Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina FAQ

Pros

Great benefits (pto, health insurance, 401k)

Cons

I can’t think of any

Pros

Great work-life balance; very strong benefits and retirement plan match; job security.

Cons

Job security can limit upward progression

Pros

-WFH opportunities - Education/ Maternity leave benefits are great - Bonus structure lucrative

Cons

- Very, very low pay compared to competitors - Very outdated CS systems making job difficult - High turnover in customer service, management doesn’t seem to care either way which is disappointing and it can be hard to feel valued - - Lack of organization and support - IT issues frequent, difficult to resolve with current system - Growth seems limited in certain departments

Advice to Management

I got the impression management was hesitant to grow and progress in technology and work policies . Very far behind compared to industry standards. It was very difficult to not be able to do my job, when I was not given the correct tools and software that made it possible. I felt I was not valued, there was the attitude of it doesn’t matter if you stay or leave— which makes it hard to want to stay with the company.

Pros

BCBSNC walks the talk . . . they care about their employees and the community.

Cons

Public perception of insurance companies . . . which BCBSNC is working to change.

Pros

* Engaging work * Kind co-workers at the team/department level * On-site Cafeteria * Plenty of on-site parking * A beautiful campus with walking trails

Cons

* Contractors literally wear a scarlet badge and are reminded of their contractor status frequently. * You will spend time attending "employee" information sessions to learn about all the benefits that you don't get, because you're a contractor, such as, to name a few: use of the on-site gym, information about yearly bonuses, on-site child care, an on site physician, and bonuses you can earn to your HSA. These are required in case you "make the transition to permanent employee", but are demoralizing and for the most part remind you that you are a "have not". * A draconian attendance policy - As a contractor you receive no PTO, no sick time, and if you have three unplanned absences in six months your contract will be terminated, no exceptions. You are informed of this the first day of training. * Under-staffing is rampant across all lines of business except those that service members * Inconsistency of low level management * You are encouraged to aim for a metric as opposed to helping your caller, who will always just call back if you don't actually solve their issue, causing repeat work for your team. * Disjointed guides and training materials - Some assistance materials have not been updated in over two years and are either incorrect or functionally outdated. Some departments have to use other departments procedures and piece together what applies to them because there has been no care to make specific material for each separate department that is current and accurate. Additionally "more information" links often link to items that no longer exist. You will leave training told to utilize these resources as your primary source of information. * Asking for assistance with your duties (such as help with a call) in public ways is presented as a negative because "it is tracked". This directly ties in with the above point. * The only diversity present is that certain departments are one ethnic background and others are another. I guess in the grand scheme this must balance out. My hire group was thirteen members of identical ethnicity and gender, and myself. * A complaint to human resources of my vendor regarding discrimination concerns after several months of employment was ignored by both parties.

Advice to Management

There are many process improvements that need to occur from the top down. It should not take >30 days to take care of simple issues for your callers because you have to send things to other departments. It's unacceptable to be "running behind" for six months or more. Whether this is chronic under-staffing or willful choice, it creates unnecessary tension between your CSPs and their callers, consistently. If ancillary processes functioned as they should, you would achieve the goal of reducing call volume and handle time. Another process improvement that is sorely needed is call QA. The definitions for "core competencies" are inconsistently applied and left open to the interpretation of the auditor. You can functionally have the same call in three different audits and get three wildly different adjudications. An impartial auditor should, within reason, come to the same conclusion as any other auditor, and any quality department should have calibration exercises to ensure there is minimal variance.