CIGNA fosters father-friendly programming
Marketing may be more critical than content
Recognizing that at most companies family-friendly programming has come to mean "mom-friendly," The CIGNA Companies, in Philadelphia, has made a concerted effort to give its work/life programming a father-friendly flavor.
But CIGNA, whose businesses include some of the largest health care, insurance, and financial services organizations in the United States, has accomplished its goal more with positioning and marketing to employees that it has with male-targeted programming.
"We're interested in employee issues as they relate to work and to helping employees balance work and family, and dads need to be an integral piece of that. Even though some of our programs started out being targeted for women, we found they were being used by many different people," explains Cathy Hawkes, MSN, assistant vice president of health management. "The female spouse these days is often busier, she travels a lot, and a lot of the coordination of caretaking falls to the male spouse - such as sick child care, changing day care services, or setting up daytime pediatric visits."
"I think that by and large programs should be equally offered to both populations; when programming caters to one gender or another, employees may not be getting the full benefit," says Chris Colborn, director of payroll services. "In some programs that have traditionally been created for females, CIGNA encourages males to participate too - such as prenatal care for employees expecting a new child, or parenting classes. Prospective or new dads are encouraged to attend through e-mail and desktop communications."
This is not to say that both genders show equal interest in all of CIGNA's programming. Nor, for that matter, are they equally prepared to deal with specific family issues
"For men whose mothers did not work outside of the home, the whole issue of dual-income families is new," says Hawkes. "In their defense, men have tackled the issue with enthusiasm, and to help them succeed we have parenting workshops available for through our EAP. They can learn how to help their kids deal with peer pressure, or develop effective study habits. Fathers may need to seek help in venues like these."
Men do tend to gravitate to some programs dealing with financial issues, she notes. "The first time they become a dad, the gravity of saving for education and the importance of benefits really hits home," she explains. "We provide seminars in these areas through our EAP and work/life programs, and in the benefits area we also offer tutorials on calculating savings. We have a benefits line where they can call for information, and an investor's service through which they can start a small account and begin investing in stocks and mutual funds."
This assistance can have a direct impact on employee health, notes Hawkes. "One of the biggest stressors in marriage has been money," she says. "If you can get information that enables you to be proactive and take control of your financial destiny, it will definitely benefit your health," she says.
Taking the bull by the horns
Colborn felt so strongly about these issues that he helped create a committee to make sure his department made optimal use of the benefits offered by CIGNA.
"CIGNA policies allowed us to implement a lot of family-friendly programs, but not every area of the company was taking advantage of them," he recalls. About three years ago, he formed the committee, and with the help of the CIGNA human resources staff, they contacted companies across the country to find out the keys to successful implementation. The committee found that the "failures" were characterized by improper communication and follow-up.
"We put together a document that explained what the programs were and what the advantages and disadvantages were," he says. Among the programs covered were:
1. A flexible, or compressed work week: This includes the option of "compressed" days, i.e., one day off every other week, a half day off every other week.
2. Job sharing.
3. Health care spending accounts: These enable the employee to take out pre-tax dollars for child care costs and health care spending accounts.
4. Discounts with major child-care chains.
5. Dependent care resources and referral services.
Colborn found such benefits invaluable when his first child was born prematurely, and suffered damage to her hip bones and knee joint. "We [his wife is also a CIGNA employee] were having to take her for treatments in Delaware every month or so, but it really worked out [thanks to the benefits]," he says. "We had to go to so many places; we had to pick a hospital, interview doctors to ensure the most appropriate care, and these things take time. We found we could do it all if I took one day off every other week. If it turned out our surgeon couldn't be available on our regular day, we had the flexibility to move [my day off] to another day of the week."
Colborn has no doubt the family-friendly benefits have helped boost his mental health. "For me, it alleviates a lot of the stress employees normally have when they have to accommodate these situations," he says. "For example, I don't have to worry about whether I have used up my vacation time."
"There is definitely a peace-of-mind factor," adds Hawkes. "Men tend to feel the [financial] pressure more, even if they are not the sole caretaker. Dual roles are hard for anybody; if we help them manage that, it will protect their health." n
Cathy Hawkes, The CIGNA Companies, 1601 Chesnut St., TLP 37-B, Philadelphia, PA 19192. Telephone: (215) 761-8362. Fax: (215) 761-5602. E-mail:[email protected].
Chris Colborn, The CIGNA Companies, 1601 Chesnut St., TLP 37-B, Philadelphia, PA 19192. Telephone: (215) 761-4712. Fax: (215) 761-5491. E-mail: [email protected].
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