CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Insurance giant Centene announced it is canceling its plans to move its east coast headquarters to Charlotte, despite its 80-acre new campus close to being finished.
What You Need To Know
Centene will no longer establish its east coast headquarters in Charlotte
The company says 90% of its workforce works remote or a hybrid schedule
The 80-acre campus near UNC Charlotte is set to be finished up in a few weeks
The company said the reason was 90% of its employees work remote or a hybrid schedule.
Gaston County woman Lauren Gaff worked full-time at a Charlotte bank and spent two hours a day commuting.
When her son Anthony was born, he was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome, causing him to have seizures multiple times a day.
Anthony needs constant care and Gaff hired a home nurse to help. She began working from home a bit, but then work asked her to come back into the office.
“Absolutely not, there is no reason to. I have a son that has special needs. He does have nurses that are here, but we never know if we have to call 911, and I would have to travel back from Charlotte just to get to him. It's just no, I could never, I could never go back," Gaff said.
She now works remote full-time, able to be present for her employer and also be there when her family needs her.
"I have everything I need here at home, computer, phones, printer, scanner. I can also Zoom call. I don't have to go back into the office," Gaff said.
When Anthony has an emergency and hospital care is needed, Gaff is able to take her computer to the hospital and not take time off work.
“There were multiple times where we were in the hospital for a week, and I would just work from the hospital. Otherwise, I may have been out of work, losing money or potentially losing my job," she said.
In a statemen a Centene spokesperson said:
“Since announcing our plans to establish an East Coast headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, there has been a fundamental shift in the way people want to work. Today, almost 90% of our workforce is working fully remote or in a hybrid work environment, and workplace flexibility is essential to attracting and retaining our top talent. As a result of this shift, we have decided not to open an East Coast headquarters in Charlotte, and many of our 1,700 employees across the state will work remotely or in a hybrid working model that suits their personal needs.
“North Carolina is an important state for Centene, and we remain committed to our local health plans, WellCare of North Carolina and Carolina Complete Health, which serve 642,000 members throughout the state. These decisions will not impact the quality, comprehensive health care we provide to our members or the longstanding partnerships we have with the state, our providers, and our community partners. We appreciate the support and partnership provided by our city and state government partners as our operations continue to evolve and grow.”