Let's be honest here, we all know what the layoffs are going to be all about: getting rid of the older folks who are the highest earners. I know they'll mask it by also getting rid of some younger folks, but that won't remove the intent. My question is, is there anything that can be done about this, legally?
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Always lawyer up if you're over 50 or in a protected class. You'll never be able to actually sue a behemoth like Cigna but you absolutely can end up with a better severance package.
Shop around for local attorneys. Be realistic and make sure you find one who is willing to spend a few hours with you.
@a4 they already have a massive amount of people that know nothing and other teams have to tell them how to do their job.
@c9 That has been my experience. Raises during a tenure at a company are few and far between since they will cry tight OPEX every time. I always saw the biggest increases in position and salary by jumping ship and starting as a new employee at a different company - with the inevitable "phone a friend" calls from the old boss followed soon after. "Hey, do you remember how such and such worked? What did you do to fix it?" And my reply is always the same: "Hey, do you remember how you quashed my raise?"
Although I think ageism is a valid concern and an important point to consider, I think that argument is somewhat shortsighted when you look at the broader compensation picture. There is also a significant disparity in what people can earn when coming from outside the company. I know numerous employees with 10+ years of tenure who are making less than people hired into comparable positions more recently. That disconnect deserves consideration as well.
Those of us who raised our hands for the VRP had hoped that we'd help buy the rest of you all some time. Doesn't look like it helped very much though given the volume of lay offs that keep coming. Believe it or not, Medco was a nice place to work back in the day. ESI wasn't so great compared to Medco. But Cigna - it was the absolute worst.
If you’re 50+ it’s likely that have been at Cigna long enough to be near the top of your team’s earners. That’s not a great place to be at any age right now.
Being laid off because you’ve had 15+ years of 3% bonuses may feel like ageism, but I doubt a court would come to the same conclusion.
The most safe people are those with a combination of:
Salaries in lower half of team members
Business knowledge
Steady workload
Good relationship with mgt
Agree I’m 58 and pretty sure I make more than others on my team.
@OP I tried this year, 63 years old. We tried but my employment lawyer said right up front, age discrimination is very difficult to prove.
It’s a shame Cigna doesn’t appreciate the institutional knowledge that is lost when they terminate certain long term employees.
You can’t get it back and personally I would not pass that along to a new offshore team.
Once it’s gone it’s gone.
This happened at a previous company I worked at. Everyone laid off was in their 50s or well above, and I was one of the few much younger. You should always at least discuss with a lawyer if you feel you have a case.