Thread regarding Cigna layoffs

Sounds like you are back pedaling OP. First expect big layoffs 10/12. Several others saying 10%. Now you are saying minimal layoffs. Sounds like they caught wind of this leak going viral and are now worried about quality of work plummeting. 👎

not sure theres a right way to go about layoffs but companies not announcing it is pretty shady having their workers have anxiety about it, but on the flip side announcing it could drive morale down so it's tough. Not saying OP is a liar but it sounds like the explanation on the shift to minimal layoffs is due to people probably taking severance already or left on their own terms, or moving to other departments (?) not sure how that cuts cost for them though.

Sounds like you are back pedaling OP. First expect big layoffs 10/12. Several others saying 10%. Now you are saying minimal layoffs. Sounds like they caught wind of this leak going viral and are now worried about quality of work plummeting. 👎

OP again: talking points went out to management today. Due to the amount of people who were impacted already making career shifts, there will be minimal people impacted on 10/12. There will be more folks impacted in November, and I would expect there to be a focus in Medicare. It will likely include other areas as well, but since there is a focus on 1/1, several areas will be excluded. There will be another round in February which I would imagine would target those areas excluded due to 1/1 focus.

There have been a lot of questions about if someone’s specific department is impacted, and I cannot confirm which ones have more actions than others. However, I generally know focus areas. Like one of your previous posts, please continue to talk to your manager about this because that can help you gauge the likelihood of your department being more impacted than others. I know there is a lot of uncertainty with this, but I hope these are informative.

In response to the RTO comment I do not feel that those who were sent back into the office are at greater risk for layoffs. I do think the company anticipated some organic layoffs from this move. I’m currently WAH and my department is very slow. I think this is why we were not sent back into the office and will ultimately be laid off.

I wonder about RTO as well. With as much “hype” that was talked about how site leads are preparing all those months, I expected cheerful happy people greeting you as you walk in. No, not so much. The building is sad. It smells musty, “blah” colors, and just haphazard chairs/tables for break rooms. Not much care given to those that did RTO.

Does anyone else wonder if the first round of RTO was implemented for people or positions who are at immenent risk of layoff?

If the RTO was, in fact, a way to have employees weed themselves out - do you think those people were selected intentionally over others, or, was it really the luck of the draw based on real-estate?

theres also TCS consultants too, you think they're getting rid of FTE for consultants?

I believe OP is referring to Technology & Operations department - see org chart. I can confirm closed door meetings are happening next week in that space. This aligns with OP timeline for layoffs the following week. I've heard for months that 10% across the board was coming.

If folks were paying attention last year, there were external consultants from Cognizant all over the org chart. Coupled with mass "retirements", several org restructures and FoW, the writing is on the wall and has been for some time.

Cigna has changed and cares less about its employees and more about the bottom line. Did anyone else notice the lack of employee surveys this year?

Hey OP, when you say tied to the organization realigning under IT, does this mean if you're working on the tech side, you're relatively more safe at the moment?

OP one more time: I found out new information. There are actions happening 10/12 that will primarily target Enterprise Operations. I believe this could be tied to the organization realigning under IT, but I could be wrong. Then, further actions across the enterprise outside of operations will happen in November (not sure of the exact date or all areas impacted). Finally, both operations and the rest of the enterprise will have more job actions in February (again, not sure of the totality of impacts or areas or exact dates). I will keep you all posted as I continue to hear updates.

OP responding again. A few more questions came through so let me address them:

1. ) Several questions have come through on which areas will be targeted or which type of workers (ie contractors versus FTEs). I can’t speak to specific areas, but I will reiterate that it is company wide. Most likely it will impact nearly all teams in some way shape or form as few areas got exceptions from a headcount reduction exercise. It will likely primarily focus on FTE, as that is the main focus from the ELT at this point

2. ) Some folks mentioned return to office as a means of letting folks go without severance. It certainly is possible, but I can’t confirm if that was their intention. If that is your belief, I understand. However I can’t address their intent.

3. ) in my experience, layoffs typically result in two dates: a notification date and a termination date. 10/12 is the notification date, meaning people typically have 30 days before their job is officially terminated. Several band 5s have already been informed as those types of changes typically result in team realignment which results in an org announcement.

4. ) This date was chosen because it is the last day they could feasibly do job actions without running into the holidays.

I know this is a nerve wracking time, and my hope is that is informative. If I were in all of your shoes, I would continue to focus on updating your resume and looking for roles if you think your job is at risk. Continue to get feedback from your manager as well, as that could be an indication as well. I’ll continue to answer questions as best as I can up until the 12th.

not shocking. works gone to india. tons to be done but they can get it cheaper.

If managers are finding out about layoffs today and tomorrow and the layoff date is 10/12 - are they supposed to hold onto that information until then or will there be some sort of heads up?

Are contractors or employees more at risk?

Are layoffs immediate or is the expectation to work a certain amount of time before the layoff is in effect?

Are you suggesting those who are currently work from home will be weeded out by March?

No. I'm suggesting that because the CEO has made his expectation clear that everyone go into an office in 2024, it makes sense for additional layoffs to happen in February to "make room" for the current interim work at home designees to go back in March. There's only so much office space available, and I doubt there are plans to expand their real estate footprint. That means, enough people have to retire, quit, or be laid off to make this all work.

Yikes. We all suspected this was coming. I always thought the Sept 11 RTO date was an odd choice, but it makes sense.. tell people 3 months out they need to RTO, hope they get voluntary attrition that way before September, then if they still have high numbers, make cuts the first of Q4, so the financial numbers look good going into next year and bonus time.

This has been a long time coming. So many acquisitions and likely duplicate roles. To justify the purchases and keep the numbers looking good, I’d say 10% across the board is pretty standard.

OP will the October layoffs focus on +5 Directors ? Will Engineering teams be also impacted ?

Are you suggesting those who are currently work from home will be weeded out by March?

OP's information about a second round of layoffs in February gibes with what we already know about those employees whose "interim work-from-home" status will be re-evaluated in March. Sounds like layoffs to ensure sufficient office space, even taking into account the voluntary attrition being seen around the enterprise.

This is the most transparency any of us have gotten. Thank you for posting and helping us mentally prepare for this.

Is there any legal requirement for a 30 day notice or anything. 10/12 is only couple weeks away.

OP responding to some questions because I wasn’t clear: it’s company wide. The actions I believe will focus on band 5+ directors, but also it will impact bands 1-4 as well. Another poster provided details regarding amount of impacts, but I am not sure of the percentage of the company or number of layoffs. There will be a second round of layoffs in February. That is the only additional info I know.

Confirmed during a leadership call, it’s across the company and 10% of all teams will be eliminated. Managers who have to deliver the info are finding out Tuesday/Wednesday. It was also confirmed this isn’t the final round.

I don’t think anyone really knows for sure. If they do they don’t wanna risk saying anything.

That’s very vague saying the team. Is it IT? Nursing? Project management?

Is this regarding the Medicare end of the business or commercial?