Sun Life U.S. earns Top Workplaces USA Award for second consecutive year

WELLESLEY, Mass., Feb. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sun Life U.S. has been named a 2022 Top Workplaces USA employer by Energage, an organization that develops solutions to build and brand top workplaces. Receiving the award for the second consecutive year, Sun Life moved up into the top 50 this year among companies with 2,500+ employees. Top Workplaces USA is an extension of Energage's program with regional media, including in Hartford and Boston.

"This recognition is especially gratifying because it is based on direct feedback from our own employees, and lets us know what we're doing well and what we can continue to improve upon," said Dan Fishbein, M.D., president of Sun Life U.S. "During this unique time in our history, employers have the opportunity to rethink the norms of the workplace and move forward in a way that promotes productivity while supporting employee flexibility and making their health and wellness a priority. I am proud to see how positive our employee response continues to be."

Sun Life received its first Top Workplace award from the Hartford Courant in 2021, and has been a Boston Globe Top Workplace every year since 2018, breaking into the top ten of largest employers in Massachusetts in 2020 and 2021. In 2020 Sun Life launched a newly expanded paid family and medical leave program, and many employee support programs during the pandemic, including a Flexibility Pledge made by leaders encouraging employees to step away from their at-home offices during the day to be with kids, grab groceries, or take a walk. That was followed by Flexibility 2.0, which allowed employees to flex up to 12 hours each week to accommodate caregiving needs at the height of the pandemic. In 2021 Sun Life announced that once offices reopen, every employee will have the flexibility to determine where they will work best each day – at an office, or at home.

"Our employees have shown that, when given the flexibility and support to manage their work/life balance, their engagement and productivity comes back even stronger," said Tammi Wortham, senior vice president of Human Resources at Sun Life U.S. "We've taken the lessons learned from the pandemic and are looking forward to seeing our new approach to the future of work in action."

The "future of work" also includes new ways of addressing issues around diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I). Allies Acting for Change, Sun Life's internal employee group focused on improving DE&I, has made strides resulting in more inclusive hiring and retention practices, including the implementation of "stay" conversations and an increase in the hiring of Black and other professionals of color. Sun Life employees have also spent the past year engaging via internal platforms to have meaningful discussions about racial bias and workplace equity, and reinforce and promote inclusive behaviors and language in the workplace – even while working virtually.

"We celebrate how far we've come but always recognize that we have more work to do when it comes to inclusion and equity for all underrepresented groups," said Fishbein. "We are committed to continuing that work as an ongoing priority in our strategy and the way we do business."

In 2021 Sun Life was recognized by the National Partnership for Women & Families as a company Leading on Leave. Sun Life has been listed on the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index since 2017, and has received a 100% score on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index for 14 consecutive years. The Corporate Equality Index measures workplace equality for the LGBTQ+ community. For more information on Sun Life's workplace recognition awards, visit: https://www.sunlife.com/us/en/about/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/recognition-and-partnerships/

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, 2021, Sun Life had total assets under management of C$1.39 trillion. 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 55,000 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 FernaldSun Life U.S.
781-800-3609
Devon.Portney.Fernald@sunlife.com

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