Thread regarding Optum layoffs

this is ringing true for me. my position was similar to what is described in the post, and I was terminated last week.

People in the comments against lay offs but when it’s announced it’s not the group they are in it’s celebrated? They will come for you too. One bad example of someone in that group that you happen to work with doesn’t mean they are all that way.

And letting people go from teams that are excelling is INSANE! Incentivizes people to do poor or mediocre work.

Many of these 29 with no reporting are there to seek answers to get their job done! Blah blah blah! All you can hear in their meetings.

Assoc Dir reporting to a Dir who reports to a Sr. Dir. What the actual fook? There are way too many "leadership" positions in this place. Too many layers.

Yep, it's me: actuarial associate director. I got laid off...

Few of those 29s and above are great leaders and really work. The extras are friends with top dogs and work only to say something “smart” in meetings.

I read your post twice and it still confused the he-l out of me. Who is being eliminated and who is going to take up the slack?

29s and 30s are useless tbh

Thank you, god! I don't understand the reason for many of these roles; they are usually clueless and need their hand-held to get through the day. For a company looking to cut costs eliminating these positions would be a good start. Why get rid of the people that actually do the work.

It would not be much of a loss in my experience to lose this layer of useless. Have managed self for most of a decade watching the occupants of the director role come and go through the revolving door. Most are only interested in their own advancement etc.. The few that do care have zero power to clear roadblocks for your job role and only provide a layer of interference for the next levels up of chair warming incompetence

I'm an ex employee (GL28) who left the company last year. I was asked to fill the role of a 29 and perform those duties in expectation of a promotion 'when funding was available'. Only to be told the position had to be filled offshore (by someone already working in that country). Last straw was my mid-year review where I was doing excellent work but would be given a 3 because I was 'still new to doing the duties of the associate director". Here silly me thought it would be a 5 for outperforming in my actual grade level while also doing the supervising, hiring, onboarding and other work of the 29. Had no idea my review would be based my newness to a role I didn't even have. After seeing only a handful of 29 level positions (enterprise wide) posted over a few months and having my director refuse to personally recommend me for any open positions, I decided to take my talents elsewhere. Internally, I was contacted for not one but two different applications for 29 roles and asked if I would consider it as a lateral 28 move which I declined. Optum's plan is to take all leadership offshore for anything 29 and over. There is no upward path for US employees. I'm glad I left on my own initiative rather than waiting for the inevitable lay off because I now have not even a tenth of the stress. Only regret is how much personal time I spent trying to prove myself in a role that they never planned on offering me.

I am confused are you saying the direct reports of 29/30 are targets OR 29/30 with direct reports are the next targets? Your post reads both ways?

So are you saying the roles of 29s and 30s are being reviewed for elimination, or the staff under them, with the expectation the 29 and 30 will continue to do their work plus the work of the staff under them?

Agree the rumors now are eliminating those support roles, making the big bosses do their own work and send their own emails, actually work for those paychecks.

Also heard the same about chief of staff and admin asst roles