Sun Life reviews

3.8

68% would recommend to a friend

(4,279 total reviews)
avatar

Kevin Strain

90% approve of CEO

69% positive business outlook

Sun Life has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 4,279 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Sun Life employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Versicherungswesen industry (3.6 stars).

Reviews by job title

4K reviews
1.0
Jul 12, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The benefits and vacation structure are great, and for most of the business areas there is a great work-life balance available for the majority of employees. Compensation is generally in-line with the industry, but varies highly depending on your manager and business unit. The majority of peers and co-workers are very friendly and there's a good sense of team.

Cons

The company's larger corporate organization in Canada is extremely stable and consistent. However, the US organization has seen a great deal of uncertainty, strategic direction shifts, and reductions in business lines over the past several years. Future direction and stability in the US is extremely uncertain, and clear communication from senior management is non-existent. The US organization thrives on form over substance, and opportunities do not exist for hard-working, honest, and talented employees. The most talented team members are singled-out and minimized by managers that do not understand the subject matter or responsibilities of the teams they are managing. Who you know is definitely more important than what you know. Hence all the other reviews here describing that the most talented people leave. (this is absolutely accurate) If you're looking for punching the clock and low demands on your time and skills, this might be a great fit. But if you're looking for challenging and rewarding work, Sun Life might not be the place for you.

2.0
Nov 6, 2013

Find a bettter place to work

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good benefits Competitive salary in line with other large organizations

Cons

Poor senior and middle management leadership. Individual side of the business is like working for a prison. Employees in senior management who have been with the company for a long time are unsupportive to new employees. No on site parking at Waterloo location, you have to take a shuttle bus to get to work

1.0
Dec 2, 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Financing of Certifications, Conferences and other educational activities - Free breakfast/lunch during quarterly meetings

Cons

- Terrible work-life balance: 1) my boss wouldn't let me use my personal cell phone to text my family, not even during the 30 seconds that it took to walk from my desk to the bathroom - a time when I clearly couldn't be doing work-related stuff. 2) while I was there, their working-from-home policy got more and more strict. People who used to work from home 2x/week (because they lived far away) were called to work in the office 5x/week. 3) You get 10 days vacation and it only goes up to 12 days after you've worked with them for 2 years. - If you're an immigrant, don't expect them to help you fit in the Canadian work culture. No one ever told me if or what I was doing wrong, how I needed to act, if I should change, etc. - There is no knowledge sharing culture. They have people who are specialists in each area or system, and nothing is written down. Only one person knows the information about one system. If the specialist goes on vacation and you need information about that system, too bad for you. You have to wait for that person to come back (and meanwhile you get 2 weeks behind your schedule).

Viewing 85 - 87 of 4,279 Reviews

Glassdoor has 5,257 Sun Life reviews submitted anonymously by Sun Life employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Sun Life is right for you.