#benefits

Did anyone else receive Benefit Program Disclosure Documents from Comcast via their personal email?

But when will we, regular employees, see any benefit from it?

https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/citi-profit-jumps-40-with-higher-investment-banking-services-wealth-revenue-2026-10-13/

Hey everyone. Like many in financial services right now, the year-end anxiety is real (especially with earnings looking rough and whispers of a Q4 purge). I’m trying to game-plan my benefits and coverage without tipping my hand to HR or putting myself on their radar. Today's JPM results even makes it dicey.

Open enrollment for 2027 is right around the corner. If I get cut by year-end, what actually happens if I go through open enrollment now and fund an FSA for next year?

I have a few specific questions for those who have actually been through this:

Open Enrollment & Severance: If I elect coverage for 2027 during open enrollment and select an FSA, but get let go in December, does that company-backed election stick for 2027, or does it vanish when employment terminates? I’ve heard mixed things about "20 weeks of premium" or how severance handles it.

The Open Market Trap: If severance pays out normally (MD says 2 weeks/year is still ON for normal layoffs), my income for the year will spike way above any ACA subsidy thresholds, leaving me vulnerable if I have to buy full-price on the open market.

Spousal Backup Plan: I'm considering preemptively moving to my spouse's part-time employer HMO plan during their open enrollment. It’s restrictive (narrow network, bad dr-g tier, no dental), but it offers a safety net.

If you’ve survived or lived through a banking/corporate layoff right around Q4, how did you handle this? Did you trust the internal open enrollment, or jump ship to a spouse's plan immediately? Any concrete insights would be massively appreciated.

How does the Life Insurance work after the VSP? Do we get the option of being able to continue it?

Just got my open enrollment brochure emailed today. Premiums going up 20%, deductible going up, MOOP going up. Of course, the amount 3M contributes to the HSA doesn’t increase.

Seems like they are trying to push people into the new “variable co-pay plan”. Bill Brown must be a getting a nice kickback from UHC!

Have you noticed the new premium for medical ? it has gone up more than 40% but they said in email that only 3% will be increased?

Not because I'm loyal to the company or like where it's currently, but because too many of us wouldn't be able to find a new job in the current job market and Nike still pays decently and offers decent benefits. Why would I cheer to lose my own livelihood? I really don't understand some of you.

Connecticut employers must now provide wage transparency in job postings, including benefits information. Employment promissory notes are now banned for all businesses, expanding a previous restriction. Mandatory lactation accommodations and new ADA accommodation notice requirements are also in effect. Large employers face increased pay stub transparency, while construction firms have new record-keeping duties. These changes, effective October 1, 2026, aim to enhance employee rights and protections across various industries.

https://www.cbia.com/news/hr-safety/new-employment-laws-connecticut

I’m just curious, can anybody tell me how the severance pay works just for knowledge I was told the 60 days that you do get paid is the actual severance. And do you get the Christmas and annual bonus as well? How does all this works?

My day started with an anti union rant from a field ops big wig, that completely lies about, and totally mischaracterized the New York City workers strike that ended in 2022 (charter NEVER came to the table to negotiate with that union once it was elected).

We are probably about to get shafted again for next years benefits (I’m so sorry new cox employees, any promises they made to you were complete bullsh-t), we are getting shafted on vacation and sick time, things are only looking bleaker and bleaker.

Unionization is the only power we have to do LITTERALLY anything to protect ourselves from what is to come. And if they never come to the bargaining table, well, they were going to lay us off anyway.

Verizon used to be known for good health insurance but now Dan has gone and ruined it seems. Prices going up and benefits being reduced. Crazy

Current or prior Comcast employees. Is the URL "comcastbenefitsbc4.ehr.com" a legitimate URL? I'm getting mailers that I don't believe or real, and if they are, I'm concerned by identity has been stolen and idk where to go to address that first.

I know I'm probably being paranoid, but when and how would employees be notified of pension changes if they were to occur?

Staff at Hospice East Bay are protesting significant layoffs and cuts to benefits. The union is staging a seven-day strike to protect the quality of care and their working conditions. These layoffs have led to the discontinuation of programs like music therapy and children's grief support. Patients and their families worry about the impact on essential services. The union aims to negotiate a fair contract to ensure long-term sustainability and compassionate care.

Pleasant Hill, California

https://www.kqed.org/science/2002172/east-bay-grief-counselors-strike-to-protest-layoffs-and-protect-the-soul-of-hospice

I imagine like many of you I'm trying to calculate what the severance payout will likely be for the thousands of us who are facing down the likelihood of being laid off. I had an LLM summarize everything it could find on the previous threads here to provide a rough estimate. This would of course mean they use the same payout calculations as previously and I would say with the $1 Billion number that was included in the financial report that seems to be the case (it's not stated that all of that is for severance, probably about $800 Million of that is actual severance cost). NIKE at least provides one of the most generous severance payouts these days compared to most companies...small consolation.

Summary:

• Severance is based primarily on job grade and years of continuous service.
• It is not a simple flat “X weeks per year” formula. Instead, it is a grade + tenure matrix, where higher grades receive more weeks for the same tenure.
• Reported packages generally range from a minimum of around 4 weeks to a maximum of roughly 40–48 weeks.
• One frequently cited example for employees with 7–10 years of service was approximately:

Grade 20 and below: 16 weeks

Grades 25–40: 20 weeks

Grade 45+: 24 weeks

• Other reports suggest employees with very long tenure can reach the upper end of the 40–48 week range, depending on grade.

Other benefits frequently mentioned include:
• Around 6 months of continued health coverage/COBRA in some recent rounds
• Career transition/outplacement support
• PTO payout where applicable
• Possible bonus/PSP or equity treatment depending on timing and level
• In some cases, a period of continued payroll before the formal termination date

A few employees describe the policy as roughly “2–3 weeks per year of service,” but the more detailed reports suggest that is probably shorthand for the actual grade/tenure matrix.

The biggest takeaway: Nike severance appears to be standardized and formula-based, with tenure and grade being the biggest drivers, and packages generally capped below one year of pay for most employees.

Honest to goodness. I know the job market is bad, but I have a bully for a manager who's been making my life miserable. Add to that low (if any) raises and the cuts in benefits, and there really isn't much to keep me around. Give me severance and I'm gone. And I'll be happy about it.

As somebody who left a month ago, let me tell you, the grass is definitely greener. I'm getting the same pay but better benefits and less stress. So much less stress. If you can jump ship, do it. Life gets so much better.

Retiree healthcare support is essentially a bad deal. Part of the VLO bait and switch.

Although there is a “benefit”, based on years of service, the goal is to get the retiree to move on, to save the company money.

The primary plan is Medicare Advantage, with a $0 deductible. So, you can imagine what that monthly premium costs. Of course, the plan is actually designed to support the executives, who have retirement supplements and a lot of money (part of the VLO cult).

And even though you have a “benefit”, based on years of service, once / if you leave the plan for a better annual option, you can’t return, ever. Meanwhile, the executives enjoy the $0 deductible.

In summery, a VLO technique to drive the normal retired worker away, save the earned benefit cost, and of course, support the executives. How do you spell cult?

and did you report the severance? and did the severance affect your benefits?

Anyone going to ask the new CEO about cost of living increases or our substandard benefits or future RIFs*?

• Yes, I know, it's a loaded question for a layoff site.

Morale is hecka low at my site and if this forum is to be believed elsewhere in the company. We're losing talented staff because of these policies and behaviors of the executives. It's not good at all.

• Cigna Group emailed its US employees to say its health plan would stop paying for GLP-1 medications for weight loss, prompting an outcry from employees.
• A growing number of employers are looking to limit coverage of GLP-1s to cut expenses, as employee health-benefit costs are expected to climb and prescription dr-gs are one of the main reasons.
• Some companies that continue to cover GLP-1s are creating friction within the company, as some workers who don't use them question whether the added cost will drive up premiums for everyone.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-23/pepsi-starbucks-cigna-among-companies-dropping-glp-1-insurance-benefits

The benefits were the reason people have stayed and powered through fidelity. Now with united healthcare and delta dental… this is the real attrition strategy. Both companies su-k so bad and my doctors and billing hate UHC. They have monologued me more than once for having sh---y insurance

Hey, Comcasters! Let's help each other out. List your best tips, tricks, or advice for on what to do to maximize Comcast benefits before being laid off.

• For example, Flex Days and Floating Holidays are not paid out, but vacation days are. So, use your Floating Holidays first, then your Flex Days, and save your vacation days for last.

• Also, take advantage of your EdAssist educational benefit, which provides up to $8,000. According to the PDF, you become ineligible on the day you are notified of your layoff, so be sure to submit your request before you receive notice.

Healthcare costs continue to rise. Will we see big increases in employee contributions?

Remember that employee survey a year or two ago about benefits? I wonder what happened with those results.

Greetings. The latest 2025 5500 form has just come out. This tells you in general where IBM is headed
So 2025 medical participants for full time and part time workers for the USA = 46,188
The 2024 number = 50,667. So down 4,479 in one year

This equates to 2025 short term disability = 45,240
The 2024 short term disability = 49,586. So again down 4,346 year over year

The net of this is even with IBM buying USA SW companies they are still dropping 4,500 employees per year
REMEMBER this is a one year look back, so 2026 numbers are closing in on 40k USA employees

If we don’t want to continue the Cobra coverage, do we just do nothing and it lapses on its own or is there some formal process we have to go through? Anyone reading who has been through this already please advise. The person on the phone when I called did not inspire confidence with her answer. Thanks

How can we contact Centene about our Cobra subsidy? Every time I try calling Centene, it forwards me to Optum. What a cluster. So glad to be out of this disgusting, disgraceful & dishonest company.

Has anyone compared their healthcare costs? I just looked and HSA went from roughly 2k/yr to 9k. Am I seeing straight? I did get an email about a pay tier change… but that’s not worth a 7k increase. Anyone?

The Chevron that I’ve known and loved for 25 years it’s just not the same. Our share of cost for benefits has increased so much, the changes in our disability plans and mental health has been astounding. Did you know that if someone dies in your group now, they send you a phone number? They don’t send Chevron people to help. How does this even make sense? We’ve made so much money this year and we are whittling away. What made Chevron special.

I just received a 2nd notice from Optum today. No subsidy reflected yet. Still showing the full amount due ($2,200+ monthly). Over 2 weeks since my last day (9/4), which has been more than enough time for them to correct this situation. So frustrating. Keep any nasty or ignorant replies to yourself.

So I just wanted to give an update on this after my surgery
While lantern says they require bariatric surgery on the insurance card, UCH ended up covering my OP 100% so I ended up not having to wait.

Whats sc--wy is if you call lantern, they'll say some backwards stuff going back on the "bariatric surgery required" thing.

I hope Dell removes lantern from offerings in the future, that deceptive statement can really backfire at some point in my opinion and delay care. I have once been harassed over my BMI. UCH PPO is fine, I reached my pocket maximum earlier this month. I just wanted to update anyone out there that was curious on it. If you need help just go through UCH, its not that bad.

I did not write the questions, I just passed it through a LLM to categorize - the original posts are here @OP+1m2fy22jr

Performance Ranking |---

• Why were protections against dramatic ranking changes removed?
• Why were NRE protections removed?
• Can employees now move from the top quintile to the bottom in one year?
• Is relative ranking being used to reduce headcount?
• How can employees challenge a ranking they believe is unfair?

Employee Surveys

• If surveys are anonymous and voluntary, why can managers identify who has not completed them?
• What survey participation data can managers, HR, or EMIT see?
• How does leadership validate claims that engagement is improving?
• Why was the 2026 survey skipped?
• Will leadership publish more detailed survey results?

Morale and Retention

• Why are so many employees leaving?
• What is the current voluntary attrition rate?
• Which groups are seeing the most attrition?
• What is leadership doing to retain experienced employees?
• What are the biggest employee concerns leadership is hearing?

Workload and Efficiency

• How much more work are remaining employees doing after headcount reductions?
• When does "doing more with less" become unsustainable?
• What work will AI and automation actually eliminate?
• Will AI productivity gains reduce employee workload?
• How does leadership measure burnout?

Management and Overhead

• Does the company have too many managers, advisors, and chiefs?
• What is the manager-to-employee ratio today versus five years ago?
• Has management headcount fallen as much as individual-contributor headcount?
• Is the company planning to reduce management layers?

Offshoring

• What determines which jobs are moved to lower-cost countries?
• How much more work is expected to move offshore?
• Which functions are most likely to be affected?
• How is leadership measuring the impact on quality, morale, and institutional knowledge?

Layoffs and Headcount

• Should employees expect more workforce reductions in 2026 or 2027?
• Does the company have specific headcount reduction targets?
• How much of the reduction is layoffs versus attrition, retirements, and performance exits?

Compensation

• With strong oil prices and profitability, should employees expect higher compensation?
• Will there be a cost-of-living adjustment?
• Has employee compensation kept pace with inflation?
• If productivity per employee is increasing, how are employees benefiting?

Pension and Benefits

• Is the company considering changes to the pension?
• When would employees be notified of pension changes?
• What is the long-term plan for the pension?
• Will current employees keep their existing pension benefits?

Leadership

• Why did Kathy Mikells resign as CFO?
• Does the CFO transition change the company's cost or restructuring strategy?

This is still one of the better places to work. Yes, there are issues, but some of you can't see the forest for the trees. With everything happening in the world, I'm willing to overlook a lot for good pay and benefits, and I still get that here.

I am considering another opportunity with a required start date in early November. The other company is not willing to change the start date.

Leaving before year-end may affect my annual bonus and 401(k) match. Does anyone know the last date we must remain employed to receive both the bonus and the 401(k) match?

I would like to understand the eligibility rules before I make a decision.

Anyone know how annual benefit enrollment can impact COBRA? Specifically if I switch plans during AE, which will be the COBRA plan?

How does everyone plan to spend that extra cash.

Hello everyone,
I am considering leaving Oracle and would appreciate some advice on whether it is better to resign or retire.
Could anyone clarify the key differences between the two options, particularly regarding the severance/benefits package, notice periods, and overall requirements? Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

Has anyone noticed that less providers are accepting UHC coverage?