Cigna announces plan to bring employees back to the office

BLOOMFIELD, CT (WFSB) - The push to bring workers back to the office continues.

Cigna is one of the latest companies announcing plans to have employees cut back on remote work.

Cigna has thousands of employees in Connecticut. About 90% of employees are currently remote.

“There’s pluses and minuses for both. You can bring workers back into the building but there’s something to be said for productivity from being at home and not having to travel. So I think it works both ways,” said Anjanee Wright of Windsor.

“I think for some people it’ll be really good. For other people it works for them and their families,” said Betty Martin, who grew up in Hartford but currently lives in Kentucky.

The company is now taking a phased approach to bringing its employees back to its headquarters in Bloomfield.

In a statement, the Cigna group said:

“We see significant benefits to in-person work – fostering collaboration, inclusion, and strengthening our culture – which are necessary to support our growth and impact. Our intent is to bring more employees back to the office a majority of the time, while still supporting the flexibility they need to balance personal and professional responsibilities.”

Bloomfield Mayor Danielle Wong said this will be great for the town’s economy.

“I’m extremely excited and supportive that Cigna is trying to get workers back to work in their beautiful state of the art 21st century facility. As you know, workers are a critical component to support the local economy and local businesses, and this is kind of a key factor in getting people back to work,” Wong said.

Cigna also has 70,000 workers worldwide.

“The business has to be fairly clever in terms of how do we become seductive to help people return to the office on a sufficiently regularly basis, that it warrants that we’re paying these rents for these offices,” said David Cadden, Professor Emeritus with the Quinnipiac University Dept. of Entrepreneurship and Strategy.

Cigna will begin its phased approach to bring workers back starting in September.

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