“It’s just a great place to work… it’s reassuring to know your employer cares about you,” says BCBSND employee, Patty Blumer. Patty’s been a part of team blue for over 8 years and during that time she’s welcomed two wonderful sons, Brayden and Brody. Patty said she wasn’t aware of the infant friendly benefits when she first started at BCBSND. It wasn’t until she found out she was pregnant with her first son that she started looking at how the benefits work. “I was excited to see what kind of benefits I had for becoming a future mom,” says Patty.
Patty admits at first figuring out benefits was stressful, but she received some great help from the experts at BCBSND. “It was a little stressful to figure out how the benefits work, but everybody on my team and the benefits team did a great job helping me understand everything and answering all my questions.”
Patty took 10 weeks of maternity leave when she had her first son, Brayden, and 12 weeks for Brody. She said her co-workers and supervisor made it easy to transition back to work. “It was a smooth transition back to work from both of my pregnancies. My co-workers and supervisor were so supportive and accommodating for when I had to take breaks and use the lactation room. They really helped me ease back into things,” says Patty.
Patty didn’t feel rushed to get back to work either and her supervisor stayed in touch during the whole process. “My supervisor did a great job communicating with me before, during and after my maternity leave. She would regularly check in with me and made sure I didn’t feel rushed to get back to the office.”
Feeling supported during an uncertain time
During this uncertain time with COVID-19 impacting just about every aspect of our lives. Patty says she’s thankful for the certainty BCBSND offers by being able to work from home and keep her family safe. “When this all started, I was worried about my kids’ daycare being closed and possibly having to stay home and miss work,” says Patty. “I got the call from my kids’ daycare provider saying they were closing the next day due to COVID-19. I immediately went to my supervisor and told her that I have no daycare for my kids starting tomorrow. I was working from home the next day.”
Patty says the quick turnaround to get her working from home shows how much BCBSND supports their employees and families. “It’s just nice to know your employer cares about you and your family,” says Patty. “BCBSND understands that sometimes life happens and they’re willing to be flexible and put us first.”
Although working from home has been an adjustment, Patty says she’s grateful to have her family safe and together. “My family is safe, I still have my job and I know BCBSND is there for us.”
