Optum reviews

3.4

56% would recommend to a friend

(15,486 total reviews)

Patrick Conway

47% approve of CEO

47% positive business outlook

Optum has an employee rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars, based on 15,486 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Optum employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Healthcare industry (3.4 stars).

Reviews by job title

15K reviews
3.0
Jan 30, 2024

Was great, is okay, trending down

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

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.

avatar
Optum Response
1y
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. I'm pleased to hear you are satisfied with our generous PTO policy, 401(k) plan, flexible work arrangements, and the extra floating holiday. We strive to create a supportive and accommodating work environment for all employees. In regards to the negative experiences you've raised, we're actively looking into ways to address these concerns. We recognize the importance of competitive raises and bonuses, and your comments about performance ratings, insurance and compensation will be shared with leaders for further review. We are committed to continually improving as an organization and providing the utmost support for our team members.
1.0
Mar 9, 2023

Optum is toxic. Run away.

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There are none. As a result of laying off some core talent, leadership has killed the pro that comes with working with good talented people.

Cons

There is no job security at this soulless, two-faced corporation. Processes and technologies that are outdated. There is a serious problem with tech debt, which makes it virtually impossible to complete a task. If you are on the fence about working at Optum or UHG, I would advise you not to do so. The following is a realistic representation of what you can expect from Optum/UHG culture. Optum is a global organization that impedes care, aided by monolithic technology to stop millions of people from living healthier lives. The work you do with our team will directly stop health outcomes by disconnecting people from the care, pharmacy benefits, data, and resources they need to live a semi-healthy life. Here, you will find a culture guided by a façade of diversity and inclusion, a small number of talented colleagues, poor benefits, and bureaucratic career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us slow health equity on a global scale. Join us in stopping caring, stopping connecting, and allowing everyone to do what is most beneficial for themselves and our shareholders.

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.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 15,486 Reviews

Glassdoor has 16,954 Optum reviews submitted anonymously by Optum employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Optum is right for you.