Cigna Corp. says it is sweetening the pot to the tune of about $4 million to encourage more of its 26,000 employees to volunteer in their communities.
The Philadelphia health insurer, which bases its national claims center in Bloomfield, said the program that will extend its ability to help those in need, improve local communities and provide meaningful volunteer opportunities to its employees across the country.
Starting July 1, every Cigna employee will get eight hours of paid time off annually to volunteer at nonprofit health and community-service organizations.
Cigna pegs its bill for more than 200,000 hours of paid volunteer service at about $4 million annually, using an estimate of $20.85 per volunteer hour calculated by the Independent Sector, a nonpartisan coalition of charities, foundations, and corporate philanthropy programs.
With about 3,900 Connecticut workers, their share of the volunteer cash award is more than $650,000, the company said.
Cigna CEO David Cordani says it will be money well spent.
“Through this new program, we are strengthening our culture of service, transforming lives and helping shape a healthier America,” Cordani said in a statement.
The company says its new service program builds on its existing volunteer programs, such as Cigna Foundation’s Community Caring Awards.
