Out of Touch C-Suite Staff - Systems Engineer Optum Employee Review

1.0
Apr 7, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Experiencing what it's like to work at an extremely large (one would call it a monopoly) corporation.

Cons

So many. Aside from the people you work with directly, you are only a number to Sr Leaders. Every team is incredibly understaffed (been happening long before the current economy) and getting worse. New C-Suite Exec wants everything 100xs faster but has been responsible easily for THOUSANDS of layoffs. Always done in small batches to stay low on the radar. There is at least 1 major layoff a month, the most recent happening yesterday - perfect example of leaders who don't care that it can be a significant holiday weekend for employees in several countries. They had an all employee meeting after one of the several layoffs to "sell" the 100xs faster tagline and as they were trying to make the leaders seem like they're just like employees, one of the Execs talked about his upcoming island vacation for his family and parents. Staff barely got annual raises, a set number of staff had to be low rated so they could be included in layoff rounds and we're told to work more with less while Sandeep talks about his trip to FL for a golf event they sponsor and the other talked about his island getaway. Entirely out...of...touch and they don't care. Like so many other companies, they aggressively push DEI, Women in IT, Veterans, etc but they really don't support it in principle. The career promotion path happens if you are one of the "chosen", suck-ups, or in a low paying market (i.e. India). So many recent "promotions" have been given to staff in India that aren't even qualified. Many have NO experience in the areas they are now supporting and they aren't even working US based hours to interact with their staff. Qualified US based employees (veterans, females, experienced staff) weren't even given an opportunity to apply - just IN staff appointed. There is a constant push to get "vendors" to do the work even though they are much more expensive than FTEs or contractors and can't do the work because corporate systems are so locked down and complex. Avoid working here at all costs.

Explore other reviews about Optum

5.0
Jun 15, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

great management, work life balance, atmosphere

Cons

no cons, very satisfied with my employment.

3.0
Jun 4, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Some very talented people give so much of themselves to the company, the clients and their co-workers. I work with (and have worked with) some excellent, smart, supportive people.

Cons

Too many layoffs. Upper management is clueless about how the day to day work gets done, what it takes to make certain changes to processes, and how to treat employees. Some are great. Mostly, they just look at numbers. So many of us have been doing our jobs long enough to know what is needed for certain requests. But we don't get a voice. We just have to do it and suck it up. They are firing ('reduction in force') all of the seasoned staff and let the rest deal with the fall-out. So many teams are losing good people but those people are training their off-shore replacements before they are told about being cut. So how is that a reduction in force? It's just a reduction in payroll numbers. Everyone is on edge just waiting for the next axe to fall. And we have to try and learn or teach another role with less experienced people and more work. It's crazy. On milestone anniversaries, they send an email recognition but once the milestone gets to over 15 years, you are a target. Pay and benefits are fine by me. Raises are practically non-existent, even after layoffs and asking employees to take on more responsibility. that's messed up. They talk about work/life balance but that doesn't trickle down to the actual workers who are so stressed they fear for their jobs if they don't do the extra mile. Many of us are just hanging on instead of quitting so we can at least get some severance. Others are actively looking.

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