Honest question here. If you were part of a RIF or just decided to leave, why are you still so eager to comment on this forum? Do you like sewing seeds of discontent? We have enough to think/worry about without former employees adding to the stress. Many of you talk about much happier you are now, yet you can’t stay away from the Optum forum. Maybe you miss Optum more than you want to admit.
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Ok, why are you here then? Getting us to stop posting is the same as putting lipstick on a pig.
@OP consider these type of posts the chants to summon your layoff day. Yours. You, specifically. Its coming.
Yes, because of all the lying and gaslighting that goes on from leadership, I want to make sure people have a fair shot.
I can't wait until UHC is the reason the healthcare system as we know it crumbles, publicly. Seems like its not far away.
:)
Curiosity isn’t anxiety, it’s called being informed. But hey Congrats on the promotion— As Lead Consultant for Unwanted Input. You’re clearly thriving in your niche….
I honestly check it out because I'm curious. I gave the company 2 decades of my life almost and got basically too expensive for them so I got rif'd.
I'm not bitter and I rarely comment. But I am still curious because that's a long time to work somewhere.
You're right it's not better on the other side...for awhile...but things work out. Those that say things are better on the other side are simply relived they found another job. All jobs have good and bad. It's all in your attitude. Life does go on though. You won't die if you lose your job.
And yes people come back because they did/do care. It's hard not to when you give 8+ hours a day 5+ days a week
personally, I check in for two reasons:
- I've still got friends at Optum. I'm curious if there are new rumors about shifts/reorgs. I worked for UHG for 12 years, so I still feel an attachment to it. (NGL--the warm fuzzies wore off, though.) But you hear things on this board you won't hear on the news for a while yet.
- I try to post POSITIVE things like how to cope with losing your team, what to do in your final two weeks to prepare, and how to manage once that icky day comes. I went through all of that cr-p so any guidance I can offer, I figure can only benefit people.
mostly, your complaint seems to center around people being awful. well...welcome to the Internet. there are always going to be a few annoying people who enjoy fear mongering. they get a sick pleasure in people panicking. is that everyone? NO. is it the majority? NO. but just as there are people who enjoy doing it, there are people who will eat it up. so it continues.
what can you do about it? fight it in positive ways. dislike or "down arrow" comments that are obviously just trying to incite fear. remind users in reaction comments that hey--this board could really be supportive if only people took a breath and were 1% more thoughtful about freaking out.
a final thought because this post has grown quite a bit more than I intended...
TO EVERYONE WHO SAYS "HURRY UP AND LAY ME OFF ALREADY":
I was laid off and it sc--wed my life. I am limping by on unemployment and even that is running out. I've liquidated a lot of my assets just so I can pay my mortgage. I may even have to refinance my house to get the equity out so I can continue to live. I'm on job boards and LinkedIn every single day. if I never read "thank you for your interest" again, it will be too soon. getting laid off SU-KS. it's not a game. it's not fun. so please have a bit of compassion for those of us forced onto this road and stop being so awful about it. yes, the company is brutal right now. but having a steady income is a blessing. if you truly hate it, please--join us. until then, it's okay to say "I'm really unhappy in my job," but it's a lot less okay to say, "why don't they just give me free money so I can leave already?"
Hi HR lady, long time no see.
Participating in this forum isn’t about bitterness or nostalgia, it’s about community. Many of us spent years contributing to Optum’s mission and still care about the people we worked alongside. Engagement doesn’t mean we miss the bureaucracy or the burnout; it means we haven’t stopped caring.
Think of it less as “sowing discontent” and more as pulling back the curtain. If our perspectives add stress, maybe it’s not the message that’s the problem, but the reality it reflects.
Some of us share because we are happier now, and we want others to know there’s life after layoff. That’s not disloyalty. That’s perspective.
Maybe people who were laid off or who left enjoy coming here to watch people like you squirm. Just a thought.
Seriously, lol! The board is called Optum Layoffs. It's for people who were laid off or RIF'd. If you're a current employee who wasn't laid off or RIF'd, why are you here giving yourself anxiety?