Employer Profile

This Chicago-based health insurer strives to maintain a diverse workforce. It has won numerous awards for diversity, especially in the IT department. The company has been on the DiversityInc Top 50 list multiple times, and it has been recognized as one of the top four companies for blacks in technology by the Black Data Processing Associates since 2006, winning top honors in 2008. The IT group has a formal plan for dispersing information to people at all levels of the workforce. Twice a year, the IT leadership team travels to HCSC branch offices with the goal of meeting with all 2,000 IT employees in town hall meetings where strategies and plans are discussed. Health and wellness benefits are plentiful at HCSC: In 2009, more than 100 employees took part in a metabolic syndrome pilot program. The mission of the 10-week weight management and behavior modification program was to reduce the participants' risk of developing metabolic syndrome. The results were dramatic. On average, participants shed 13 pounds each. New this year: A program called "Making Fitness Easy, Fun and Affordable" gives employees access to a network of more than 1,900 fitness centers -- including 24 Hour Fitness centers, Bally Total Fitness clubs and select YMCAs across the country -- for $29 a month. Moreover, HCSC's Illinois, Texas and Oklahoma offices are building on-site fitness centers with treadmills, recumbent bikes, elliptical trainers and weight machines. In February, the company's headquarters office in Chicago opened an on-site health center staffed by a part-time physician, a nurse practitioner and a nurse.