Thread regarding Optum layoffs

Bad leadership 101, promote someone that has a strong personal relationship with a subordinate. Great way to curate distrust and burnout within your ranks. It’s everywhere, too.

Promotions are done through the spoils system, nepotism/cronyism. They aren't based on merit but rather who you know. We're regressing here and it shows!

So true. I remember reading about the Peter Principle in college, which explains perfectly what happens in the hierarchy of how organizations unintentionally promote incompetence. People or managers get promoted based on their current performance, not necessarily their ability for higher positions. Eventually, they may reach a level where they're no longer competent.

It seems a “leader” is brought in from a a failing company, and that leader hires friends from failing company for other leadership positions quite often. Why was that company failing and now Optum’s department is failing?? Duh. D-mb way to position leadership, but Optum way.

You must be talking about navi leadership too. Downright lazy and always in meetings or bossing people around. Zero skills or experience yet selected for leadership? Huge micromanaging goes on with at least 1 of these so called managers. Was told she just looks for mistakes all day long and may in fact be a bit prejudice? Needs to be reported .

Responding to the post, below this one, that begins with "For the poster who posted about leaders hiring their friends.."

We must work in the same department. What makes the workplace even more toxic, is that these current "leaders," think they know everything about everything, yet, they have produced nothing of what they say. Do these sound familiar: Attending meetings with leadership, only for them to say that it's not their job to come up with the "Mission Statement" or vision for the department. These leaders that know nothing, say they have an door-open policy, only to close that door, 25 seconds after speaking that sentence in a meeting. Constant words with no follow through or commitment on their actions. Condescension on these leaders tone and messages just adds to the toxicity. These leaders are not honest people, do not have any integrity, and do not possess a moral compass, at their core as a human either. Note: The word "leaders" used in this post is a misnomer at Optum. The word "leaders" here is to be substituted with the label "Descendants of Judas Iscariot."

For the poster who posted about leaders hiring their friends.. you are 💯 correct. Being a hard worker, knowing and doing well at your job does not matter to Optum. Leadership thinks they are better than you and will never give you kudos nor promote you because they think they are better than you… unless you are a friend or kiss a$$. My manager gives no credit to the competent worker, but to the one who does all her work she puts on that person. Bad leadership by far.
I love what you said about Optum meetings.. just talk with no content 💯!!
Sometimes at these meetings I think.. what….Is the point here??? Waste of time.

It’s all about control and ego. You don’t need someone to think, just someone to trust to do as you please.

In my experience, and I was at Optum for 10 years, managers don't know how to handle problems/issues if one of their team comes to them. It seems that their main goal on resolving an issue is to sweep it under the rug and not have it reflect negatively on them or their superiors.
I had one manager actually say to me in a yearly review "I'll be honest, I really don't know what you do on any given day."

Agree. Recently, my director retired, and did ask the team's opinion on replacements. The two “candidates” selected by the VP were very inexperienced for the position. I voiced my concern, as my boss should know more than I do. I was told the director doesn't need to know everything; that's the team's job to know their jobs. WHAT?? It's a kind of messed-up mentality is this. It's very sad to see the mindset of this organization. It is not the company I started with 10 years ago.

Agreed. However, this is not the culture at Optum. The leaders only promote their friends, who have no knowledge of the divisions they’re in charge of. Unethical behavior is actually rewarded and promoted, while those who do the work and have knowledge of the area they’re in are chastised. backstabbed, and then put on a RIF list eventually. The leadership values only those who speak many words in meetings with no content, while knowing nothing in general. It’s honestly amazing how many of these inept leaders continue to operate with zero measurables and are able to lie to above and below, and still get away with it.

I totally agree! Meeting after meeting of doing nothing. Oh wait they gossip and select the next victim- usually someone who is outspoken and brilliant. I am wanting to report this but being new to optum from navi I don't know who to contact. It's pathetic. They refuse to do cases, tell you to ask each other, and are so lazy I just dont get it.