WELLESLEY, Mass., Nov. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- For the third year in a row, Sun Life U.S. has been named a Top Place to Work in Massachusetts by The Boston Globe, making the top ten for the state's largest employers. Top Places to Work, which will be featured in print in this Sunday's Boston Globe, recognizes the most admired workplaces in the state, voted on by the people who know them best—their employees. The survey measures employee opinions about their company's direction, execution, connection, management, work, pay and benefits, and engagement. This year, Sun Life engaged employees in new and unique ways to offer family support and a healthy work/life balance during the pandemic with everyone working from home.
"This year has brought many new challenges, and with them a new sense of commitment and comeraderie," said Dan Fishbein, M.D., president of Sun Life U.S. "Even while working virtually our employee engagement has never been higher, and we are extremely fortunate to be able to support our employees while maintaining strong levels of productivity and service for our clients, who we know are also facing challenges during this difficult time."
Since March 16, Sun Life has had nearly all employees working from home. Over the summer, Sun Life partnered with the Boston Children's Museum to create a virtual summer camp program for employees' children, providing families with fun and educational activities to do at home. Sun Life leaders also took flexibility to a new level with a Flexibility Pledge that encouraged employees to take time to spend with children during the day, get groceries, check on loved ones, or simply step away and take a walk. Continuing that initiative into the fall, Sun Life implemented Flexibility 2.0, an arrangement allowing employees to flex up to 12 hours per week without manager approval in order to accommodate homeschooling or other caregiving commitments.
As part of Sun Life's focus and commitment to supporting racial equality and equity, the company partnered with the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture to support voting and educational initiatives. Additionally, Sun Life's Team Up Against Diabetes grant program is supporting community organizations around the country who are fighting diabetes and health disparities in communities of color.
"We believe in an inclusive workplace that recognizes the value of diversity in our business and our culture," said Tammi Wortham, vice president of human resources at Sun Life U.S. "We also recognized the urgency of acknowledging and addressing racial inequity and inequality in our communities and the country. We have assembled a cross-funtional team of employees called Allies Acting for Change, to ensure that we are supporting all aspects of equality within our workforce and our industry."
Established earlier this year, Allies Acting for Change is a diverse employee committee tasked with enhancing an inclusive culture and diversifying Sun Life's workforce. Sun Life also has several Inclusion Networks that host cultural and educational events, advise the company on diversity issues and support members with career development.
As working virtually continues, Sun Life is assessing what the future of work will look like and evolving the way office space is utilized, as discussed by Fishbein in the Globe's Top Places to Work feature. The office will no longer simply be a destination for work, but a space for projects, events and collaboration. Sun Life has delayed returning to the office to allow other employers better access to the supplies, resources and public transportation they need to reopen safely. When Sun Life's offices do reopen in 2021, working in the office will initially be voluntary.
In 2019 the Boston Globe's Top Places to Work magazine featured Sun Life's paid family and medical leave program, which provides new parents, birth parents, and caregivers equal leave to be with their loved ones during the moments that matter. Sun Life has also been named a Best-in-State Massachusetts employer by Forbes, and a Best Company to Work For by Kansas City's Ingram's Business Magazine. In addition to Wellesley and Kansas City, Sun Life U.S. has significant offices in Greater Portland, Maine; Windsor, Conn.; and Waterford, Ireland.
About Sun Life
Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing insurance, wealth and asset management solutions to individual and corporate Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of September 30, 2020, Sun Life had total assets under management of C$1,186 billion. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com.
Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.
In the United States, Sun Life is one of the largest group benefits providers, serving more than 60,000 employers in small, medium and large workplaces across the country. Sun Life's broad portfolio of insurance products and services in the U.S. includes disability, absence management, life, dental, vision, voluntary and medical stop-loss. Sun Life and its affiliates in asset management businesses in the U.S. employ approximately 5,500 people. Group insurance policies are issued by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (Wellesley Hills, Mass.), except in New York, where policies are issued by Sun Life and Health Insurance Company (U.S.) (Lansing, Mich.). For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com/us.
Media contact:
Devon Fernald
Sun Life U.S.
781-800-3609
Devon.Portney.Fernald@sunlife.com
Connect with Sun Life U.S.
https://www.facebook.com/SLFUnitedStates/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/sun-life-financial/
https://twitter.com/SunLifeUS
SOURCE Sun Life U.S.
