Innovation

Sun Life Financial Canada and their Sustainability team, HR department and the many Wellness Ambassadors have implemented multiple health and well-being programs to encourage and motivate employees to become more active, physically and mentally, in order to succeed at Sun Life. These business models, new mindsets and services of the "Wellness Challenge," 'Healthy Workplace Month," "My Wellness Rewards," and health coaching emerged after the Sustainability and HR team wanted to involve employees in achieving the 17 UN SDG's. The company realized their importance and the many benefits of having healthier employees. The Wellness Ambassadors are the supporters of the program as they "promote and attend the various wellness events at Sun Life, to support Sun Life's Purpose statement". These innovations reflect Sun Life's statement of "Helping out Clients achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier lives". Not only is it a focus of Sun Life to encourage well-being, but it is an important value, as it accompanies their goal of delivering financial advice.

Wellness Challenge: Annually in June, the "Wellness Challenge," encourages Employees across Sun Life to make small but significant changes to their financial, physical and mental well-being. By tracking points for eating healthy, hydrating, exercising, de-stressing and managing your finances, they can win great prizes!

Throughout the year, volunteer Wellness Ambassadors who are also Sun Life employees, also host events and sessions at locations across Sun Life, like yoga or lunch-and-learns.

My Wellness Rewards: By employees focusing on their self and their health, employees can earn up to 300 Wellness Dollars annually towards Wellness/Personal Spending Accounts to spend on eligible health- and fitness-related services, equipment and expenses. My Wellness Rewards provide personalized coverage, so employees and their families can choose the mental, physical and financial support that is meaningful to their well-being.

Health Coaching: In 2016, Sun Life introduced Health Coaching sessions in Canada, a collaborative and personalized program to help employees improve their physical health. Employees can participate in up to four, 30-minute coaching sessions by phone with a Registered Nurse.

Healthy Workplace Month: As a proud sponsor of Canada’s Healthy Workplace Month in 2016, Sun Life promoted fun, engaging activities for Canadian employees – from yoga, walking groups and recipe contests to healthy snack breaks and massages

Inspiration

The idea of incorporating Health & Wellness into the lives of the employees came about from the Sustainability Team. The Team was formed in 2004 and one of their first missions in collaboration with the Wellness Ambassadors was to "get employees talking about wellness in fun and creative ways". Prior to the "Wellness Challenge" and "My Wellness Rewards," Sun Life used to focus on wellness in terms of the physical. "We broadened that out to look at financial and mental health to expand our view and focus on these three components." The motivation behind the events and new mindset was to have an overall healthier workplace, as this leads to many benefits. The Sustainability team and the Wellness Ambassadors wanted to have employees involved in the journey and encourage them to be their best, most productive self.

Overall impact

Sun Life Financial Wellness programs have a positive impact on their employees, clients and the environment. The program has a positive impact on employees health by offering wellness rewards and activities to encourage employees to be their best self. The wellness program reduces absenteeism, has greater productivity and more engaged employees. "91% of participants achieved the healthy living goals they set for the challenge, and 90% of participants took part in stress-relieving activities at least four days per week post-challenge." Employees are less likely to take sick days and are less stressed at work. The program also has a positive impact on the environment by reducing individuals' carbon footprint, as they are more inclined to walk and bike to work for the physical health benefits.

Business benefit

By employing the Wellness Program, Sun Life is able to better deliver exceptional service to clients, they can attract and retain top talent and limit absenteeism in the workplace. Wellness programs save about 1.5 to 1.7 days in absenteeism per worker over 12 months, or an estimate of $251 per employee per year in savings. By getting employees involved and encouraging active living as well as offering benefit packages, employees are more likely to be more active and productive at work. By reducing absenteeism it also saves the company money.

Sun Life's program also helps employees to lead healthier lifestyles and improve their employees' mental health by helping them to balance their work and personal lives. A healthy employee is a more engaged employee and a more engaged employee is central to the success of Sun life's high performance culture. Hosting events and sessions such as yoga and lunch- and- learns helps to raise awareness of the challenge and gain positive publicity for the company.

Social and environmental benefit

There are many environmental benefits that Sun Life has promoted. By engaging their employees to become more physically healthy, more employees are walking, carpooling and using public transportation to work which overall has a positive impact on the environment.

More employees are also becoming physically healthier by participating in yoga classes and healthy snack breaks. Over 3,700 employees across three continents were physically active for more than 28,700 hours and over 293,000 servings of fruits and vegetables were consumed by employees. "A healthy employee is more likely to be a happy employee which in turn produces satisfied employees and a positive work culture." says Susan Jantzi, Director, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability.

The wellness programs are not only motivational but also educational, encourages active participation and raise awareness. Through events and fund raising, wellness is becoming an ongoing topic of discussion that promotes healthy living not just for the employees and clients at Sun Life, but to their families and friends. Being healthy empowers you to bring your best self to work- everyday!

Interview

Susan Jantzi, Director, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability