Workplace culture is one of the biggest factors in determining a top workplace, along with leaders who care and a flexible environment. These are just a few reasons Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota was once again named a 2022 Top Workplace by the Star Tribune.

Each year, employees from companies across Minnesota are invited by the Star Tribune to respond to an annual survey, benchmarking workplace culture. Based on the employee responses, 200 companies across Minnesota were chosen as 2022 Top Workplaces. Blue Cross was ranked #37 in the large business category.

"We're incredibly honored to be recognized as a top workplace in Minnesota," says Julie Loosbrock, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Blue Cross. "Open and honest feedback from our associates allows our organization to grow, adapt and thrive. We strive to build a workplace culture where all associates feel seen, valued, and heard; as well as being an environment where all can bring their full, authentic selves to work."

"We are grateful to our associates for their continued commitment and providing feedback that enables us to make Blue Cross one of the best places to work in Minnesota." – Julie Loosbrock

Reinforcing a commitment to values

Much of what makes Blue Cross a top workplace is our commitment to our values.

“We’re serious about our values. We make a difference and people like that,” says Anne Losby, director of cultural transformation and change management. “We live our values. They’re part of the Blue Cross fabric. Some values that stand out are putting the customer first and doing the right thing.”

Other Blue Cross values include succeeding together, finding a better way, owning it and being remarkable. Among those living the company’s values are strong leaders who value their associates.

“It’s important that people feel really connected to their manager or director. Our survey results told us that people feel their leaders understand what’s going on. They feel trusted and many are experiencing growth and professional development,” says Anne.

"The notion that their leaders genuinely care about them, know them and listen to them is a big positive theme.” – Anne Losby

Promoting a flexible work culture

At Blue Cross, we are also committed to flexibility. The definition of a flexible workplace has drastically changed in the past few years when most associates started working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Blue Cross is happy to give its associates options as to how and when they work.

“We’re dedicated to making flexibility work for both the business and our associates,” says Anne. “It’s forcing us to break our old molds. Now we are asking ourselves, ‘How creative can we be?’ Life at Blue means executing flexibility in a way where we expand our associate’s options, while we are driving business outcomes that meet our customers’ needs.”

While Blue Cross is pleased with the feedback and recognition, Anne says the organization still has work to do.

“One of our goals is putting the customer at the center of everything we do, and we are encouraging our teams to work more closely together and adopting an enterprise-wide ‘building a better blue’ mindset will be among our top priorities.”

The full 2022 Top Workplaces list can be found at startribune.com.

Interested in working at Blue Cross? View a full list of our open positions here.