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Flexibility, choice to drive Sun Life’s future of work in Canada

Sun Life, a Canadian insurance, wealth and health company, has unveiled its post-pandemic future of work vision.

Rooted in employee flexibility, empowerment and centred around client and business needs, the vision has employees choosing when and where to work — whether at home or in the office.

In Canada, Sun Life’s home market, a majority of its approximately 12,000 employees will be “flexible.”

This means employees will not be required to work from the office any minimum or maximum number of days.

Instead, by using client and business needs as a guide, employees will choose where they work at any given time based on the activities they need to complete.

“The future of work at Sun Life is about flexibility and choice, empowering people to optimize their work and personal priorities,” said Kevin Strain, president and incoming CEO of Sun Life, in a news release. “Our employees have continued to be there for clients throughout the pandemic, accelerating towards our goal to be one of the best insurance and asset management companies in the world. Retaining flexibility allows employees to use business and Client needs as a guide to help them determine where they work.”

“There’s no question the pandemic has changed the way Canadians work, motivating many of us to reflect on our priorities and values, and what we need to sustain our mental and physical health,” added Jacques Goulet, president, Sun Life Canada.

“Throughout the pandemic, our employees told us they found comfort in our encouragement to flex their day. At a time when many businesses struggled, Sun Life’s employee engagement in Canada increased significantly. We believe a flexible model gives employees more decision-making power, centred on our Clients’ and business needs.”

Sun Life’s offices remain an important element of its strategy. They will continue to be a meeting place for clients and employees, and a hub for in-person collaboration and ideation. For employees whose roles require more office-time, they can perform their activities from a Sun Life location.

Sun Life is investing in a number of measures to help make its flexible future a reality. This includes:

• equipping offices with the right technology and tools
• training and support for people leaders to lead as provinces re-open
• focusing on creating an equitable and inclusive experience for all Sun Life employees – whether they work mainly from home or from the office.

Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing insurance, wealth and asset management solutions to individual and corporate clients.