Sun Life U.S. earns 2021 Top Workplaces USA award

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Jan 28, 2021, 15:14 ET

WELLESLEY, Mass., Jan. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sun Life U.S. has been named a 2021 Top Workplaces USA employer by Energage, an organization that develops solutions to build and brand top workplaces. This is the inaugural year for Top Workplaces USA, an extension of Energage's program working with regional media. In Massachusetts, Sun Life U.S. has been named a top workplace by the Boston Globe every year since the company began participating in 2018.

Sun Life also received recognition in the Top Workplaces categories of Top Leaders, Clued-In Leaders, and Communication. Sun Life has been named a Top Place to Work in Massachusetts by the Boston Globe for three consecutive years, breaking into the top ten of the largest employers in 2020. The company was also named a 2020 Best-in-State employer in Massachusetts by Forbes, and has received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index for the past 13 years.

Sun Life has a range of programs to attract and retain employees. In 2019, the company announced a new paid family and medical leave program, offering generous, paid, gender-neutral family and caregiver leave, and paid medical leave for all employees. The company offers several wellness programs and a sabbatical program where employees can take time away to focus on personal or professional development. Sun Life has also had an agile work approach for a few years, which made it easy to transition to full-time work from home during the pandemic, and implemented many efforts to support employees with the unique challenges of 2020.

"This past year was like no other, and our employees came together to help one another while maintaining the high levels of client service we are proud of," said Dan Fishbein, M.D., president of Sun Life U.S. "We are honored and pleased to get this exciting recognition because it confirms that our employees feel valued and supported, especially during this difficult time."

In March of 2020, Sun Life was able to pivot overnight to nearly all employees working from home, which continues today. The company enhanced mental health supports, increased the frequency of communications to provide transparent updates, and shifted to an even more flexible work approach to help employees manage remote schooling and other at-home demands during the pandemic. Other recent employee programs included a free virtual summer camp experience created in partnership with the Boston Children's Museum, and internal campaigns like #SunnySummer and #InItTogether to keep employees engaged and help them maintain a positive outlook.

Sun Life broadened its diversity and inclusion efforts in the past year by expanding its focus to addressing racial inequity issues throughout the country. Internally, Sun Life created Allies Acting for Change (AAC), a team of employees that acts as an extension of senior leadership to thoroughly examine the hiring, retention, and career development practices of the company. Through allyship, action, and accountability, Sun Life is implementing the action steps recommended by AAC to improve diversity and equity throughout the company, and foster more engaged career development for Black and other employees of color.

"Our new approach to how we foster talent goes beyond non-discrimination to create more equitable opportunities for new and current employees," said Tammi Wortham, vice president of Human Resources at Sun Life U.S. "We are fully engaged in this effort, working with our team of allies and our active inclusion networks, and prioritizing the perspectives of our Black colleagues to create real, sustainable change."

Along with the inception of AAC, Sun Life established partnerships with the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History & Culture to support and promote voting and educational initiatives. Sun Life's Inclusion networks include Black Excellence Alliance (BEA); Asian American Heritage Association (AAHA); BrightWomen; DiverseAbility; Sun Life Pride; and Hispanic Organization for Leaders and Achievers (HOLA). These networks support cultural and educational events and exchanges for all employees who wish to participate.

Top Workplaces USA offers national recognition for large organizations and those that may operate in multiple markets. Winners are chosen based solely on employee feedback gathered through an engagement survey issued by Energage.

For more information on careers and benefits at Sun Life, visit http://sunlife.com/uscareers.

About Sun Life
Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of insurance, wealth and asset management solutions to individuals and corporate Clients. Sun Life Financial 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 Financial 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, supplemental health and medical stop-loss. Sun Life employs approximately 5,500 people in its U.S insurance and asset management businesses. Group insurance policies are issued by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (Wellesley Hills, Mass.), except 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 Portney Fernald
Sun Life Financial
781-800-3609
[email protected]

SOURCE Sun Life U.S.