#benefits

The entire Home Solutions area was robbed. We were moved to the “one home “ division and under their benefits. We lost 8 PTO days, Juneteenth holiday, and Black Friday holiday. We also lost VTO day making that 11 paid time off days today we lost. Our 401k will move to Centerwell with a match of only 3% so we lost 4.5% match. We lost half of our secure save so $260 a year lost. Our personify is now a lottery with a chance to win money so we basically lost that $500 . We have a 50% decrease of our life insurance. We have increased premiums for higher deductible plans. We did not agree to move out of the Traditional Humana benefits. We were forced and told they would give us a lump sum and an increase of hourly wages. That lump sum and minimal wage increase do not add up to all the losses. We want our traditional benefits back!!!

Did Humana just send an email acti by like positive changes were made and they basically hacked many of our benefits? This company has become a joke.

Since it seems to be that time already. which plan carrier do you guys have and or are you switching or keeping your current.

Dental Premiums are also going up so I'm interested to see what that will be. I have the PPO since I'd rather pull my own teeth than step foot in a dental dental again

While waiting decided to dig a bit. Discovered pharmacy is considered critical. Humana is giving pharmacists and pharmacy techs base salary increases and lump sum payments to "offset the difference between the 2025 and 2026 total rewards benefits package". This does not bode well for the non-critical part of business. Not sure why they don't just shutter those non-critical areas and be done with it.

Is this another cost-cutting move by the bean counters at corporate?

Can’t wait to see what cost-cutting moves they make with the health insurance open-enrollment next month.

Are these going away at the first of the year?

Huge wage increases in Vernova and other sectors. Union did them justice! The 12% raise during the pandemic 2 year contract extension is over. Now the real money is flowing into the hands of the American worker. Split pay scale wages went way up.

I had saved this off and thought I'd post it for anyone looking for info about the 401(k) match. The second bullet point has the details for those 60 and up.

Change to Eligibility for Company Matching Contribution Effective January 1, 2023, to be eligible to receive a Company Matching Contribution you must contribute to the Plan and meet one of the following criteria:

• You are an active employee on the last day of the applicable Plan year (an active employee for this purpose is defined as an employee who is currently employed or on approved leave of absence, excluding long-term disability), or

• You terminate employment during the applicable Plan year and, as of your employment termination date, you have attained the age of 60 with the sum of your age and vesting service (in both instances, full and partial years) at least equal to 65, or

• Your employment is terminated without cause on or after October 1 of the applicable Plan year and you are entitled to receive severance benefits pursuant to The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation Supplemental Unemployment Benefit Plan ("SUB plan") or under such other severance agreement or policy governing the termination of employment from BNY Mellon, or

• You are approved for long-term disability benefits during the applicable Plan year under a program maintained by the Company, or

• You die during the applicable Plan year and are an active employee at the time of death.

Of course benefits are increasing and I'm really disappointed they are getting rid of coverage for GLP1's. That medication is saving people who have been trying to lose weight for years. Oddly enough viagra will still be covered.

Why? So many great jobs that have none of this BS. I got laid off a year ago. It was the best thing that could happen to me. Landed a job six weeks later with better pay, benefits and truly unlimited PTO. You’re better than this. Go!

Thoroughly enjoyed most of my 28 years. Walked in one day and couldn't see doing it anymore. Notified my manager and left for the last time 3 weeks later. Took SS at 62 and received the initial monthly checks from both of my pension funds. It took a month to fully sink In. I should have left a year earlier. People asked, why now? I didn't have an answer at that time. A month later I had an answer. My team lost 4 people in 3 years. What was left were the people who should have been surplussed. Yeah, probably me too. I think I would have been relieved. Sooner would have been better for me, that I am sure of. Yesterday another retiree asked if I missed the camaraderie. It was a joke. No, I will never miss the deadbeats. Never miss watching someone draw a paycheck they did not earn. Never miss those hired solely due to race, gender, or pronouns. Never miss the employee discount program that costs at least double that of AT&T competitors. Never again pretend to care about the work in a company that does not care about their employees or even their customers. After 3 months I finally wake up every morning feeling free. I never gave a thought to the costs of working at AT&T before I retired. After years of being obligated to do things that made no sense, you suddenly find yourself with the ability to reject such nonsense. I didn't know it at the time I submitted my notice, but what I want most was peace of mind.

After a few years at Oracle, I was let go, not because of performance but because of this AI nonsense. Still, I’m not surprised when I took this job, I knew this company didn’t care much about their employees, but I was happy to have a paycheck and lucky to pay my bills. I'm just very disappointed…

Below are a few takeaways:

My coworkers were amazing. Everyone was great to connect with.
Significant amount of training..
Compensation was below average, but it paid the bill.
Great healthcare.
Work from home.

The negative:
My management was mediocre. Some teams had great managers, but mine was a total disappointment. All he cared was to look better for his director.
No raise, work harder. No one get a raise.
The amount of work to meet your metric was nonsensical. Always under the g-n!
I worked over the weekend to do a great job, and that is the thank you!!
You learn a lot in the first year, but you get stuck in a role you will never move up!! Your skill get stagnant.
The manager only selects a few for a raise.
Manager control the amount of work you get and purposely try to sabotage you it seems. No transparency.

Bottom line
I'm sad I'm gone, but it's better I deal with this now, than waste another five years of my life in this company which I would have done.

I see many posts asking if the layoff will be over.
Be realistic with yourself. Oracle will lay off more people next year to fund its investment in AI. It's a high-debt company, and they need to trim peoples. All you can do is have a safe backup plan and upskill. Don't work hard for this company!

Oracle is all about cutting cost now, and to increase its stock value. Their new Ai platform is already a total mess. They don't care about their customers or improving their tool set.

Maybe I'm wrong with all of this but that my interpretation.

Wish everyone the best!!! Don't stay too long there!!!!

I’’ll start:

Yearly pay raises close to or exceeding inflation
Accepting salary based on 35hr/wk, flash forward, management expectation of 40-50, no adjustment
Pressure to ignore benefits paid by lower salary like RFC for “azz in chair” time

It appears that another major reorganization may be announced this week. I’ve heard it could affect benefits—possibly pensions in particular. That said, the source isn’t especially reliable, so it’s difficult to know for sure.

I am writing this as a longtime Cisco employee. I am an individual contributor and have been for almost 20 years. I like Cisco, I like most of my managers and colleagues (not all, of course but that is true anywhere)

Am I worried about getting LR'd? A little but since I put this plan into place several years ago I am not worried about finances. Not one bit.

You can't change the wind but you can change the set of your sails. The most important of which are your financial decisions. Strive for financial independence now. It is not too late. jump to end for TL/DR version:

1. shift to maximum frugality.
   This is not the "latte factor" where your $4 coffee will change your life but rather an entire philosophical shift. Embrace frugality as a desirable and enjoyable lifestyle (it is). Focus on both the small rocks (the daily expenses like coffee, doordash and money su-kers). not to sound s-xist but money su-kers are typically gender aligned. Women spend a lot on nail care, beauty and the like. Men spend a lot on autos, gadgetry and beer. obviously stereotypical but you get the point.
   Eliminate, DIY or change the frequency.

2. Big Rocks.
   Housing, Healthcare, Transportation, Insurance & Education are typically the most expensive components. Start here. Be relentless. remember that New car smell is the most expensive fragrance in the world and no one really cares about what kind of car you drive anyway (except for you) get a reliable, safe used vehicle. strive to pay cash for a car as it will force you to save & research. Same concept applies with the other big rocks. The amount you spend on where you sleep at night and keep your stuff should be minimal. This is true whether you rent or own, strive to own a decent home in a good neighborhood.

3. Max out your 401K, open a Roth and build a freedom fund.
   What to do with all the money you save? Buy a boat? (no!)
   First, build a cash cushion of at least 6 months of expenses, the good news is that the more you relentlessly drive down your expenditures, the lower this amount needs to be. Put this in a Money Market (many are yielding 4+ %
   Then, Max out your tex deferred retirment account. the target date funds are a great one-fund set it and forget it option. you could balance that with a 100% stock fund (US Equity Index) say 50/50 so you are tilted toward more growth, especially if you are young. There are 1,000 asset allocation strategies you will be bombarded with, this is a good middle of the road, reasonable, strategy. It is way more important to get started and be consistent (autpilot) than to get all the knobs perfectly right. Most people do way more damage that way, especially you smart ones. (Doctors are notoriously bad investors because they think they are smarter than everyone else)
   also start a Roth IRA and fund it as well (Roth is post-tax but has significant advantages)

4. The best things in life are free.
   National Parks, Conversations with Friends, gardening, reading a used book (the paper kind) long walks with the person you love most. Do the rocking chair test; imagine you are 80, sitting on the porch in your rocking chair and ask yourself what you would have done differently back then. I guarantee the make/model of car will not enter your mind even once.

TL/DR
Reduce expenses relentlessly, start with the big rocks.
embrace a mindset of "frugal is wonderful" because it leads to financial independence.
MAx out retirement funds (401k/IRA/Roth IRA) with a simple set and forget it Asset Allocation
100% Target Date Fund (based on your retirement year) or 50% Target Date Fund + 50% US Equity Index if you are more risk averse.
Build a 6 month war chest full of cash

With the brutal layoff's , I am also one of those unlucky one with close to 30 years of hard work & dedication. Anyway, hope someone can shed light o my questions below. I am based out of CA

With COBRA , Could I choose only dental & eye insurance ? I maybe wrong, medical insurance from Obama Care plans could be cheaper that COBRA. I don't see an option to just pick Eye & Dental plans.

Second question ... looks like COBRA plans could be added within 6 months of layoff's ? If I pick COBRA plans say after 4 months, does it start from that day & continues for 18 months OR no ?

Third question ..Assuming I take COBRA plan for this year, do I get an option to pick a different medical plan during Open Enrollment ?

Fourth Question .. Arag & life insurance plans are history now ? I am sure that's true

Lastly, what's everyone doing for medical plans in Lieu of COBRA offer ?

Curious if anyone has heard how our benefits could be changing - I.e holidays, PTO, health benefits, etc.

I'm considering the severance package but am wondering if anyone knows what subsidized Cobra means? I assume our bi-monthly payment towards health insurance would dramatically increase? Especially when a family is on your account?

What's the consensus? This is my first time being laid off in my career. Any guidance helps.

Do you know that in EMEA they cancelled all company cars, no more. All savings, everywhere. If anything happen with OpenAI deal for 30B$....

Two former TIAA employees yesterday filed an amended complaint claiming the company violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act by investing more than 28,000 plan participants’ retirement funds in a proprietary in-house fund that has failed to meet its market benchmark since 2009. Attorneys from the AARP Foundation then joined the complaint as co-counsel “on behalf of older adults enrolled in retirement plans offered by TIAA” to its plan participants, according to a statement from AARP.

The original complaint, filed on May 20 by former TIAA employee Bryan Byrne, alleged TIAA breached its fiduciary duties under ERISA by opting for high-cost investment options in the plan’s investment menu, despite cheaper alternatives, and by not removing its underperforming CREF Growth Fund from the plan. The complaint and the amended complaint are pending in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The amended complaint adds two new plaintiffs, Charles David Sullivan and Sarah Johnson, both former TIAA employees. The plaintiffs are seeking class action status on behalf of all participants in and beneficiaries of plans that invested in the two affected fund classes: R3 share classes, starting September 16, 2022, and the growth fund class generally, starting May 20, 2019.

The complaint also alleges that plan participants were charged millions of dollars more than TIAA’s institutional clients in higher investment fees, while TIAA profited from fee income.

“By shaving five, ten, and even fifteen basis points in higher fees from the R3 class assets from around September 16, 2022, and onward, … defendants quietly pocketed millions of dollars for themselves,” the complaint states.

The suit seeks to recover the losses to participants’ retirement savings caused by the alleged breaches.

“When companies mismanage retirement assets and seek to maximize their own profit by charging exorbitant fees, they jeopardize the retirement security of older adults, particularly harming low-and moderate-income workers,” said William Alvarado Rivera, senior vice president of litigation for the AARP Foundation, in a statement. “AARP Foundation is fighting to ensure TIAA participants get the retirement income they’ve earned—and the dignity they deserve.”

A TIAA spokesperson responded to an email from PLANSPONSOR by saying, “TIAA believes the lawsuit is without merit. The company provides its employees and participants with quality products and services that deliver strong long-term performance at competitive costs. Our mission remains focused on helping those we serve, including our own employees, achieve a financially secure retirement.”

TIAA, its board of trustees and its investment advisory review committee are represented by Goodwin Procter LLP. The AARP is represented by Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight.

Has anyone heard details on how much of a decrease we will hear about in pto on benefit changes that will be announced on sept 10?

Does anyone know what we should expect for 2026 under Skydance as far as benefits, RTO, Vacation etc?

I cannot find the thread this was being discussed on but there is some confusion about whether vesting stops at the notification date or the termination date. So I asked HR directly. At least in the US, we will get any RSUs that vest prior to the termination date (in my case 9/22). If you are in a different location you may want to confirm with HR.

I was in the Fusion Org and would have hit my 25 year anniversary next month. Overall my immediate team lost about a 1/3 of its headcount.

Finally take care of yourselves. Oracle itself had its goods and bads like most things, but I was truly fortunate to work with some amazing people for this long. Remember that EAP benefits are still there (for 3 months) if you need them.

Does Oracle pay for the first month of COBRA 100% or the same percentage as if you were a regular current employee?

I understand after the first month of separation, you are 100% responsible for monthly COBRA premium, which can be $2000+/month for a family plan.

Can I select just the dental and VSP for COBRA and not medical?

Is that still the best option to continue with or are there any good alternatives?

If the firm expects or wants remaining associates to stay with the firm, you’d think they would give them a reason. Where’s the enhancements to comp, benefits, profit sharing, etc. that were dangled nearly two years back and mentioned again a few months ago? Haven’t heard a peep about any of that for a while.

The firm’s below-market pay already made it difficult to attract experienced talent. Now it has a bad reputation which will make recruiting even harder.

If leadership doesn’t act quick they are going to find themselves in a talent black hole. Attrition is going to spike through the roof which is maybe what the firm wants but who is going to fill those vacated roles? Candidates the firm wants aren’t going to accept mid pay AND a toxic culture. The money they’ll spend course correcting to attract talent will greatly exceed whatever savings they just captured from these layoffs. I’ve seen it before and it is not pretty for management’s pocketbook. The clock is ticking to get ahead of this disaster before it’s too late.

Hey guys, I think the title pretty much explains it. You won’t be left jobless you would be jobless and carless so hoping getting an enhanced package.

When will we know about benefit changes and when will layoffs begin? Some of us will base our futures on this information!!

Hi, for fellows here, anyone know how to milk best fridge benefit before the last day?

1. ask for training , Cisco pay for a training 1 week after the impact.. and then cancel and reschedule to future months, some of the classes are good and last 1 week
   some training are free while you are at Cisco, and getting it require no approval.

2. anything else to sign up? like employee discounts and etc?

some of my past fellows did msoft discount, apple discount and etc.. travel discount. one of them went through training 2 months down the road. cost nothing.

anything else?

Just curious how many of us at Oxy are ready to retire and can, but find it hard to walk away from the job because of the pay and benefits. I am still able to perform at a high level, but the routine of waking up so early and then working all day seems to be getting old fast lately. I have no complaints about Oxy, but it just seems I have lost my drive to keep chasing it all. Anyone else find this happening after the age of 60? My current goal is to make it to the next bonus round, and cash in my stocks and take the final bonus and make 2026 my final year working.

Retiree here who lost all subsidies. Premiums on individual marketplace plans set to spike. Mercer says employer based premiums set to rise 10% for 2026. Will this huge spike lead to more job losses at the company or will benefits be reduced even more ? Got to believe it will lead to more layoffs for those over age 50 and a combination of benefit cuts and price hikes this Fall. Many companies are laying off already because of this and higher interest rates. GLP-1 dr-gs are killing the system leading to bat schit crazy panic setting in with CFOs. 50% of all costs go to overhead w/insurance companies who pay C-Suite Execs millions. Something needs to be done.

You can add additional funds to your HSA, above what you may have withheld, and transfer them to an investment account. Granted the investment account options from HSA Bank are limited but after separation from the company you can transfer those funds to Fidelity or some other account where you have a lot of investment options. This money is yours to keep and grows tax free and is not taxed on withdrawal IF used for allowed medical expenses.
When taking early retirement in 2018 my account was $53000. I paid Cobra health insurance premiums and later my Part B Medicare premiums using the HSA. Now in 2025 my HSA balance has grown to $90000 despite these significant withdrawals. (Note that withdrawals for normal health insurance premiums such as Obamacare or supplemental Medicare insurance premiums are not tax free.)
If you absolutely need the money you can withdraw it and pay the taxes, you are free to use it as you see fit.

Post Covid when the world of work is now mobile and video based, TIAA has wasted money by moving from Denver to Frisco. If anything, there should be less real estate foot print not more post pandemic. Outsourcing to Accenture in India, record Outflows, and a reputational damage with all the recent lawsuits are damaging TIAA. The Board and Senior Management are out of their league. Meanwhile, existing employees left wont get the raises they deserve or the enhanced benefits packages they need because this waste of money. The Board and Senior Management should be forced to resign.

I would not go back to IBM, no matter how good the pay or benefits are, because their RA tactics is fundamentally broken. It isn’t based on actual low performance in sales or delivery, nor is it aligned with long-term growth habits. Instead, it’s driven by biased judgment and office politics. You can do your job well, hit every target, never complain, and even outperform others on your team, yet still end up on the chopping block.

The reality is that employees are treated like numbers on someone’s spreadsheet high up in the chain... if you never had much visibility with that person, often due to weak leadership in your reporting line (no skip-level meetings, no proper alignment, there is noo support for your role), youre vulnerable... When the pressure comes, especially over just one or two quarters, you’re likely to be cut regardless of your actual contributions.

That kind of RA strategy is not only nonsense it’s also very much destructive. It ki-ls IBM. It undermines trust, demoralizes employees, and wrecks careers for no justifiable reason. it hurts both the people and the company itself.

Has anyone tried to apply for this CASDI?

A pay cut? Loss of benefits?

I have a few offers on the table paying less. Some have little to no benefits.

The math says i should stay here but its hard to put a figure for savings on things like mental well being, commute, and not being exposed to every single strain/wave of covid.

So my question is, what would you give to never have to go to the office again?

If you worked at U.S. Bank anytime since 2019 and had health insurance through them, you may have been charged extra fees — sometimes $50–$100 per month. These surcharges were added for things like smoking/vaping, keeping a spouse on your plan, or missing certain wellness checkups.
Attorneys are now investigating whether those charges were legal. Employees could be owed compensation if the surcharges violated federal or state laws.
https://openclassactions.com/investigations/us-bank-charging-employees-healthcare-insurance-surcharges.php