What was the impetus behind creating the CIGNA program that gives employees eight hours of time to volunteer in their communities?
Offering the CIGNA team this new opportunity to receive eight paid hours to volunteer is a natural extension of our mission and what we’re already doing. It distinguishes us as a company and as a corporate citizen in communities where we work and live – like Hartford.
I am personally very passionate about service and giving back to our communities. I was recently out at Rentschler Field with hundreds of other members of the CIGNA team to support the March of Dimes’ annual March for Babies – a cause I strongly believe in. I’ll also be at the Jim Calhoun Cancer Challenge Ride and Walk on June 12.Â
I’m challenging other leaders at CIGNA to expand their community involvement and really get behind this new program. Imagine the impact of 26,000 people-our entire CIGNA team-each giving eight hours of service to their communities.We can make a significant difference in people’s lives and collectively help change communities for the better.Â
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How is the company going to monitor employee’s use of this benefit?
Our company has very high expectations in terms of ethical and professional standards of conduct. Our people will be expected to discuss potential volunteer activities with their manager so that we can be sure we meet both those standards and meet the needs of our customers and communities at the same time. We’ll keep track of the hours so we know how successful the program becomes and can determine how to make it even more effective. Tools and resources will be available to provide guidance on the skill-building potential of different types of volunteer roles.
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Will Cigna allow employees to take vacation time to do volunteer work? Does this program count against existing vacation and/or personal time?
Certainly some of our people may already take some vacation time to do volunteer work; this new program allows our people eight additional hours of paid time off for volunteer work. That’s an important distinction.
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Are there any restrictions on who an employee can volunteer for? Can it be for a child’s classroom, for example?
We have developed an extensive national registry of various health and community service not-for-profit organizations with available volunteer opportunities from which people can choose. Typical examples include the American Diabetes Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Many of members of our CIGNA team are already very active in their communities We view this program as a way to build on those contributions, as well as spur others to explore the benefits of volunteerism. So while we encourage our team to continue to be active with their personal causes, through this new program we encourage them to go beyond their normal scope of local school or church and explore new opportunities outside those involving their own families.
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Why offer a program like this in difficult economic times? It seems as if it would not be difficult to retain employees in this economy.
It’s the right thing to do. We’re very passionate about our commitment to serve.So many of the positive things that happen in this country and around the world involve people volunteering to help others, and certainly volunteers are the lifeblood of non-profit and charitable organizations. That’s all the more true in challenging economic times when people may not be able to donate as much money to support these important causes. Therefore, our program can help expand the volunteer pool for organizations across the country in a time when they may be struggling.
As for retention, whether times are good or bad, at CIGNA our goal is always to hire the best and then help them become even better. Volunteer programs in the workplace have proven to increase morale and create work/life balance, which creates a positive and productive work environment as well as helps to retain people.
