Winner: Venngo Healthy Workplace Award
Considering its line of work, it’s probably not too surprising that Sun Life Financial puts a sizeable focus on a healthy workplace. But the company goes above and beyond, as seen in the variety of programs it offers employees.
For one, Sun Life is focused on supporting the mental, physical and financial well-being of its workforce.
“It’s such an underpinning of our purpose and our culture,” says Helena Pagano, senior vice-president of total rewards at Sun Life Financial in Toronto. “If we really believe it’s about living healthier lives and having lifetime financial security, that goes beyond ‘I just care if you show up for work every day;’ it is a caring statement that aligns with our purpose for clients — and therefore for employees by extension of that — and sets a real tone for the culture here. We want people, if they work here or think about working here, to really believe this is a place where their well-being — physical, mental and financial — matters to the company.”
That focus is seen with health-risk assessments, which helps both the participants and Sun Life in the design of its programs.
Fifty per cent of employees did an assessment in 2016, and participation rates were high partly because of the “wellness dollars” given out by Sun Life for various initiatives. These dollars can be used to cover health and wellness claims such as fitness memberships, equipment and child care.
In the fall, 100 wellness dollars are also given out to those employees who participate in a confidential, 15-minute biometric screening with registered nurses to receive a personalized report that assesses their weight, height, blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, body fat percentage and body mass index.
Participants are given a report card of their results, along with resource suggestions. Aggregate data collected from the assessments helps Sun Life gauge the health of employees, the health risks and the effectiveness of wellness programs.
“We’re looking to try and start that ball rolling and get people who do have risks to have conversations, to try and make change in their lives, so it is long-term goal and we do have to recognize that everyone is at a different stage of what they want to do, and involvement,” says Karen Figueiredo, vice-president of global pension and benefits at Sun Life Financial.
The dollars are also used to get employees involved in a global wellness challenge that encourages people to make “small but significant changes” to their financial, physical and mental well-being. By tracking points for eating healthy, exercising, de-stressing and managing finances, employees are eligible to win prizes.
To promote the challenge, Sun Life used the tag line “You can’t stop the feeling of well-being” and launched a video showing employees dancing and exercising at 16 global offices. Messages were also sent to employees via email and the intranet, with comic strips featuring executive leaders.
“When you capture leaders in the unplugged or unscripted moment of activity, it’s very genuine and believable that that’s a legitimate value, a credible and honest value for the organization,” says Pagano.
Wellness ambassadors also help, as more than 100 employees at Sun Life volunteer to champion the wellness pillars. They have hosted grassroot events such as yoga-on-the-lawn, meditation, walking clubs and “Smoothie Thursdays.”
“We give them a modest budget so they can run very specific programs that make sense in their local office. As well, they certainly help in spreading the word in some of our broader campaigns,” says Figueiredo.
On the benefits side, Sun Life recently increased its psychology benefit maximum from $1,200 to $12,500 per claimant, while also expanding the provider network. It is also adding gender transition support to the flexible benefits package, to a lifetime maximum of $100,000.
The changes are dramatic, says Figueiredo.
“It also sends a message to employees that ‘We want you to use these services, they’re there for your good health and well-being.’ And, really, when you look at what any professional service provider would charge, where we were at in terms of our coverage would barely cover what most people’s needs are, so that’s really what we were trying to achieve,” she says.
Sun Life’s philanthropic support is focused on diabetes awareness, prevention, care and research initiatives.
During National Diabetes Awareness month in November, the company encourages employees to take an online diabetes risk assessment, and it also launched a new digital experience so when employees submit drug claims related to these conditions, they’re sent an email directing them to an online portal with related resources.
“Diabetes is really becoming epidemic, and it is a disease of the 21st century — 90 per cent of those people who have the disease are impacted by Type 2 diabetes, and we believe that it’s very preventable by active and healthy lifestyles,” says Figueiredo.
Mental health is also a big priority at Sun Life, which provides a mental health toolkit and “Managing Mental Health in the Workplace” training, along with participating in the “Not Myself Today” campaign.
Managers are the first responders and are in the best position to help to triage, she says.
“We don’t want to make them into mental health providers but (it’s about) how to assess that there might be an issue and how to redirect (people) to resources, and to help them to manage their day, just like any other illness,” says Figueiredo.
“We’ve seen that managers who’ve received the training, they have greater knowledge, awareness, they have more self-confidence in dealing with these issues, more positive attitudes towards employees, and then a greater intention to help promote what we’re trying to achieve in the workplace.”
On the finance side, Sun Life holds a Financial Literacy Month in November where employees can participate in one-on-one sessions and drop-in booths with financial advisors, as well as financial planning and information webinars. Workers can earn up to 300 wellness dollars per year by participating.
“Traditionally in HR, we talk about retirement programs and things like this but, let’s face it, Sun Life is in this business and... one of the top three stressors of Canadians is about managing their money, and it’s not about whether I’m prepared for retirement — of course, that’s an issue — but it’s your household finances, it’s maintaining a budget, living within your means, managing your credit card debt (and) unexpected expenses and emergencies,” says Figueiredo.
“People’s financial well-being today, as well as helping them to prepare for the long-term, giving them that financial security, is very much linked to their mental well-being as well as their physical well-being — it’s proven.”
