UnitedHealth taps millennials for a fresh business perspective

UnitedHealth is one of several high-powered corporations tapping into millennial employees to offer a fresh perspective on existing business lines, according to the Star Tribune.

Using an approach known as “reverse mentoring,” this summer, the largest insurer in the country paired eight baby boomer senior executives with eight up-and-coming millennials within the company to discuss UnitedHealth’s insurance model.

UnitedHealth has been aggressively expanding Optum, the company’s fast-growing health IT arm, but could benefit from an innovative approach to its health insurance division, particularly as it seeks to enroll younger members.

“For many of our leaders--outstanding thought leaders in their own right--their connection to the millennial generation is largely through their parenting skills,” Pete Church, vice president of human capital at United, tells the Star Tribune. “This becomes a fundamentally different kind of experience.”

More insurers are looking to attract millennial employees in an effort to improve outreach efforts to younger, healthier adults. Aetna and Cigna are experimenting with new hiring approaches in an effort to attract millennials and overcome the perception that the health insurance industry is boring.

Others have touted job security, flexible working conditions and an emphasis on work-life balance in an effort to attract younger job-seekers.

- read the Star-Tribune article