Case study: How Humana promotes an inclusive and diverse workplace
Humana is a leading American health insurance company based in Louisville, Kentucky, supporting, in 2028, over 16 million members, in addition to millions of patients treated at Humana’s affiliated primary care medical clinics. Inclusion enables Humana to create a meaningful work environment where all employees feel welcome and safe to be their true selves Tweet This!, regardless of background or culture.
This case study is based on the 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Report by Humana published on the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Disclosure Database that can be found at this link. Through all case studies we aim to demonstrate what CSR/ ESG/ sustainability reporting done responsibly means. Essentially, it means: a) identifying a company’s most important impacts on the environment, economy and society, and b) measuring, managing and changing.
Abstract
Humana celebrates differences, because inclusion and diversity lead to innovation, quality and growth – and, it’s simply the right thing to do. In order to promote an inclusive and diverse workplace Humana took action to:
- provide Network Resource Groups
- create Inclusion & Diversity Local Councils
- promote pay equity
Subscribe for free and read the rest of this case study
Please subscribe to the SustainCase Newsletter to keep up to date with the latest sustainability news and gain access to over 2000 case studies. These case studies demonstrate how companies are dealing responsibly with their most important impacts, building trust with their stakeholders (Identify > Measure > Manage > Change).
With this case study you will see:
- Which are the most important impacts (material issues) Humana has identified;
- How Humana proceeded with stakeholder engagement, and
- What actions were taken by Humana to promote an inclusive and diverse workplace
Already Subscribed? Type your email below and click submit
What are the material issues the company has identified?
In its 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Report Humana identified a range of material issues, such as GHG emissions, member heath, anti-corruption, associate well-being, member privacy, product responsibility. Among these, promoting an inclusive and diverse workplace stands out as a key material issue for Humana.
Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:
Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.
Key stakeholder groups Humana engages with:
| Stakeholder Group |
| Employees |
| Members |
| Suppliers |
| Providers |
| Community partners |
How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues
To identify and prioritise material topics Humana engaged, through interviews and surveys, with more than 1,000 stakeholders – including employees, members, healthcare providers, suppliers and community partners –, to learn what corporate responsibility topics were of greatest importance to them.
What actions were taken by Humana to promote an inclusive and diverse workplace?
In its 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Report Humana reports that it took the following actions for promoting an inclusive and diverse workplace:
- Providing Network Resource Groups
- Humana has nine employee-led and employee-driven Network Resource Groups (NRGs), open to all employees. Each NRG provides members with the opportunity to network and grow as a professional while contributing to Humana’s inclusive culture and helping to drive marketplace initiatives. NRGs are an important part of Humana’s inclusion and diversity efforts, and they continue to grow. Almost 30 percent of Humana employees are a member of at least one NRG, and new NRGs are created to support employees’ emerging needs. In 2018, Humana formed GenUs, a multi-generational NRG, to help employees create and build intergenerational connections and to celebrate uniqueness. GenUs helps Humana employees better understand each other and break down generational barriers that suppress diversity of thought. Often, the NRGs find ways to collaborate and better serve Humana employees’ needs. The Kinship Care Support Group, cosponsored by GenUs and the Caregivers NRG, is a safe place for employees to share their caregiving experiences and learn from others.
- Creating Inclusion & Diversity Local Councils
- Humana’s Inclusion & Diversity Local Councils cultivate community at Humana’s office locations across the US. Wherever Humana works, volunteer I&D Local Councils create activities and events that help employees experience a sense of inclusion and belonging, cultivating uniqueness. Each location’s council tailors its activities based on local goals and community preferences. This can include everything, from promoting membership in Humana’s NRGs, planning Inclusion & Diversity Days, partnering with Well-being Champions and ambassadors, connecting employees to volunteer time off activities with Bold Goal community partners, and building relationships with partners in the area. I&D Local Councils work to foster community within Humana’s changing workforce. When the councils were first formed, approximately 10 percent of employees worked outside of Humana offices. In 2018, that number rose to about 40 percent and could be as high as 90 percent of employees working outside of an office, depending on the team and role. In 2018, Humana established nine new I&D Local Councils.
- Promoting pay equity
- Humana’s pay philosophy is designed to motivate and reward its employees for their skill development, demonstration of Humana’s values and performance. This may include base pay, incentive pay, overtime and other supplemental pay. With the introduction of Humana’s Associate Incentive Plan in 2018, all full and part-time employees participate in an incentive programme at a minimum of four percent of base salary, based on company and individual performance.
Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?
The GRI Standard addressed in this case is: Disclosure 405-1 Diversity of governance bodies and employees
Disclosure 405-1 Diversity of governance bodies and employees corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
- Business theme: Gender equality, Women in leadership
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
- Business theme: Diversity and equal opportunity
78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards
SustainCase was primarily created to demonstrate, through case studies, the importance of dealing with a company’s most important impacts in a structured way, with use of the GRI Standards. To show how today’s best-run companies are achieving economic, social and environmental success – and how you can too.
Research by well-recognised institutions is clearly proving that responsible companies can look to the future with optimism.
7 GRI sustainability disclosures get you started
Any size business can start taking sustainability action
GRI, IEMA, CPD Certified Sustainability courses (2-5 days): Live Online or Classroom (venue: London School of Economics)
- Exclusive FBRH template to begin reporting from day one
- Identify your most important impacts on the Environment, Economy and People
- Formulate in group exercises your plan for action. Begin taking solid, focused, all-round sustainability action ASAP.
- Benchmarking methodology to set you on a path of continuous improvement
References:
1) This case study is based on published information by Humana, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:
http://database.globalreporting.org/
2) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/
Note to Humana: With each case study we send out an email requesting a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us.