Making the Investment in Healthy People, Healthy Planet and Healthy Performance

Corporations today are obliged to go beyond delivering business results. They should also improve the quality of life of their employees, their communities and society at large – and report out on this progress. Recently Humana released its 2010-2011 corporate social responsibility (CSR) report. For the first time, Humana’s report follows the Global Reporting Initiative framework. And we became the only major health care insurer to do so. Here’s why disclosing environmental, social and governance data is important, now more than ever:

1. Trust in business remains low. The 2012 Trust Barometer that Edelman, the communications firm, develops annually revealed that public trust in business, government and NGOs shrank in 2011. What struck me, in particular, is that the 47 percent of the public who think business is doing what’s right tie their belief largely to “business competence, like delivering consistent financial returns.” However, societal behaviors – listening to customer needs, treating employees well, putting customers ahead of profits, and having ethical business practices – are ranked higher in importance for building future trust.

Click here to read more about how long-term investments Humana makes in its CSR initiatives help build trust, increase transparency, save money and earn the license not only to exist but to lead.