Thread regarding Optum layoffs

Do you realize that you make less money every year without a raise because of inflation , right?

"If you want a salary increase just apply for a promo"

Lmfao, I did. Got a 5 on my review and 4 on the last one last year. Physically sat with my manager while he filled out my the paperwork for it. Still no promo.

If they're giving sh-t merit what makes you think they're gonna shell out EVEN MORE money for a promo? 🤡

someone skipped econ 101 and it shows. A byproduct of capitalism is inflation. Merit is meant to be a measure against it. if inflation is 3% the average employee is supposed to get 3% because the inflation means everything costs MORE. if you don't give merit, people fall behind, then they leave, then your company loses even more money since the next guy costs even more than the last guy but knows even less.

That's the reason companies used to have employee loyalty because they focused on the long term. now CEOs only care about the short-term which means cr-p raises and layoffs and then in 2 years some new guy will have to come in and try and restart the next cycle which will be a hiring bo-m, pay increases, followed by the same bad stuff.

Just bc you don't immediately spend the money is a stupid point. It still has less spending power.

You have a point but bad numbers. Merit has averaged well below 3% and inflation has averaged WAY above 3%...for years!

I think you may have missed this class, but 3% of annual income is a lot more than 3% of expenses. Unless you are spending more than you earn. That is a different problem and That's not sustainable.

Even if you're a map=5 every year, but no promotion, chances are very high you are still losing ground to inflation and effectively paid less than you were making 4-5 years ago. If you got a promotion you've probably broke even.
And if you're only a map=3 or 4, which HR loves to say are "great scores", you are getting absolutely crushed by inflation.

The company is trying to force you to quit is the bottom line. Cheaper than severance and they are saving billions by funding lousy merit/rrp levels.

How many got a 3% raise (and just so everyone knows, according to the govt BLS calculator, inflation from Jan 2021-Jan 2024 is 18%)? Very few. Budgets are usually around 2%, so 2% or better for a 4 rated person (which is a high rating) is considered good.

Not everyone seems eligible for the bonus and the merit increase is an opportunity to keep your compensation up with the inflation rate. Lately that's been difficult but if inflation is 3% and your merit increase is 3% then you're not losing any purchasing power.

OP is daft.
Costs go up every year. Its called inflation. If you're base pay increase doesnt keep up with inflation, you're taking a paycut. The purchasing power of currenct goes down every year.

Wow, OP is dense! If you really need more money…. Everyone would accept more money. And the notion of just applying for a promotion is easier said than done. What a fool. I’d like them to reveal their job and salary and tell us if they plan on not expecting or accepting a merit!

To the OP, have you ever worked in a job that has the ability to decrease the salary that is agreed upon when hired? No! If an employee underperforms, they are coached with the hope of improving and they are put on a PIP, with no merit increase at all. Not all employees get merit or RRP. Even the PIP does not help, the employee is let go or most times quits.

There are 2 ways the organization can compensate a high performing employee; merits to increase your yearly/hourly salary and a bonus or RRP. Some get both, one , or none. The higher the grade, the more % of the funding pool is available. The higher the employee is ranked in overall performance, the higher the merit %. The RRP also has a starting % but leadership can manipulate the dollar amounts a bit within the pool of $ allotted to their sector.

So if a hiring manager gives a merit increase for “excellent work”, what happens if the performance declines the following year? Hiring managers can’t adjust pay downward. It seems pointless to me. Reward employees with bonuses, not merit.

Yes it is a Benefit. Some employees enjoy the level they are at. As the employees stay long term they develop immense knowledge and intuitiveness in that role. That needs to be valued and rewarded. The employee has increased their worth. But remember youngin, "In the workforce everyone is replaceable. Some just hurt more than others" - so make it hurt, increase your worth.

A merit increase is a boost in pay as a result of excellent work, while a pay raise isn't necessarily related to the quality of work. The point is that the company recognized that some of their employees care and really want to do a good job. Not everyone deserves one. We all have at least one slacker on our team that somehow just skates by.

Sandeep shouldn't you be focused on the fact that your infosec guy allowed the company to get hacked?