As a health provider committed to having a diverse workplace and serving a multi-ethnic community, Health Net has incorporated a 2007-09 Diversity Strategic Plan to carry out its vision. The strategic plan includes training company leaders about diversity issues, sponsoring programs focused on women and ethnic minorities and hiring workers who have foreign visas. “One of our strategies is to build bridges into the community and tap into the diverse cultural heritage of our communities,” said Brad Kieffer, Health Net’s public relations manager. As such, Health Net hired diversity manager Wanda Kincy to focus solely on diversity issues in the company. According to Kincy, Health Net works with the Urban League to sponsor jobs fairs in the inner city to gain a diverse workforce and actively recruits employees who have H1B foreign visas and TN visas from Canada and Latin America. According to Kieffer, the company’s commitment to diversity is evident by the fact that women make up more than half of Health Net’s workforce in every state the company is in. But that commitment extends beyond the hiring process, Kincy said. The company develops affinity groups for employees of various ethnic backgrounds and lifestyles to provide networking and other professional opportunities. “People don’t check who they are at the door,” she said. “They bring who they are to work and we have to respect that.” Another part of Health Net’s commitment to diversity, Kincy said, is working directly with the diverse community it serves. As such, Health Net helps sponsor the Urban Issues Forum to help bridge gaps between the African-American and Korean communities. Health Net has also sponsored a diversity job fair at its New York location as part of its commitment to hire a diverse workforce. Health Net also works closely with the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center to sponsor AIDS awareness events. New employees at Health Net are put through an online diversity training course in which prejudices and biases are discussed.
