A company for all

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a cornerstone of today’s forward-thinking companies and it’s also a key factor that separates those firms, who lead the global economy, from the rest.

Nowhere is that more evident than at Manulife Canada, who have been prolifically innovative in making their business a more equitable and inclusive environment.

The financial services firm, which has 38,000 employees across its locations around the world including 13,000 in Canada, is prodigious in creating and implementing initiatives to drive a powerful DEI agenda.

Recently named one of CMP’s Top Mortgage Employers, their commitment to being a progressive and diverse organization matters to Canadians in 2024.

Brokers can also have confidence in relaying to their clients how dedicated the firm, which serves one-in-three Canadian adults with financial services, is to supporting all of their employees regardless of their background or identity.

Geri Sinclair-Klack (pictured top left), head of broker sales at Manulife Bank of Canada describes the evolution she’s seen at Manulife.  “Over my 23 years here, I’ve seen Diversity, Equity and Inclusion become a pillar of this revitalized organization. In fact, Manulife Bank has its first female president and CEO, Katy Boshart and five of our six sales leaders in the broker channel are female. The Manulife Mortgage Protection Insurance team supporting brokers is also headed by a female and has many additional female leaders. Regardless of who you are, the company is making every effort to make you feel like you belong, and your work is valued.”

Proving the point Naveed Irshad, CEO and president of Manulife Canada, is an advocate of the DEI efforts.

The fundamental building blocks of this impressive progress are Manulife’s 14 Employee Resource Groups, which include:

• Global Women's Alliance (3,100 members in Canada)
• Toronto-based Women @ Manulife
• PROUD (Professionals Reaching Out for Unity and Diversity)
• PACES (Pan-Asian Community for Employee Success)
• IBE (Valuing the Inclusion of Black Colleagues)
• IPTA (Indigenous Peoples and Their Allies)
• Ability (employees living with physical or mental health disabilities, and their allies)
• Being Yourself (grassroots group to support employees with mental health)

“It's not just words for us, it's about actual cooperation with each other,” explains Mario Cloutier (pictured, top right), head of creditor insurance in Canada.

And he emphasises the collegiate spirit within the firm when it comes to DEI.

“It’s all about the people and the value they can bring, everybody has one common goal in place, which is to make Manulife the undisputed market leader in the industry. We all work in the same direction, you don't see any behind the scenes agendas, so when somebody brings in a suggestion or idea, we as leaders look at it because it's in the fair interest of making everyone else better.”

Manulife has a pledge to record a 30% increase in minority representation in leadership positions by 2025 and to have a 25% minimum of its graduate program entrants from minority groups.

These targets are set to have an exponential effect on the firm, due to the transparent and supportive culture that exists.

Geri Sinclair-Klack explains how new employees are afforded instant respect to share suggestions.

“Fresh eyes coming in is always a good thing as they may see something that we should be considering doing differently, or that they think we need to implement. They can channel that up through their managers and we’ve seen some innovative ideas come to life.”

Proving just how transparent the firm is, during the recruitment process, the candidates’ future co-workers are engaged.

“It gives the opportunity for the potential employee to ask their questions about what we're doing, how we're doing it, and build a synergy,” says Cloutier. “There's nothing more difficult than walking into a new environment where you have no one to relate to. So, the opportunity to be actually involved in the conversation with your peers, and co-workers throughout the interview process facilitates the integration. It really is one big family, as they know they will be welcome and supported here.”

Indigenous Champions

All meetings at Manulife Canada begin with a land acknowledgement, giving thanks to the Indigenous people as the stewards of where the meeting is happening.

As part of this effort Manulife has welcomed the indigenous community to share their experiences with staff

They discussed the history around children being forced into residential schools and the devastating impact it had on the mental health of families and communities.

During the redesign of Manulife’s Canadian head office in Waterloo, meetings rooms were named with Indigenous themes in mind such as Turtle Island (the Indigenous name for North America and the story of the same name speaks to spiritual and cultural beliefs).

This was just one idea driven by the IPTA ERG explains Sinclair-Klack.

“Their efforts allow us to better enable our Indigenous employees to advance professionally, have open and honest conversations. It also promotes cultural awareness, a positive work environment for indigenous employees, provides networking opportunities and supports the Manulife brand by developing a positive presence in the community.”

The future is bright for further advancements for Indigenous awareness at Manulife and also across the entire DEI spectrum.

The firm is committed to listening to its employees and reacting to what is required to support and enable everyone to proudly be themselves at work.

“The ERGs are just that, they are led by the employees without interference. There are people that work here who are very passionate about particular causes and they want to create awareness,” says Sinclair-Klack. “Manulife fully supports our employees to bring these ideas to life and make them become part of our company – it’s never seen as an unwanted task or chore, we want to do this.”

If you would like more information on Manulife’s employee commitments or its value as a lender and mortgage protection provider, speak to one of your dedicated Manulife representatives or visit www.manulife.ca.

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