2025th,and%20notifications%20are%20sent%20out.
@ygh+1o2Kl6H7
H1B lottery happens AFTER the immigration department verifies the job code and wage, you might be thinking of the green card lottery.
Optum sponsored 307 H1Bs in FY2023, it wouldn't hurt our US job market a bit
@jgz+1o2Kl6H7 H1bs get selected by "lottery" that should tell you how skilled they are. They are mostly low skilled cheap labor. If a real audit was done most of them will lose their jobs. And they start name calling, when you tell them their reality.
Wow, got some bigotry showing in these comments.
Maybe learn more about H1b visa holders as they are indeed, skilled workers. Additionally, these visa holders are in the top 10% of wage earners in the US. So not at all “cheap” or “unskilled.”
If jobs that are lost due to capital cuts are then given to visa holders, this would be horrible business and result in more expensive labor for the company.
If you’re looking for an enemy or someone to villainize, you’ll have to look higher up. If you’re looking for a solution, unions COULD MAYBE protect us but really, would take actually meaningful changes to federal labor laws. Alternatively, we could always eat the rich.
@drh+1o2Kl6H7 Not blaming anyone, I am stating the fact. There is no law which says they cannot return. They choose to stay because they can't find a job in their country. Do not try to change a foreign country's law. And think about it, firing some skilled person and hiring some unskilled H1b, what would company gain? You are comparing salary to salary. But there is more to that. A full-time employee package goes for $250K but they can find a H1b for 80K and offshore for 20K. And if a H1b is making $250 it will cost company $750 to hire an American.
Do you know which Behavioral Health Teams were affected today?
There were lay offs in behavioral health today.
@upg+1o2Kl6H7 - I am one of those "cheap H1B" people that you speak of. H1Bs are required by law to be paid at or above the median prevailing wage. However,also by law, H1Bs have way fewer rights than pretty much anyone - can't change employers easily, can't so much as drive an Uber if they get laid off. H1bs essentially become beholden (i like to use the word "enslaved") , by law, to their employers. An employer can hire an H1B and not give them any raises/promotions, work them to death, etc and there is nothing the employee can do about it. All the big tech companies exploit this very situation.
The situation as exists now does not help the American citizen nor the H1B worker. Unfortunately awareness of this situation is very poor.
If you are going to blame someone, blame the system. Ask your Congressman or Senator to stop the H1B program ; if companies want to hire overseas labor, they need to sponsor Green Cards for those people. This is the only way to stop the abuse by these powerful companies.
Wishing us all good luck.
@eut+1o2Kl6H7 For you it may be "high pay" but H1b are cheap labor that is why they get hired. For sure, we know they are not skilled so why fire people and hire unskilled workers?
Go f* yourself. There are layoffs today.
@zup+1o2Kl6H7
H1B workers cost much more than Americans because the company needs to pay H1Bs with (equal to or higher than) prevailing wage, plus all the lawyer fees
offshoring, on the other hand, is cheap labor
It has happened - today to be exact.
Incorrect, major layoffs are in process right now 8/10
Is this true that, they are going to hire H1bs(Cheap Labor) at the place of people who are letting go? And remaining positions will be moved to India.
Creating additional threads like this one take away from the activities taking place today. Use the 8/10 thread for all questions for the next 24 hours.
Heard from departments that an announcement came that there will be org level updates and asking everyone to take time to process and be considerate or take day off to process it. So it's happening it's just for who
It’s strategic to avoid violating the WARN Act and prevent media attention
Obviously management created this thread as a distraction versus using the primary one set up for today. Ugh!
Some people are so certain because some people are minutes away from having their first "meeting" of the day.
You can try to "logic" your way through this, but it is what it is.
It is happening, and it's going to be huge.
My friend, you must be new to Optum. Layoffs are a biweekly occurrence here. The only question is how many and which departments.
C-level executives don’t run on logic lol. All they care about is appearing efficient in front of shareholders