Caring for People in a New World of Work

CCO Profile: Kirsten Gorsuch, UnitedHealthcare

This is the first in a new series of posts featuring CCO stories, examining their priorities and challenges and sharing their experiences. 

With the worst of COVID-19 behind us (we hope), companies are grappling with its downstream effects - inflation and a looming recession, a tight labor market and new employee expectations. As the nation’s largest health insurer, UnitedHealthcare and its CCO, Kirsten Gorsuch, appreciate the added urgency of delivering against the company’s mission and vision - simpler customer experiences, more affordable options and better care and patient outcomes. More than ever, achieving those aims demands a focus on its 135,000 employees to attract the best talent and keep them engaged. 

Healthcare is as vital as it is complex - especially in the U.S. But the work itself is more about humanity. New leadership has offered a chance to refresh the culture, to make it less formal and keep things real by showing people as they are - happy, sad, serious, funny, etc. Cultivating that environment means an emphasis on authenticity. Kirsten tells me the new UnitedHealth Group CEO (the parent company to UHC and Optum) has been known to eschew a suit and tie for a quarter zip and red Adidas kicks, even in investor meetings. “We talk a lot about people being their authentic selves,” she says. “How many people’s authentic self is wearing a suit and tie?” 

This people-centric mindset is imbued in employee communication. A video welcoming employees back to the office shows leaders jokingly scrambling around cleaning, excited for their return. Another mixes employee stories during the pandemic with them hearing words of gratitude from their colleagues. Most moving to me was the story told by a father whose son died by suicide (Note: The video may be difficult for those who are triggered by discussions of suicide.) He started an ERG at UHC for parental support on mental health issues, pointing out his son’s story might have turned out differently had that resource existed for him when he needed it. The ERG saw triple the employee participants in its next call. 

Love and levity matter, but actions need to match. Here are three things Kirsten points to as crucial for the company’s people:

1. Reimagining how we work together. Though many employees are back in the office (some full-time, some hybrid, others full-time telecommuters), adoption of new tech and tools for collaboration is only growing. Kirsten’s team is working with the People team partners to rewrite the norms and process for how people work together by instituting “Collaboration Charters” - part framework for engaging with colleagues, part commitment to working differently (to be more informed, facilitate debate and brainstorming, etc.) Crucially, teams can adapt these charters to match their unique needs.
   
   
   
   Resources like these are part of an integrated campaign to operationalize the new culture. “It’s an area that communications can help lead because big systemic changes are hard in a big company.”
    
2. Investing in our #1 asset - our people. A top-to-bottom effort to simplify work systems for greater ease-of-use means to improve the employee experience - especially for the frontline. It’s called “Believe in Better” and is an internal effort to show colleagues UnitedHealthcare is a place to flourish individually while being part of something bigger. Its aim is to connect a great employee experience to a great consumer experience.
   
   While competitive pay and benefits always matter, UHC also offers flexible work schedules and telecommute options, transportation and other quality-of-life benefits. It even changed its frontline employee bonus structure granting bonus payments based on achievement of each of six performance goals rather than requiring all six be hit to qualify. As important as what it’s doing is why - to demonstrate to employees, particularly frontline ones, how critical their roles are. They’re the face of the brand, and Kirsten says taking good care of them means they take good care of the consumer.
   
3. Being proactive on issues that matter most. There’s a recognition that sometimes personal lives overlap with work life. Kirsten says they try to flex and talk about both so employees feel heard and valued - something that matters especially to a younger generation of workers.

Though employee comms does have proof points - like NPS scores, engagement metrics and the like - its internal content includes opportunities for people to comment and discuss with each other, a window into what employees are thinking and feeling, as well as a chance for them to connect and build community. 

The company heard employees’ concerns on the Dobbs ruling on elective termination of pregnancy and proactively shared information on the company’s decision to include a travel and lodging benefit for those who need to access services in other states. UHC also recently announced it will eliminate out-of-pocket costs for certain life-saving drugs, including insulin. 

Kirsten, a former Page trustee, has been CCO at UnitedHealthcare since 2015. Before that, she was CCO at medical device powerhouse Medtronic. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and her adorable 13-year old labrador, Sienna. Find her on LinkedIn here.