Roger Wilson, BCBSA senior
vice president, general counsel
and corporate secretary, has long
served as the executive champion of the Diversity Council.
Shanklin is actively involved in the
Blues Diversity Alliance and also
attends meetings of the National
Supplier-Diversity Program Advi-
A Model Employee-Retention Program
Solskin
Gomez-Krogh,
BCBSA Marketing
Specialist & Diversity
Council Chair
From 2005 to 2050, the number of people ages 65 and older will more than
double, reports Pew Research Center, dramatically impacting the nation’s work
force. BCBSA is no exception: 45 percent of the organization’s management is
over age 50.
In response to these demographics, BCBSA launched several initiatives two
years ago to retain its mature workers who want to remain in the work force
and to help others smoothly transition to retirement. Part- and full-time employees age 55-plus, for instance, are automatically eligible for free flu shots, health
screenings and financial-planning discounts of up to 50 percent. Such efforts have
earned BCBSA national recognition, including AARP’s “2007 Best Employers for
Workers Over 50.” Additional benefits include:
• Pre-retirement-planning seminars—Every other year, BCBSA hosts a
day-long, off-site seminar for employees nearing retirement, covering topics such
as how to apply for Medicare and Social Security and ways to prepare a will. The
goal of the event: to help mature employees “understand the financial as well as
emotional impacts of retirement,” explains Bill Colbourne, senior vice president
of human resources.
• Tuition reimbursement—All BCBSA employees who pursue a bachelor’s
or master’s degree at accredited colleges or universities are eligible for tuition
reimbursement of up to 80 percent. And in 2007, realizing its many older employees may not be interested in returning to school to pursue a degree, BCBSA’s
leaders altered the program. Now, employees age 55 and over can take classes
in any subject area for a reimbursement of up to $150 per class. In addition, the
program was expanded to include first-year retirees, so they can “attend classes
when they have more time on their hands,” explains Colbourne.
• Sabbatical program—This initiative, which allows authorized employees
up to six weeks paid time off, is open to all. But according to Joe Cheatham,
BCBSA’s director of training and development, it has been especially attractive
to employees over age 50. “Most of the people who have taken advantage of the
program have participated in projects that they’re passionate about,” he says.
Although BCBSA is seeing a larger number of employees reach retirement
age each year, thanks to such programs the percentage of people who choose to
retire has decreased. Retirees made up 3 percent of the association’s work force
in 2007, but they’re projected to make up a mere 1. 6 percent this year—“an
indication that people are staying longer,” says Cheatham.
sory Committee to provide staff
leadership, to facilitate linkage
to the Blues Diversity Alliance
and to coordinate with other
BCBSA initiatives. These are
good examples of the Association’s top-down commitment to
diversity and inclusion. And
although BCBSA’s diversity efforts
“are going in the right direction,”
explains Serota, “we still have a
lot to do.”
It’s this kind of leadership engagement that is
helping the Blues System close the nation’s healthcare disparities gap. “Our role is to disseminate
information, to share best practices, to set a collective agenda Blues companies can adopt and tailor
to their unique needs and to develop appropriate
ways to measure progress,” says Serota. Beyond
that, he says, “member Blue companies are enhanc-
ing their diversity programs to reduce the incidence
of diseases and conditions and to answer the
important question: ‘Are we really improving the
health status of all people?’”❚
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