Data Analyst Empoyee Review Rating

Optum Employee Review

Great Place to Work. Approach to Layoffs Left Much to be Desired

  • Saturday, December 7, 2024
  • Chicago, IL

Pros

While I worked at Optum I greatly enjoyed the people and projects that I was a part of. It was easy to feel like I was having an impact on improving the lives of the patients we served. I had a great work/life balance and it really felt like my immediate management cared about my personal wellbeing.

Cons

The biggest downside for me was how the company went about laying off myself and the entire team that I worked with. I left for vacation feeling good about my position in the company and how increased demand for our work might result in the team expanding in the near future. So I was shocked to get a call in the middle of my trip letting me know that my position was being eliminated and I would be getting laid off in 2 weeks. Needless to say that put a damper on the rest of my time off. The company's severance package did not do anything to make me feel better after the six years I had spent there either. Only 4 weeks of severance was definitely not enough to cover the amount of time it takes to apply for, interview with, accept, and then be screened for a new job. I had to dip pretty heavily into what little savings I had to continue to pay my bills after the severance ran out.

Comments

If layoffs are inevitable and the company knows it isn't going to provide commensurate severance packages then a little bit more advanced warning would have definitely been nice. It would have given me more time to start my job search before I stopped having an income to rely on.

Ratings

B - Salary & Benefits | B - Culture | A - Management | B - Coworkers

Other Employee Reviews at Optum

  • Strong leadership directionSr. Software Engineer | Eden Prairie, MN

    Friday, December 20, 2024

    Salary - B | Culture - C | Management - A | Coworkers - A


    Pros: Leaders have a vision that they are able explain and then let teams pursue that vision through meaningful projects.
    Cons: Public opinion of anyone working at UHG or subsidiaries is low. Pay can be hit stale points.

  • I have to write a review to see other companies reviews, here goes...Sr Clinical Administrative Coordinator | Sugar Land, TX

    Thursday, December 19, 2024

    Salary - C | Culture - B | Management - A | Coworkers - B


    Pros: The Company cares a lot about their employees work-life balance. They match up to like 6% of 401K, take full advantage of the money on the table. If you put forth the effort you will be promoted. Management encourages personal development and wants to see employees rise. There are skip level meetings, which is great so that upper level management has a chance to get to know you and mentor you. You are recognized by your colleagues, as well, management readily gives Bravos for excelling in task. This may come in the form of monetary benefit, corp merch, and almost always recognition throughout the company. They value health and fitness. They love individuals that volunteer within their communities, Of course we want to make the world a better place than how we found it, if you don't know where to start, they spotlight opportunities in your area. Utilize all those employee benefits and bonuses. You literally can have the company pay for your healthcare expense if you participate in a few activities throughout the year. Besides, the offerings are endless, choose what best suits you.
    Cons: The remote work is limited. Pay is okay, unfortunately with the rising cost of living, it could be better. Sometimes, ambiguities arise, but this is an opportunity to show upper level that you can overcome challenges in innovative ways.

  • Working at OptumPharmacy Care Coordinator | Eden Prairie, MN

    Wednesday, December 18, 2024

    Salary - C | Culture - B | Management - C | Coworkers - B


    Pros: good pay with to and fro cab facility Great benefits and PTO with paid holidays. Work from home and flexible hours management is great as well Training was great.
    Cons: low pay; mismatch between participants scheduled and the scope of the programs Ironically insurance benefits are poor and expensive. Work from home metric minimal cost of living raise Unrealistic expectations (call volume) and poor management. Poor training Disconnect between teams Reviews do no reflect actual duties Lack of advancement opportunities Expected to wear too many 'hats'

    401 k is good match For working for a healthcare company the health insurance offered is awful. Expensive insurance . You are treated like a robot calling allll day they want volume not quality

  • Working at OptumPharmacy Care Coordinator | Eden Prairie, MN

    Wednesday, December 18, 2024

    Salary - C | Culture - B | Management - C | Coworkers - B


    Pros: Great benefits and can make your own schedule good pay with to and fro cab facility Flexible work from home options. management is great as well Great training and company resources.
    Cons: Ironically insurance benefits are poor and expensive. low pay; mismatch between participants scheduled and the scope of the programs Unrealistic expectations (call volume) and poor management. Poor training for the mental health side.

    The company offers great work life balance the health insurance is expensive but the company offers incentives to offset this. Also the company offers many perks for its employees Best: PTO health insurance Worst: health insurance premium Health insurance coverage could certainly be better. The amount of PTO granted is reasonable especially after you hit five years. However sick days and vacation are all in one bucket and depending on the state you live in you don't get PTO paid out when you leave the company.

  • Was great, is okay, trending downAssociate Director |

    Wednesday, December 18, 2024

    Salary - D | Culture - C | Management - A | Coworkers - C


    Pros: PTO: Generous, 401(k) is decent, people are generally decent. Usually have a boss that honors flexible work to deal with sick kids, home issues, etc. Most roles are WFH. They awarded an extra floating holiday this year.
    Cons: Insurance is a joke; gets worse every year. If you stay too long, you will actually lose out on earning potential. Raises are non-existant. If you count inflation + the rising cost of premiums, I've actually lost money by staying at optum. The CEO has abandoned the culture that Hemsley and Renfro started and Wichmann tried to continue. So the culture which used to really focus on the humanity of the organization now focuses on dollars and cents alone. In that light - leadership is making decisions on the ranking system to force people into lower rankings based on their tenure. Even if you've exceeded your goals, the company has decided to save money by rating you lower. This affects your bonus and your (non-existent) raise. The company continues to acquire other organizations and cannot figure out how to integrate them. After folks realize a bunch of money has been wasted, the company then lays off tons of employees. A higher up in finance discussed how OptumRx grew very well in both revenue and earnings; but since we didn't meet "internal targets" (whatever those were) bonuses are going to be much much less.

    Return to the culture that made Optum and UHG a great place to work. Be more transparent throughout the year about how our performance will affect our compensation. The messaging is so contradictory - the CEO will say "we've smashed revenue numbers" only to have your direct supervisor tell you you're not getting your full bonus.