Forced rank reviews, minimal pay raises, aggressive off-shore staff moves - Associate Director Optum Employee Review

1.0
Jan 30, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Very large company, so unlikely to go completely under There are pockets of good management which make the long list of Cons bearable Work from home potential (however, there has been strong talk of calling back telecommuters)

Cons

Forced ranging review system applied at the individual team level. If you have 3 employees, you are expected to conform to the bell curve and give one "does not meet expectations", regardless of demonstration of actual proficiency. Pay raises which do not even outpace cost of living increases. 1-2% in most cases. Aggressive movement of jobs overseas. No job security if you are in a role which could be done more cheaply in another country. Ridiculously expensive healthcare. You would think the health benefits would be great, as a part of UnitedHealth. This is not the case. Many employees use their spouse's healthcare because it is more affordable. Lack of diversity in executive management. Take a look at a picture of executive leadership. Near-constant looming threat of layoffs for the past 3-4 years. Most recent cuts were on January 29, 2019 (yesterday). Calling back telecommuters - despite nearly half of the developers being overseas (when US staff leave or are let go, the backfilling is almost exclusively done through off-shore hires if done at all) executive management has latched onto the idea that Agile development cannot be done if the US members of the team aren't sitting together in an office. This is the same company who wants you to see your doctor virtually. Apparently you can effectively diagnose an illness over Skype, but development and coding just cannot happen without everyone sharing the same cubicle farm. Hierarchy is very top-heavy. We're really good at getting rid of people below the Director level, however there is rarely a reduction in executive leadership.

Explore other reviews about Optum

5.0
Apr 8, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good pay and people are awesome

Cons

Working for a very large company hard to keep up with emails

1.0
Apr 1, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Under previous ownership (USMD), employees received quarterly raise. No meaningful pros remain under current leadership.

Cons

Widespread favoritism among management. Micromanagement of employees, including work performance and PTO usage. Management does not assist with phones or workload but takes extended breaks and time off during work hours. Lack of accountability for leadership compared to frontline staff. Poor morale and high stress due to inconsistent expectations. One annual raise, if given, is minimal and does not reflect workload or stress. Frequent layoffs without notice, often communicated through sudden meetings. Employees are openly told their jobs are not guaranteed and encouraged to apply elsewhere.

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