I'm going to be honest. The last several months have taken a real toll on my mental health. The constant changes around timekeeping, budget cuts, shifting priorities, and the uncertainty about what's coming next have created a level of stress that follows me home every day. There are mornings when I wake up anxious before I even open my laptop. work is the first thing on my mind, and not in a good way.
I've worked through challenging situations before, but this feels different. When the direction keeps changing and there's little clarity about the future, it's hard to feel confident, motivated, or secure. Over time, that uncertainty wears you down.
My experience at Centene, especially within DXE, has been one of the most difficult chapters of my career. I joined with a lot of excitement and optimism. Today, I find myself feeling frustrated, exhausted, and questioning whether it was the right move for me professionally.
At this point, I'm focused on finding a new opportunity where there is more stability, clearer direction, and a healthier work environment. The day I find that next role will be the day I start turning the page on this chapter.
11 replies (most recent on top)
Mental Health? They absolutely don't care about mental health. My personal decline started slowly in January 2023 - then began picking up pace with every layoff, every metric change, and every incentive cut - meaning bonus', PFPs and KCAs. Now it's just spiraling after getting a ridiculous 2% "merit increase", no COLA, no more flex scheduling (which was the very last of the "incentives") all while being a high performer that consistently exceeds metrics and works OT EVERY WEEK since 2017 (because the pay is cr-p) and you have to at least meet /exceed in order to qualify. Add to that the CEO taking to media like she's some wonderful business woman eating up the spotlight blatantly claiming how excited she is that the goal of the company is to remove 99% of non human facing roles and replace it with AI leading to the never ending anxiety of not IF I am going to get laid off but WHEN. I have been applying out for 3 years now and the market is horrific. I stopped looking to move from under the toxic management I am currently under within the company since they that made it abundantly clear when they removed the internal job listings & hired that outside consultancy to tell them who to get rid of that they have no intention in investing in the employees under leadership.
MISSION SIMPLIFY -
- Start by consolidating the ridiculous amount of managers over managers over managers over managers to manage what we manage. There area TON of adult, responsible intelligent employees in this company who really have a lot of pride in their work, even still... why are we i treating them like children that have to be constantly watched ?
- Stop making the annual review /goals/ piece so convoluted and so UNCLEAR with all the centene speak . We all now have zero time for this garbage. None of us. Stop making the goals unattainable and unrealistic. Stop setting up articial competition between employees like the hunger games. We are all very clear on what it is we are here to do...at every level.
- Stop having all these meetings after meetings to meet about meetings when a training or an email will do. Management is meeting after meeting after meeting and and that makes it virtually impossible to be available to do the business of what they are actually supposed to be doing. In times like this, we all need to be " walking the walk" instead of talking the talk.
- Don't make it so hard to get rid of toxic, non performing people on every level... and I mean EVERY LEVEL. Toxic people bring the hard workers down, and non performing people still collecting a paycheck also kick the cr-p out of morale ... BUT... HR basically makes it harder on the supervisor than the bad employee as it pertains to an exit strategy. Make it make sense. If you cant tell us what you actually do and how it brings value to the customers and the company, ( and have it be true and not just a bunch of BS ) maybe you shouldn't be here.... and yes I said EVERY SINGLE LEVEL...
- Make it VERY CLEAR to the highest levels of C suite what the employees functions in each plan actually are ... I feel like theres what we all do.... then a big space of air....then this think tank randomizer that seems cut off from actual operations and doesnt see the workers as people or even values them . It becomes painfully obvious when they start playing with our health insurance, our actual other benefits etc. Instead of sending a SURVEY ABOUT THAT... welp they just make these whacked unilateral decisions ..
- Bring back more autonomy to the health plans to make their own decisions about the things THEY KNOW ABOUT .... like when their equipment needs updating, what cell plans to use for their area, what equipment their staff actually NEEDS instead of what C suite tries to tell them they need based on limited understanding about how each lan functions in each state. We are all not cookie cutter.
- since its truly all about money.... give the plans a budget based on revenue and let them go do their thing.
I would suggest if peole have issue with the targeting of lower level management on the surveys, that they use the narrative section to basically flesh out their ideas about where things could be improved etc. I am sure they are having AI readers interpret. HOWEVER .... do I really think they CARE what we think as a collective ? Absolutely not. They already have these " ideas " of how they are going to CUT COSTS and let the bodies hit the floor basically. They are going to automatic as many processes as possible for as much as they can legally get away with... and maybe more.
I am already hearing horror stories from patients about these offshored companies ...
@dy Remember that the surveys are gamed to blame lower management. There is no way to criticize top management, the surveys deflect blame down to the lowest management possible. They got that one covered too.
@dy I love that posters handle: NoCenteam
@e6 Those were my thoughts exactly when Mission Simplify started being socialized. Now my entire team was RIFd. We are not alone! Time to find something better AND healthy.
Isn't it interesting how leadership put in Dr. Rajiv Patel to be the Chief Transformation Officer? This is someone who showed they are not willing to stay in a position long term - and bounces around..
This person is in a position leading "transformational change" , staying at the organization for how long? I'll start the timer..
Just remember people: this is all bullsh-t.
@OP I’m sorry, but no company cares about anyone. It’s just a microcosm of society. Look around. Everyone just worries about themselves now. I suggest you do likewise.
What triggers me the most this year is the emphasis on “ mission simplify”, they are broadcasting it in every meeting and every email sent by upper management has something to do with aligning the department towards “mission simplify”. Given this company’s track record of laying workers off cough 2023. Everytime they mention mission simplify, the words “layoff” cross my mind. Anyone else feeling this way this year? Its an extremely uneasy feeling
@OP We were told psychological safety would be a priority. Lately, it’s feels more like control, alignment, and compliance are taking its place.
If only people would tell the truth on the surveys.
@OP Exactly. The environment has changed a lot and not for the good.