Our People

Inclusion

Fostering an inclusive culture and work environment enables us to stand with our members in sickness and in health and to be partners in the communities where we live and work.  

 As a health-centric organization, we’ve built a strong foundation by acknowledging, respecting and celebrating the unique experiences of all individuals we call employees and the members we continue to serve. 

One way we create a sense of belonging at BCBSIL is through our eight Business Resource Groups. 

Nearly 3,000 employees participating in BRGs connected with others who share similar dimensions of their identity — and those with different backgrounds, providing opportunities to learn and grow.  

Through volunteer opportunities, employee engagement and targeted programs, they advance inclusion at work and in our communities. 

In Our Communities 

Volunteering in our communities is embedded in our company’s culture. In 2023, 3,364 employees volunteered more than 57,000 hours with 1,069 organizations through the Blue Corps^SM program. BCBSIL donated more than $172,000 to 156 organizations in matching dollars for hours volunteered by employees.

More than 1,200 of our employees raised $70,000 to support the American Heart Association's Heart Walk.

Caring about others comes naturally to Kristine Uy, BCBSIL’s 2023 Volunteer of the Year. As a care coordinator, she helps members receive the care they need. 

  In 2023, Uy logged 300 Blue Corps hours, including as a mentor with the WINGS Program, which provides housing and services to survivors of domestic violence. She also volunteered at Be The Match Foundation and the Chinese Mutual Aid Association, and she served as the community co-chair of BCBSIL’s Asian American Business Resource Group. 

“Volunteering is important to me because helping others has consistently helped me get out of difficult periods and times when I’ve felt stuck in my own life,” Uy says.

Through BCBSIL’s Institute for Physician Diversity’s Blue Health Care Scholars program, our clinicians have introduced high school students to the many possible career paths in health care. Women in technology roles at BCBSIL, meanwhile, worked with the American Heart Association to introduce high school girls to careers in science, technology, engineering and math. 

Volunteer Impact

Engaging Employees to Focus on Health

As a health care company, we know the health of our employees is vital. That’s why we provide a range of programs and resources that inform and engage our employees to focus on their physical and mental well-being.  

A priority for 2023 was encouraging employees to participate in Well OnTarget. The program begins with an online health assessment. From there, employees receive wellness coaching, customized educational strategies, advice from certified health coaches, and affordable access to fitness facilities to help them reach their wellness goals. As an incentive, we provide $100 to employees who participate. They also earn points for wellness activities that can be used for gifts. 

The program is widely promoted with monthly webinars and employee newsletter articles, and those efforts have paid off. Participation in the health assessment grew more than 260% from 2022 to 2023, and use of the Well OnTarget platform grew 140%.* 

* Applies to Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas