Major health insurance company asks managers to avoid hiring white men: Report

Cigna — one of the country's largest heath insurance providers — has reportedly encouraged hiring managers to avoid hiring white males at the company.

What are the details?

According to a Friday report from the Washington Examiner, employees at the company have been "asked not to consider white men in hiring decisions."

Citing leaked training documents and chat logs, the outlet noted that Cigna employees are also expected to undergo "racist and discriminatory" sensitivity training on topics such as "white privilege," "gender privilege," and "religious privilege."

"Chat logs between an employee and a hiring manager viewed by the Washington Examiner detail an incident where a minority candidate with strong credentials performed exceptionally well in an interview," the outlet noted. "When that employee suggested to the hiring manager that the company wave the candidate through to the next step in the process, the hiring manager dismissed the candidate under the assumption he was white."

"After learning that the candidate belonged to a minority group, the manager said she was excited to hire him, despite learning virtually nothing else about his background," the Examiner continued.

One employee told the outlet, "Given the hiring practices they have in place where white, male candidates are blocked, regardless of qualifications, I have to say, 'Yes, there's obvious discrimination at this company.'"

On another occasion, an employee reportedly suggested a candidate with "years of industry experience." The only problem? The candidate was reportedly white and thus could not be interviewed "because he didn't meet the diversity criteria."

What else?

Employees are also encouraged to avoid using certain terms — such as "brown bag lunch" and "no can do" — in order to make their speech more accommodating, inclusive, and positive.

In an internal memo obtained by the outlet, Susan Stith, the Cigna Foundation's vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion, and corporate responsibility, said, "Our inclusive culture at Cigna means that we're working hard to ensure everyone feels respected, welcome, and like they belong. This extends to the words we use, including understanding when certain terms might be perceived as negative or hurtful, and being intentional about choosing positive alternatives."

The company — which boasts more than 73,000 employees across the world — has also reportedly recommended workers inform themselves on inclusivity and racism by reading books about white fragility and more.

The health care company did not respond to multiple requests for comment, the Examiner noted.