EVP: Intern to Full-time Pathway
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF MASSACHUSETTS
CONFIDENTIAL – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION
Group 1
Mia Macdonald, Bryan Park, Anthony Perez, Murteza Acar, Minkyo Seo
2/9/2016
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Meet the team
Employee Value Proposition
Our Current Approach:
At BCBSMA we know that ‘one size fits none’ and so we make sure to differentiate elements of our employee value proposition (EVP) to resonate with different employees depending on where they are in their career and life.
Example: US! Early in Career Professionals
Why it Matters:
Having an employee value proposition that resonates can:
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An Employee Value Proposition is the unique set of benefits that an employee receives in return for the skills, capabilities, and experience they bring to a company.
In short, it’s why people pick your company over other companies and choose to stay when other opportunities pop up.
[I would even focus more on the “what is a EVP” so the circle rather than the current approach. Then they could say that what they found was the most impirtnat for them was the ‘career’ arrow and knowing whats next]
Think Tank Session #1
The Winning Solution
What can we do to better attract and retain early in career talent (their Employee Value Proposition)?
Career Development: Offer full-time pathways
Offer full-time pathways:
Increase transparency
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What core need are we addressing?
As young professionals starting our careers with this internship, we are looking for answers
Interns need…
Transparency
Career advocacy
Career pathing
‹#›
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Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
Market research – Why should BCBSMA care?
Full-time employees hired following internships are up to 20 percent more likely to stick with their hiring organization when compared to non-intern hires.
The numbers are strongest in Year 1 and continue to show double-digit retention impact in Year 5.
WHY DO INTERNS CARE?
WHY SHOULD BLUE CROSS CARE?
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6
To retaining and attracting talent
What is EVP?
Our Current Approach:
At BCBSMA we know that ‘one size fits none’ and so we make sure to differentiate elements of our employee value proposition (EVP) to resonate with different employees depending on where they are in their career and life.
Murteza
Employee value proposition (EVP) is simply the unique value an employer offers his employees in return for their skills, capabilities, commitment and experience.
It identifies and communicates an employer’s unique benefits and experiences an employee will enjoy if he chooses to work for an organization.
It communicates why the company is the right place for us to work if the unique offerings align with out interests.
Basically, an EVP highlights the unique benefits and opportunities an employer will offer his employees thus attract and retain talent.
An honest and compelling EVP will help a company attract and retain talent that resonates with the company’s offerings and that with high chances of succeeding in the company.
The components of EVP include employee benefits, compensation, respect, stability, location, and work-life balance among others.
To be honest, how an employee is satisfied with the salary his employer offers, work-life balance to include holidays and paid time off, the working environment and company culture influence his desire to work for a company.
Companies with strong EVP are more likely to attract and retain top talent compared to those that lack one because they draw attention of top talent.
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Compensation
Salary
Bonuses
Benefits
Paid time off
Healthcare
Culture
Values
Career
Pay rise
Holidays
Atmosphere
Teamwork
Education
Training
Promotion
Key questions
Is there a specific path that can be followed from intern to FTE?
How can we as interns best approach our future within the company?
Mia – mitigate
Being honest about logistics- transferable skills could lead to another spot inside the company where you belong
Transition from the why to the what
Solution might look like a single meeting, but what if the best solution is a shift in mindset?
Interns shift from a mindset that there is a one-to-one path, understand that logistically there might not be a spot in their same department but know that their transferrable skills and an open channel of communication might lead to other entry level positions
If this topic, intern to full time, garnered so much interest, it must have struck a chord with many of us interns. When we voted for this topic, what were we looking for?
We were looking for answers. We were asked during our initial phone screenings if returning full time was something we’d be interested in and then didn’t get asked that question again. We started here in June not knowing if we had guaranteed ourselves a job when we signed our offer letters or if we’d be back on the job market after 11 weeks.
And if a return offer wasn’t guaranteed, we also didn’t know the best way to pursue one. Is there only one option for conversion from intern? Or is there room for movement across departments to other entry level positions? If my department doesn’t have an opening or doesn’t have the budget to offer me a job, is that a reflection of my own work or is it possible that sometimes, the logistics simply don’t work out? If logistics aren’t in my favor, could I still have a future with BCBSMA? How should I stay in contact?
All of these questions, which can’t possibly begin to cover all the nuances and individuality of the intern experience, are a snapshot of where were in June when this topic won the Think Tank.
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What is the core need this is addressing?
Early in career and interns can be unsure how to tackle the next steps in their career. Internships provide exposure to both
Minkyo
We are new to workplace environments and are looking for experience not only in our specific roles and fields, but also in professional etiquette in how to approach full-time opportunities
Looking for a place where we belong, a place that upholds value and encourages growth and opportunities
- We don’t want to feel like we’re bothering managers
- Not expecting promises from managers, but we would simply like to be more informed
Now, I would like to talk about some of the most prominent themes we heard from the think tank. Firstly, there was a deep desire to learn more about professional etiquette
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Why do BCBSMA interns care?
Minkyo
Now, I would like to talk about some of the most prominent themes we heard from the think tank.
Firstly, I wanted to address the fact that we, interns, are new to workplace environments and are looking for experience not only in our specific roles and fields, but also in professional etiquette in how to approach full-time opportunities.
Given this may be the first work experience in a corporate setting, we may not even know what specific questions to ask, and we would like to be more informed about the intern-to-full time process, and which in return, we can feel a deeper sense of belonging to blue cross
Lastly, we desire to consult future career paths with our managers without feeling like we are bothering them. We, as interns, desire to simply be more informed to make the best possible career choices.
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To learn deeper into professional etiquette
To be more informed about the process
Desire to consult prospective career paths
Suggested solutions
Icon Title
Clear communication equals transparency
Feedback loop for
full-time expectations
Have Timelines for Conversations
Ensure that leaders are educated in the intern to full-time pathing
Give information to interns about the intern to full-time pathing
Educate Both Leaders & Interns
Develop a recruitment strategy for each intern One Size Fits None
Increase retention
Integrate Internal Career Pathing
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Bryan One size fits none
**whats already been done/what could be changed
-hone in on career pathing
-beef all these out
-what do we want education on? Comp?
TIMELINES
- When interns can expect conversations about their futures, it emphasizes transparency. This can be as simple as integrating the conversation into manager check-ins, or can be a talk with someone outside of your intern sphere, such as someone more involved in the hiring process. And on the same topic of timelines, these conversations can provide opportunity for expectations from both sides. Not every intern and hiring process is the same, so having these conversations throughout the internship allows for expectations, for example, what opportunities are even available. EDUCATE
Making sure that leaders are educated in the intern to full time process allows for interns to ask more questions, and to go even further than that, allows leaders to give information to interns before they even ask the question in the first place. Again, this emphasizes transparency! Integrate Internal Career Pathing
Finally, by integrating an internal career path, it can help create structure to the unknown. Even if a one to one intern to full time path doesn’t exist, show opportunity in lateral movement, such as introducing interns to new opportunities and leaders who are looking to add new members to their teams. Also, it is possible that interns are at different points in their lives. Maybe some are rising Juniors looking for another internship, while another intern maybe someone who is already graduated and looking for a full time position ASAP.
Hiring interns is awesome! The company gets to see the interns in action before they are full time associates, and Interns tend to have higher retention rates then their non-intern peers. From the interns point of view, they get a job!
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Why is transparency important?
Anthony
Now looking at the other end of the question, why does BCBSMA care about an intern to full time path? The answer has the overarching theme of retaining and attracting early in career talent in mind where transparency is the key to achieving BCBSMA goals.
Transparency can be divided into three pillars, all of which contribute to an increase in communication and understanding between BCBSMA and its associates. Establishing a general idea of the expectations from a full-time employee will help interns understand what goals to set for themselves outside of performance-based skills. Leaders can help interns explore the qualities that a full time BCBSMA employee holds, such as curiosity, initiative, interest, etc. so as to give interns a clearer guide on what BCBSMA expects from their full time associates not just on a resume, but as a person.
A very common theme in the discussion about interns and full time employees is the idea of the two way street. The transition to full time isn’t just about a clean 1:1 pipeline, it also involves a large amount of trust and loyalty between intern and leader/company. Interns are young and very impressionable as they have little to no experience in the workplace, so having someone such as their leader who is in a mentorship role provide career advice and continuous honest and useful feedback helps interns begin to understand and navigate the professional world, building a sense of trust between interns and their work environment. Along with that, it is important that leaders show interest in career growth as well as personal growth. Putting the intern first as an individual with a unique path and distinct sense of person shows that they are understood, heard, and cared for by the people and company they are working with and valued as a long term asset to a team and work force, which in turn builds a loyal and transparent connection between intern and full time employee.
With the topic of individual importance comes the idea of belonging. One of the most effective ways in retaining early in career talent is to make them feel like they have a professional home, to make them feel like they belong, in the space they are working in. This may be something as simple as establishing an environment where an intern can feel comfortable asking professional or even personal questions without feeling like they aren’t being overbearing. Where the leader makes a difference is that they should be answering these questions with full disclosure, honesty, and most importantly with success of the intern in mind. This idea exemplifies the continuous, dynamic environment between intern and full time employee where information is given in real-time with helpful intention, but is also subject to change. What is most important is that both parties are able to operate under these disclaimer-type conditions to create a space where interns and full time employees can grow together and therefore create a transparent and dynamic environment.
The balance and implementation of these three pillars is what increases bilateral transparency between BCBSMA and its interns.
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