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TORONTO, July 13, 2017 /CNW/ - Manulife is pleased to announce the extension of its partnership with Excellence Canada, acting as their Champion of Excellence for Mental Health at Work®. Because we believe good mental health is a driver of overall wellbeing and workplace productivity, we consider it to be of vital importance to both employers and employees to promote mental health in the workplace.
"Manulife is committed to improving mental health across the country. For years now we have seen mental health issues affecting a growing number of Canadians both in our employee base and among the groups we insure. Our hope is that through education and prevention other organizations will join in adopting the National Standard for a mentally healthy workplace," said Kathy McIlwham, Vice-President - Wellness, Disability and Life at Manulife.
Manulife's belief that mental, physical, emotional and financial wellbeing are all linked made this partnership extension a natural fit. We want to help Canadians be their best which is why together with Excellence Canada, we have developed a comprehensive guide on how to improve mental health at work for organizations of any size, in any industry.
Mental Health at Work Essentials is a guide designed for organizations of all sizes which may be seeking a proven strategy and planning tool to effect sustainable cultural change in their workplaces. This guide can also help organizations successfully implement the Voluntary National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. The tools, templates, and strategies it contains allow organizations to build a foundation for a mentally safe and healthy workplace, while working towards certification from Excellence Canada.
The guide is available on Excellence Canada's website, and there are free resources and videos for both employers and employees on Manulife's Workplace Solutions for Mental Health website as well. The benefits that these programs aim to provide include driving down absenteeism, long-term disability, drug costs and diseases caused or aggravated by psychological illness, to name a few.
"Real and dramatic outcomes are being realized by early adopters of the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, and it is our privilege to certify and recognize role-model organizations like Manulife," said Allan Ebedes, President and CEO of Excellence Canada. "Organizations are making major inroads toward addressing and preventing mental illness but most are still in the early stages of what is necessarily a long-term journey to excellence. Our hope is that this partnership will help more organizations achieve that objective."
About Manulife
Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services group that helps people achieve their dreams and aspirations by putting customers' needs first and providing the right advice and solutions. We operate as John Hancock in the United States and Manulife elsewhere. We provide financial advice, insurance, as well as wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. At the end of 2016, we had approximately 35,000 employees, 70,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving more than 22 million customers. As of March 31, 2017, we had $1 trillion (US$754 billion) in assets under management and administration, and in the previous 12 months we made almost $26.3 billion in payments to our customers. Our principal operations are in Asia, Canada and the United States where we have served customers for more than 100 years. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong.
SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation
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