Unidos Unites Hispanic Community Around Health and Opportunity

Unidos is Humana’s network resource group (NRG) for Hispanic and Latinx employees and their allies. The voluntary, employee-driven group focuses on supporting a positive and inclusive environment that leverages our Hispanic and Latinx associates' experience and culture to drive innovation and business outcomes, build associate engagement and create value in our internal and external community. Efrain Cuadra, IT Business Performance/Continuous Improvement Lead and Unidos NRG program manager said, “Our employee experience, culture, and values are at the heart of what creates and sustains healthy teammates, and Unidos supports that by sharing and embracing our backgrounds, stories and traditions and by encouraging employees to show their authentic, true selves.”

Unidos structures its offerings around participants’ self-identified wants and needs, providing a significant amount of its programming online, in English and Spanish, so that participants everywhere have an equitable experience. 

Empowering employee and member best health
To educate, support and empower NRG members to improve and maintain their overall health and well-being, Unidos launched an online wellness library, which includes information on chronic conditions impacting Hispanic communities, health-conscious recipe adaptations, articles on a range of health topics and on-demand exercise and stretching videos. Much of the information provided is based on requests received from Unidos members when asked about the type of resources they wanted guidance on. While employees are the primary audience for the wellness library, the information is also useful to clinicians and other member-facing employees in providing culturally-conscience, high-quality care for the many Hispanic communities Humana serves.  

Keeping a growth mindset
Unidos is committed to supporting professional development and career growth for the approximately fifteen percent of Humana’s employees that identify as Hispanic and/or Latinx. The NRG conducted a series of focus groups to research members’ career aspirations and perceived barriers to advancement. Unidos leadership then organized learning and guest speaker sessions tailored to the feedback they received, including sessions on navigating higher education, achieving success as an adult learner, developing effective career profiles, finding new roles and opportunities within Humana and strategic self-promotion. The NRG also holds networking events and facilitates mentoring relationships to provide personalized support for successful career journeys. 

Creating new opportunity for learning and connection
During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Unidos saw a spike in membership and participation which encouraged the NRG to find more unique ways to connect and engage. One of the ways the group has responded to increased membership is through an expansion of online learning sessions in both English and Spanish that employees can participate in live or watch later when their schedule permits. The sessions cover a wide range of topics that are personal, inspirational and sometimes just plain fun.  From financial planning and navigating difficult change to mindfulness, gardening and bullet journaling, the NRG creates opportunities for engagement for everyone, no matter how they want to grow.  

Learn more about our efforts, goals and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in Humana's Impact Report. Interested in working for an organization committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion? Visit Careers.Humana.com to learn more about our culture of inclusion and explore open job opportunities.