Cigna Insurance employees shared documents and chat logs with The Washington Examiner showing the company subjecting them to critical race theory lessons.
Cigna is worth tens of billions of dollars with over 73,000 employees. It is also the largest health insurance company in America.
The lessons drill into the employees’ heads to check their white, sex, and, get this, religious privilege.
Religious privilege? Yes, it is “a set of advantages that benefits believers of a certain religion but not people who practice other religions or no religions at all.”
Instead of saying brown bag lunch (who says that anymore?) Cigna encourages you to say “lunch-and-learn” or “grab n’ go.”
Cigna doesn’t want employees to say, “no can do.” You should say “unavailable.”
Employees should not use “gendered descriptions of romantic partners or family members.” You are literally asking people to strip others of their humanity. Do you use it? “Oh, my it and it are having an it.” “My cousin finally has a new itfriend.”
I guess some people complained about others saying “Hip Hip Hooray” at birthday parties. Cigna said not to say that “so others feel included.”
How does one feel excluded when others say “Hip Hip Hooray?”
The Washington Examiner published a chart with inclusive language, a list of ways to check your privilege, and books to guilt whites about their race. Domestic terrorist Angela Davis authored two of the recommended books!
Susan Stith, Cigna Foundation’s vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion, and corporate responsibility, wrote in a memo: “Our inclusive culture at Cigna means that we’re working hard to ensure everyone feels respected, welcome, and like they belong. 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.”
Some employees allege Cigna uses the “sensitivity training” ideas in its hiring process. Cigna cares more about diversity than talent:
Chat logs between an employee and a hiring manager viewed by the Washington Examiner detail an incident where a minority candidate with strong credentials performed exceptionally well in an interview. When that employee suggested to the hiring manager that the company wave the candidate through to the next step in the process, the hiring manager dismissed the candidate under the assumption he was white.After learning that the candidate belonged to a minority group, the manager said she was excited to hire him, despite learning virtually nothing else about his background.”Given the hiring practices they have in place where white, male candidates are blocked, regardless of qualifications, I have to say, ‘Yes, there’s obvious discrimination at this company,'” one employee told the Washington Examiner.Another time, an employee suggested a candidate with years of industry experience. That employee was informed by the hiring manager that the candidate, a white man, could not be interviewed because he didn’t meet the diversity criteria.
Hiring someone based on race, religion, and sex means the company has a lot of open positions:
In departments focused on tech or data, meeting diversity requirements often means positions are left open for inordinate periods of time.”I can’t fill these jobs,” said one individual who described himself as a largely happy employee.
One employee said Cigna started to hold mandatory townhalls after George Floyd’s death. The employee described them as a “white giant guilt” townhall.
Floyd’s death led to other changes:
One company memo reviewed by the Washington Examiner refers to George Floyd’s death as a “senseless murder” and announces a company-wide dress code revision to allow Black Lives Matter attire in the workplace.”As part of our culture of inclusion, we believe employees should bring their whole selves to work, and we embrace causes that align with our values,” the announcement reads. “That’s why we’ve recently updated our Dress for Your Day policy to reflect that Black Lives Matter apparel is permitted at work.”Cigna proudly shares a variety of its anti-racist initiatives publicly. In July 2020, the company started its Building Equity and Equality Program, a “five-year initiative to expand and accelerate our efforts to support diversity, inclusion, equality and equity for communities of color,” which includes the release of “an annual diversity scorecard to advance the principles of diversity, equity, and equality.”
Cigna forced its employees to fill out an action plan, which included explanations of how they planned to become “more inclusive.” The company has lessons for the employees about “alleged systemic racism in American society.” Most of those lessons center around the flawed 1619 Project.
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