A Great Place To Work

What's it like to work at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota? It's a place that gives you the opportunity to make a real difference for yourself, our members and our communities.

We're passionate about improving health

Blue Cross is a taxable, nonprofit organization with a mission to make a healthy difference in people's lives. Chartered in 1933 as Minnesota's first health plan, we've promoted wider, more economical and timely availability of health services for the people of Minnesota for more than 75 years. The work we do aims to advance public health and promote the art and science of health care. Blue Cross was recently named a Gold Standard employer from the CEO Roundtable on Cancer from the American Cancer Society. We earned this award because we're meeting the criteria of workplace programs that discourage tobacco use, encourage physical activity, promote healthy nutrition, support prevention and access to quality treatment. We are only the second workplace in Minnesota to ever receive this award!

We live these values to ensure quality and affordable health care:

• Respect – treating everyone with integrity and empathy
• Accountability – taking responsibility for our actions and decisions
• Imagination – being creative and inventive in our work
• Courage – having the conviction to do the right thing

You'll receive recognition and rewards for your contributions

We believe in rewarding our employees with competitive wages, excellent benefits and generous incentives. We also recognize employees in many other ways.

You'll be supported in your volunteering activities

At Blue Cross, we make significant investments in the community as part of our nonprofit mission. Through our community activities, we foster an environment of social responsibility. Employee volunteering is at the heart of our community involvement. Our employees have a proud history of caring for the communities where we live and work. We encourage employees to volunteer in a variety of ways, including:

• Heart of Blue Volunteer Council – employees work to increase employee participation in volunteer activities and to make a positive, visible impact on the health and wellbeing of our community.
• Volunteer Paid Time Off – Blue Cross' volunteer program, Heart of Blue, sponsors volunteer opportunities for employees and publishes additional volunteer opportunities that employees can pursue independently. The Volunteer Paid Time Off policy pays for up to 20 hours away from work per calendar year to participate in eligible volunteer activities.
• Dollars for Doers – the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation donates $250 to eligible nonprofit organizations where employees volunteer 40 or more hours of their personal time.

You can grow and develop with us

We benefit when you gain knowledge and skills. Tuition reimbursement, on-site classes and training, and mentoring are just some ways we support your career.

At Blue Cross, we support your good health

As a health company, we offer employees the same health support we develop for our members. We've received several awards for our many heath and wellness programs. Blue Cross was recently named a Gold Standard employer from the CEO Roundtable on Cancer from the American Cancer Society. We earned this award because we're meeting the criteria of workplace programs that discourage tobacco use, encourage physical activity, promote healthy nutrition, support prevention and access to quality treatment. We are only the second workplace in Minnesota to ever receive this award!

We offer comfortable, convenient places to work

Part of good health is a pleasant and inspiring work environment. Our facilities feature inviting interior spaces with plenty of natural light, as well as spacious and ergonomic personal workstations. Many have large windows overlooking wooded surroundings, with walking paths and green spaces for casual outdoor meetings.

Convenience & amenities

Amenities vary from office to office, but many Blue Cross employees enjoy:

• Free parking at all facilities
• On-site child development center, with drop-in services available
• On-site cafeteria with healthy menu choices available daily
• On-site fitness centers
• Employee credit union
• Tobacco-free work environment (including our grounds and parking lots)
• Business casual dress every day

Learning & Development

At Blue Cross, we offer learning and development opportunities to progress in the business area you've chosen – or to take the skills and knowledge you've gained in one area and apply them in another.

Here are some of the ways we support professional development:

Education

• Tuition reimbursement for undergraduate and graduate studies
• Self-study insurance programs – Insurance self-study programs are offered by outside organizations, with registration and exams administered at Blue Cross.

Learning opportunities

• Blue Cross University – Many courses are provided at no cost to you, including computer and business software training. You may participate in some instructor-led classroom opportunities, as well as have the opportunity to participate in self-study eLearning programs.
• Specialized technical training for information systems professionals
• Additional learning – The company may reimburse you for approved seminars, continuing education, licensure or certification programs and technical training that are required or related to your job.
• On-the-job learning
• Mentoring programs

Benefits & Perks

Blue Cross supports you in achieving a happy, healthy, balanced life with competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package. You, your spouse or same-gender domestic partner, and your children are eligible for benefits on the day you begin working at Blue Cross. We also provide a variety of benefits, programs, discounts and convenience services to help you balance the demands of work and your personal life.

Medical coverage

Choose from a variety of plans, each with a different level of employee contribution.

Dental coverage

Choose from two plans; both include 100 percent coverage for preventive care.

Life insurance

You'll get life insurance equal to your annual pay or $50,000, whichever is greater. And you can buy additional coverage for you and your family.

Flexible spending accounts

With our convenient medical and dependent-care spending accounts, you can save by setting aside pre-tax dollars for eligible expenses each year.

Disability protection

Our long-term and short-term disability options protect your income if you can't work because of an illness or injury.

Retirement benefits

Blue Cross offers many ways to help you secure your future:

• Our 401(k) plan lets you save up to 25 percent of your pay through payroll deduction (subject to IRS limitations) either pre-tax, post-tax or a combination of both.
• Blue Cross matches "dollar for dollar" up to the first 3 percent you contribute to the 401(k) plan. We then match 50 cents on the dollar for the next 2 percent. You're immediately vested in the company match.
• Employees 50 and older may be eligible to make additional catch-up contributions to the 401(k) plan
• Employees receive an annual retirement contribution of 2 percent to their 401(k) plan account. You're vested after three years of service.
• For employees who meet age and service requirements, we also offer a retiree medical plan

Paid time off (PTO)

You earn paid time off each pay period, based on your years of service. Use it however you wish. You also get 8 paid holidays each year. Plus, you'll get 20 paid hours each year to volunteer after you've been here six months.

For hourly employees:

• 0-4 years = 140 hours
• 5-9 years = 180 hours
• 10-24 years = 220 hours
• 25+ years = 260 hours

For salaried employees:

• 0-9 years = 180 hours
• 10-24 years = 220 hours
• 25+ years = 260 hours

Find balance

Your life away from Blue Cross is an important part of how well you perform when you're here. We have flexible work schedules along with many programs and services including a Bright Horizons child development center on our Eagan campus. It's all designed to help you balance a rewarding career with the rest of your life.

Be rewarded for a job well done

You'll enjoy competitive wages and excellent benefits when you join the team at Blue Cross. You'll also be able to participate in a performance incentive plan that offers opportunities at various levels. When Blue Cross succeeds with your help, you share in the financial rewards of that success.

Be well

We're a health company. And that means we want you to be healthy. To help you reach your health goals, we offer wellness programs, discounts and resources including:

• On-site fitness centers, exercise classes and health programs
• Discounts for fitness center memberships
• Walking paths
• 24-hour Nurse Advice Line
• At-work Weight Watchers meetings
• Free flu shots
• Stop-smoking programs
• Earn up to $200 annually through our healthy incentives wellness program

Convenience & amenities

Amenities vary from office to office, but many Blue Cross employees enjoy:

• Free parking at all facilities
• On-site child development center, with drop-in services available
• On-site cafeteria with healthy menu choices available daily
• On-site fitness centers
• Employee credit union
• Tobacco-free work environment (including our grounds and parking lots)
• Business casual dress every day

Diversity and Inclusion at Blue Cross

Blue Cross is committed to fostering an environment that embraces diverse perspectives and reflects the populations we serve. This commitment is deeply rooted in our values of respect, imagination, accountability and courage, as well as our mission of making a healthy difference in people's lives.

Core to this is a shared belief that all people should have opportunities to live the healthiest lives possible. To advance health equity, we must rely on our greatest asset - our employees. Their diverse experiences, cultures and viewpoints enable Blue Cross to meet the rapidly changing needs of the marketplace, our members and our communities. Guided by a Strategic Diversity Council

Comprised of cross-organizational leadership, and chaired by our CEO, our Diversity Council helps ensure diversity and inclusion are embedded in our business decisions. The council recommends initiatives to promote a fair and respectful work environment, increase the diversity of our workforce, develop multicultural markets, promote supplier diversity, and support our efforts to advance health equity. The Council also provides guidance and direction for Blue Cross' employee resource groups. Driven by core principles

Driven by core principles

The four main principles that drive our diversity and inclusion efforts include:

• We will recruit talented employees across a broad range of human attributes, which in turn will help us shape our future success.
• We will develop our employees by giving them every opportunity to be the people that they want to be, making full use of their gifts, passions and abilities. We will ensure that all our employees feel included and able to fully contribute to Blue Cross' continuing success.
• We will be forward thinking in our business approach. As we develop new generations of Blue Cross customers, we will ensure that our workforce diversity is visible and promoted fully to the communities we serve, to help build customer commitment.
• We will strive to be both culturally sensitive and respectful of human differences, as well as similarities, in our employees and our members. We will never lose sight of our common humanity. We will respect each other.

Employee resource groups

Blue Cross believes that employee resource groups contribute to the achievement of company objectives and that people work more productively when they have opportunities to develop common interests and experiences through job-related activities. Employee resource groups are one way we can develop a diverse workforce and inclusive environment for all employees. The groups are employee-driven and participation in a group is voluntary.

Our resource groups include:

• African American Professionals Network (AAPN): This mission of AAPN is to promote respect for personal distinctions and to foster an environment and culture where African Americans and those of African descent can achieve their full potential.
• Asian Circle: Asian Circle strives to be a catalyst for change, by sharing the unique perspectives of its members within Blue Cross and by being the voice of Blue Cross within the Asian community.
• Blue Pride: An employee resource group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees, and their allies, Blue Pride focuses on being a resource for employees and the company as a whole, contributing to the achievement of business goals.
• Christian Employee Resource Group (CERG): A resource group that may be of special interest to those who subscribe to or want to learn more about the Christian faith, CERG is open to any employee who wishes to promote respect for Blue Cross values, and foster an environment and culture where employees can achieve and contribute to their full potential.
• Fuerza Azul: Fuerza Azul's mission is to create an environment where Latino-Americans are valued for their professional experiences, ideas, energy and historic contributions to Minnesota's advancement and economic development.
• Generation Blue: Generation Blue provides a platform for GenX and GenY employees to develop leadership skills, network with others who share common interests, and advance their career goals, while also contributing to business initiatives.
• VETS: VETS exists to recognize the contributions made to our country and Blue Cross by employees who are Veterans and active Military Service personnel, and to support these employees and their families before, during and after deployment.

Community involvement and initiatives

Blue Cross gives back to the community in a variety of ways, including through our community relations initiatives (including volunteerism), the Center for Prevention, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation, and the combined efforts of departments throughout our organization. Together, we collaborate with a diverse group of stakeholders to make Minnesota a healthier place for people to live, learn, work and play. Read our Report to the Community to learn more.

Blue Cross is also a proud sponsor of:

• The National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA)
• National Black MBA Association - Twin Cities chapter (NBMBAATC)
• INROADS Internship Program
• Lifeworks
• The National Association of Asian MBA's (NAAMBA)
• Out & Equal - GLBT CareerLink

Blue Cross is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer that values diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, and will not be discriminated against based on race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, genetic information, marital status, familial status, status with regard to public assistance, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Quorum, the Twin Cities GLBT + Allied Business Community, has named Blue Cross its 2012 Community Partner of the Year in recognition of our inclusive workplace for all employees and support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.