WELLESLEY, Mass., Sept. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sun Life U.S.
today announced a new paid family and medical leave program for all
full- and part-time workers in the U.S. to help employees better
care for themselves and their families, including chosen family as
defined by the employee. The new program covers approximately 3,500
employees, effective January 1, 2020,
and provides up to:
- Four months of fully paid family leave to bond with a
new child, including adopted and foster children; care for ill
family members; care for a family member injured on active duty;
address matters arising from a family member called to military
duty; address issues related to domestic violence or sexual
assault; or become a bone marrow or organ donor.
- Six months of fully paid leave for the birth parent,
which includes two months of medical leave for childbirth recovery
in addition to the four months of family leave.
- Six months+ of paid medical leave for an employee's own
illness or injury, with the first four months at full pay.
"Offering generous paid family and medical leave is the right
thing to do for our employees and their families, and it allows
them to be together in the moments that matter," said Dan Fishbein, M.D., president of Sun Life U.S.
"This program aligns with our inclusive work culture, our company's
purpose to help people achieve lifetime financial security and live
healthier lives, and our desire to retain and recruit the top
talent in today's diverse workforce. We believe it's important to
make this benefit meaningful to all generations and genders of
employees, recognizing that families come in all forms and that the
needs for leave are broad."
"Guaranteed paid family and medical leave should be the standard
for every single American worker," said Congressman Joe Kennedy III. "By implementing this policy
for the more than 1,000 workers in our district and the 3,500
nationwide, Sun Life isn't only investing in their own workers, but
using their influence to encourage other businesses to follow their
lead."
Katie Bethell, founder and
executive director of Paid Leave U.S., commented, "Sun Life's new
paid leave program is forward-thinking in its inclusive approach
beyond traditional family structures and reasons for leave. While
parental leave is extremely important, broadening paid leave to
include all caregivers and others gives all generations and genders
of employees equal access to paid time off to care for loved ones.
These are vital considerations to embrace in the world today."
Fishbein added, "We applaud the efforts by Massachusetts, Paid Leave U.S. and others who
have begun to establish a legislative foundation for paid leave in
the U.S. We support these efforts, and will continue to work with
legislators and advocates.
"But it's up to employers to do more to cover this gap with
robust, innovative and competitive paid leave packages that meet
the needs of today's workforce. I call on all employers to
re-examine their leave policies to do what's right for their
employees and companies, and join us on this critical journey. We
welcome the opportunity to share our experience to help shape these
programs and reach more Americans."
A survey from Deft Research shows paid family leave among the
top five of the most important benefits across all generations of
employees from Gen Z to Boomers for a variety of needs related to
life's joys and challenges, including welcoming a new child, giving
care to an aging parent or ill family member, or attending to their
own illness. Despite this, only 14% of the American workforce is
covered by an employer-sponsored paid leave program, according to a
report from the Boston Consulting Group.
In keeping with the needs of today's employees, Sun Life has
continually updated its benefits programs and adopted an agile work
approach that offers more choice and flexibility in how and where
employees work. Last year, the company also added a sabbatical
program to give employees the opportunity to take extended time
away from work to rejuvenate or pursue personal development. Other
popular benefits include a revamped wellness program to support
physical, mental, and financial well-being that includes monetary
rewards and optional participation of spouses and domestic
partners, as well as support for chronic medical conditions like
hypertension and diabetes management with free medical
supplies.
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 June 30,
2019, Sun Life had total assets under management of
C$1,025 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 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
Fernald
Sun Life U.S.
781-800-3609
Devon.Portney.Fernald@sunlife.com
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SOURCE Sun Life U.S.