Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has been honored by AARP as one of the best employers in the country for workers over 50. Blue Cross and Blue Shield employees are especially proud of this award. About 25% of the insurance company’s workers are aged 50 and over.
Gwendolyn Stevens is 57 years old and has worked for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina for 27 years.
“It’s an exciting time in my life to be part of a company that recognizes older, seasoned employees who are over 50 and fabulous we might say," said Stevens.
Stevens spoke during a small awards ceremony at the Blue Cross and Blue Shield offices in Chapel Hill yesterday. She was also selected to go to Chicago for the national awards ceremony recognizing the top 50 companies, agencies or non-profits that support workers over 50. Stevens is involved with the company's GBEN program or Golden Blues Employee Network that offers professional development and community outreach.
Fara Palumbo is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. She also spoke at the ceremony.
"You all know, those of you who work here, that we are really committed to having a workforce that is a diverse workforce that really represents varying levels of skill, capability, experience, age, gender, I could go on, and on, and on," said Palumbo. "And by having that kind of an organization with that kind of an all-inclusive culture, what you really do is create an environment where people can thrive."
Doug Dickerson is the AARP North Carolina State Director. He was on hand to personally hand over the award. He says Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has won this national award four times in the past decade.
"You're taking care of your people, you're listening to people and you're listening to your employees about what matters most," said Dickerson.
BCBS was not the only North Carolina business to make the AARP's top employers' list. Industries for the Blind, based in Winston-Salem, was also a winner. It is one of the largest employers of people who are blind in the United States. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) joined AARP in this year's ranking.
