Over the last decade, I have dedicated much of myself and my talents as a Registered Nurse leader at UHC. When I started 10 years ago, I thought I couldn’t have a better job. I was a nurse working from home while raising a growing family. My position allowed for flexibility, kept me motivated, and was part of my overall identity. I was surprised to find what seemed to be the perfect fit in such a large corporation. Sure, there was management turnover and minor changes. However, my team and I felt that no matter what challenges we faced, we wanted to work through them and improve. UHC utilized our team to train other teams on our process and the innovations we had developed. This was the honeymoon stage of my position and, by far, the best work years of my career.
About three years ago, there seemed to be a significant shift in management attitude, changes in company policy notifications, and an increase in workload, with multiple issues emerging that the company refused to address. Most importantly, there was a dramatic change in United Healthcare’s attitude towards its own employees. It felt like the wind had been taken out of my sails in several areas of my job, and there was no support from management to fix it. Management turnover increased, and leadership complained they never had enough time to give. There was a lack of care or concern for the little things employees do that contribute to the overall success. Company-wide, morale seemed to decline. Nobody wanted to give their all or continue to grow with the company. There were no annual GEM awards or Bravo monetary reimbursements, handwritten birthday cards, thank-you notes from upper management, or acknowledgment of Nurses Week.
From the start of the decade to now, I feel like I have been watching the Titanic sink. Based on conversations with employees, it seems there’s no steady solution. The focus of upper management and the CEO has changed drastically. Jobs are continually being cut. There is more micromanagement in everything we do, leading to a lack of overall trust in United’s employees. I am witnessing nurses with over 20 years of experience in the field brought to tears over their uncertain retirement prospects. While every new CEO comes in motivated to make a change, more adjustments seem to drive employees away and encourage them to retaliate and whistleblow (as seen on this site).
Mr./Mrs./Miss CEO 1, 2, 3… please consider donating a fraction of your million-dollar salary to the hardworking and deserving employees who have been dedicated to this company for decades. Bring back the bonuses, acknowledgments, the old clock-in system, and the overall personal touch that once helped us thrive. Stop focusing on your own interests, your big houses, the denied authorizations, and the amount of money you can save the company while laying off employees. Revitalize the American dream in health insurance, and your employees will love you back.
Sincerely,
A hardworking mother of many children and a caring nurse