Who owns Cigna? Company sparks fury over 'racist' training on NOT hiring White men and 'brown bag lunch'
One of the largest health insurers of the United States, Cigna, has stirred a controversy after a report went viral on social media that its employees are incessantly subjected to left-wing “critical race theory” instruction and are repeatedly told to not hire “white men” even if they are qualified for the job.
According to the documents obtained by Washington Examiner, employees who work at Cigna have to undergo sensitivity training that is considered to be racist and highly discriminatory. The employees are made to learn about topics like “white privilege”, “gender privilege” and “religious privilege.”
Before going into the specifics, let’s take a deeper look at Cigna and its owner.
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What is Cigna?
Cigna is a global health service company dedicated to helping people improve their health and well-being. The organization came into existence when Connecticut General Life Insurance Company (CG) and INA Corporation decided to merge the two companies into one. The name, Cigna, is a mix of letters from the merging companies, CG and INA.
The organization’s insurance subsidiaries are one of the major providers of disability, medical, life, dental, and accident insurance. The company ranked No. 13 in the 2020 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.
Who is the owner of Cigna?
Cigna is currently being administered by several people and has been performing really well under the current leadership. However, there are two people who are mainly credited for the company’s success, Isaiah Harris Jr. and David Cordani. Harris Jr. has been the Chairman of the Board since December 2009 and also served as Vice-Chairman of the Board from July 2009 through December 2009.
On the other hand, Cordani has been serving as the organization’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) since 2009 and as President since June 2008. He has been a part of the organization for a very long and started working at Cigna in 1991.
Cordani is often regarded as someone who has transformed the organization in terms of reach and has taken the company on a global level.
What is “critical race theory” training and How it is affecting the employees?
As per the employees, the “critical race theory” is a method through which they are told not to use certain words while celebrating joyous occasions and not to hire white men even if they are qualified. According to the report, the workers are often pressed to follow “inclusive language” while working. They are also told to eradicate the use of terms like “brown bag lunch” while working and forced to replace them with “grab n’ go” or “lunch-and-learn”.
Additionally, they are not allowed to use the phrase “No can do”.
The company has also instructed the workers to avoid the use of phrases like “Hip Hip Hooray” while celebrating birthday parties to ensure “everyone feels included.”
Talking about the guidelines and training, Susan Stith, vice-president for equity, diversity, inclusion, and corporate responsibility, addressed the staffers in an internal memo and said that the organization is “working hard” in making everyone feel like they belong here. She wrote, “This extends to the words we use, including understanding when certain terms might be perceived as negative or hurtful, and being intentional about choosing positive alternatives.”
The report also added that Cigna takes diversity to a whole new level.
The Washington Examiner shared a few chat logs between a staffer and a hiring manager in their report and noted that a minority candidate was not hired because the hiring manager “dismissed the candidate under the assumption” that he was white. The hiring manager overlooked his strong credentials and how he performed during the interview while considering him for the job.
Additionally, employees are also told to review a “Societal Norms checklist” and mark boxes if they are “Christian,” “Heterosexual,” or “white.”
Some employees at Cigna believe that the hiring policies are really demoralizing. Meanwhile, others feel that some positions go unfilled for a good amount of time because minority candidates do not apply.