Governance and disclosures

Real estate: We take action to minimize our operational footprint to lessen our environmental impact and reduce operating costs — helping prepare our business for a sustainable path forward. As the transition to a net zero economy advances, investors and regulators are striving to manage the built environment as efficiently as possible to reduce emissions and meet global climate goals. Across the global Manulife Investment Management Real Estate portfolio, we have energy reduction targets, as well as targets for water use, waste diversion, and GHG emissions reduction.

Forest and farms: Manulife Investment Management Timberland and Agriculture is focused on managing forests for positive climate impact. The responsible stewardship and management of our forests and farms contributes to our climate goals. Natural climate solutions (NCS) are critical to climate change mitigation and use nature’s climate benefits to address the global warming imperative. Through our plants and soil, Manulife’s terrestrial ecosystems absorb and store more greenhouse gases than our operations emit on an annual basis. Manulife Investment Management-managed forests and farms can also be a source of emissions, through aspects such as fuel combustion to operate heavy machinery, application of fertilizers, and powering of processing facilities. Focusing on climate impacts means going beyond carbon removal and actively working to identify new opportunities for abatement of absolute emissions in our forestry and farmland operations.

In our timberland operations, we continue to manage 100% of our global forests to achieve independent third-party sustainability certification under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) and/or Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®). We've been managing our forests to these rigorous programs—which are essentially ESG standards for forest management—long before the concept of sustainable investing became mainstream. These programs address considerations from biodiversity to water, forest health to conservation value, and indigenous peoples’ rights to training and education.

We take a similar approach in our agriculture operations. We were an early mover in third-party forest certification and have managed third-party certified timberland investments for over two decades.  In 2017, we began collaborating with leading environmental organizations and farmland owners and managers to build such a standard. The Leading Harvest Farmland Management Standard is now growing rapidly. In 2021, our agriculture business became the first to have our entire U.S. agriculture platform certified under the standard. As Leading Harvest expands to other countries where we operate, we intend to seek certification in Australia, Canada, and Chile as well, addressing considerations from biodiversity to water, soil health to conservation value, and indigenous peoples’ rights to training and education.

Occupied corporate real estate: We take action to minimize our Corporate Real Estate operational footprint by continuous evaluation of space requirements by the business segments and reduce operating costs by informing our businesses on how to best utilize space for a sustainable path forward

• Green leases:  Where we occupy leased properties, we can influence our landlords to green their spaces. We incorporate sustainability into our leased space selection process. This enables us to choose the best performing properties and open a dialogue with prospective landlords on how we can collaborate to achieve environmental outcomes.
• Energy efficient design: Our workplaces are in a continuous state of improvement. Energy efficient design is an important principal in the development and implementation of major projects in buildings where our employees work. During building fit out or retrofit we require contractors to pursue construction practices and material which are environmentally friendly.

For an overview of Manulife’s Climate Action Plan, please visit Climate change.

As a global life insurer, we understand the connection between our environment and human health. As an investment manager, we are in a position to build dedicated investment strategies that address the issues of climate change and offer nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change through forests and farms. We are accelerating the pace of innovation around developing products that both solve customer needs and help create a more sustainable future.

• Where appropriate, we are collaborating with asset management peers on key issues, including climate, and are demonstrating asset manager support for responsible investment
• We are encouraging the adoption of sustainable business practices in public markets, promoting action that enables sustainable long-term growth and reduces the potential impact of material sustainability risks over time 
• We are contributing to a growing body of knowledge on the impact of climate change on human health, strengthening our ability to respond to client needs

For an overview of Manulife’s Climate Action Plan, please visit Climate change.

Preserving our natural resources is critical to the well-being of future generations. Biodiversity is at the heart of a healthy environment, and we believe in safeguarding forests, wetlands and natural habitats where biodiversity thrives. We are committed to the protection and restoration of biodiversity through our financing activities and investments.

• Asset ownership: Biodiversity is one of the factors included in Manulife General Account’s assessment of overall environmental risks and opportunities as a component of the underwriting and monitoring of our investment portfolio.
• Asset management: Biodiversity is an element of our overall ESG integration framework, and we are committed to the protection and restoration of biodiversity through our financing activities and investment. In the forests and farms Manulife Investment Management manages, we operate in a way that responsibly manages land and protects sensitive lands and biodiversity through stewardship practices. This includes protection of watersheds, habitats, and critical wildlife, such as bees, squirrels and salmon. In our owned and operated real estate, we seek opportunities to enhance biodiversity in the urban environment and we have partnered with organizations.
  
  • Manulife Investment Management was a member of the informal working group for the Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), working to develop the scope of that endeavor to deliver a risk management and disclosure framework for organizations to report and act on evolving nature-related risk. We have pledged our continued support by becoming part of the TNFD Forum, a multi-disciplinary pool of supporters that the TNFD used to develop standards.
  • In addition, we are signatories to the Finance for Biodiversity Pledge, which included joining several working groups tasked with developing appropriate metrics and stewardship activities in support of commitments to biodiversity and nature by asset managers. By signing onto the pledge, we’ve committed to collaborate and engage with companies on biodiversity and assess our own biodiversity impact. This will enable us to set targets and disclose appropriate reporting on biodiversity aspects by 2024.
  • In our management of timberland and agriculture assets as a fiduciary for our investors, we have in interest in safeguarding forests, wetlands, and natural habitats where biodiversity thrives to make these assets themselves, as well as the benefits they provide—financial or otherwise—more resilient. To put it another way, nature is our business, and the forests and farms we manage are ecosystems. Our objective is to produce returns for our clients by keeping these ecosystems healthy.

For an overview of Manulife’s Climate Action Plan, please visit Climate change.

As part of our Impact Agenda, we are dedicated to advancing positive, measurable social and environmental change to build a better business to better the world.  Through our community investments, and aligned to our Impact Agenda, we work with organizations to foster healthier, more equitable communities across our three interconnected strategic focus areas: empowering sustained health and well-being; driving inclusive economic opportunity; and accelerating a sustainable future.  Our strategy prioritizes investments to organizations that:

• Share a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, particularly through representative leadership and targeted programming to historically underserved communities 
• Drive community-centered solutions, working collaboratively across sectors, aimed at innovative and scalable initiatives
• Demonstrate a holistic approach to the many aspects of well-being, including mental health, to improve and sustain positive outcomes over the long-term
• Utilize data to measure impact with key performance indicators and a commitment to reporting on progress
• Our approach takes many forms, including direct funding, volunteering, which leverage skills-based activities, and employee giving and matching programs

Investment Focus: We focus on removing barriers and empowering people in the communities where we operate. With humanitarian and natural disasters happening around the world, we are committed to helping communities respond effectively with resiliency and recovery resources. We consider funding strategically aligned project or program specific grants, as well as capacity building grants or general operating support to organizations whose missions are highly aligned with our investment focus areas. In addition to programmatic funding, we also fund research and innovation to support cutting-edge ideas to understand, address, and promote sustainable change.

For more information, please visit:

• Manulife Canada Community Investment
• John Hancock Community Investment
• Hong Kong Community Investment

Access to financial products and services, and improvements in financial literacy, can have a profound impact on people’s lives and their ability to prepare for their future.

We use our expertise and resources to advance financial inclusion and literacy, which empowers individuals, families, and communities, to lay the foundation for economic prosperity that benefits us all. We promote financial inclusion through community investment and financial education programs, as well as several specialized products and services that make our offerings more accessible, such as affordable critical illness and health insurance products, digital insurance products, and mobile banking solutions.

We live by our mission to make decisions easier and lives better. Foundational to our success is ensuring that all our colleagues, customers and stakeholders are respected, feel connected to each other and to our mission, and are treated with equity and dignity.

A diverse, equitable and inclusive culture nurtures innovation and attracts and retains the best talent, which helps us deliver better customer solutions and a greater impact on the world. Our global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) aspiration is to cultivate a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace in which all employees are inspired to bring their authentic and whole selves to work. We are passionate about this initiative as it enables employees to thrive personally and professionally while also providing the best service to our customers, business partners and communities. 

Our DEI strategy focuses on four pillars: 

• Our Workforce – diversity at all levels in the organization that is reflective of the communities we serve 
• Our Workplace – employees thrive because they belong and can bring their authentic selves to work 
• Our Business – inclusivity of products and services that support our diverse communities and customers 
• Our Community – strong partnerships and DEI support in the external communities in which we live, work and serve

Our global DEI strategy is spearheaded by our Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, the Global DEI team and our Global DEI Council, who collectively guide, support and facilitate its implementation. Chaired by our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer, the Council is made up of executive leaders who are driving business impact through our DEI strategy and play a key role representing business functions across the organization. Council members meet as a group quarterly and act as advocates in their respective divisions and functions on an ongoing basis.

Learn more about DEI here: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion | Manulife

Ethical business practices and good governance are integral to our legacy and long-term success. Achieving this requires a commitment to integrity and consistently high standards from all partners, including our vendors.

We support businesses owned by women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons who identify as LGBTQ+, veterans, persons with disabilities, and Indigenous Peoples as part of our efforts to reflect the diversity of the communities in which we operate.

In the United States, we are a founding member of the Pacesetters initiative, a partnership established by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce in which large and mid-sized companies and anchor institutions use their collective purchasing power to create opportunities at scale for local businesses owned by members of ethnic minorities. We have a dedicated supplier diversity web page to encourage diverse suppliers to pursue opportunities with us.

Talent attraction and retention: To find the talent we need to deliver on our strategic objectives, our core approach to talent attraction is focused on building enhanced talent networks to entice top candidates in the market. We are focused on delivering innovative ways to engage candidates with a personalized experience. We strive to show candidates that we are committed to helping ensure they can bring their whole selves to work and to help them imagine what they can achieve as a Manulife employee.

Training and development: We are committed to creating a workplace that offers unlimited opportunities for employees to realize their career goals. Employees want to work for an organization they believe cares for them, values their perspective and contributions, invests in them, and gives them flexibility to deliver great work. Whether it is working abroad, exploring a new career direction, or simply progressing in their chosen field, we help our employees reach their full potential through focused development programs and online resources. We provide employees with opportunities for learning and development at all stages of their career. In addition to on-the-job training, mentoring, coaching, in-house programs, and online learning resources, we often subsidize the cost of continuous learning and examinations as employees pursue their learning and individual development plans.

Engagement and recognition: Our ability to engage the best, diverse talent is critical to retention. As individuals are focused on working for organizations that align with their values, we believe our culture gives us a competitive edge.

Listening to our people, and understanding what’s most important to them, are key components of our approach to building engagement. We facilitate employee listening through a variety of platforms and channels. Our annual engagement survey is an opportunity for all our colleagues to tell us what we’re doing well and what we could enhance to help everyone feel connected, empowered and supported.

Recognition is a key driver of engagement and as such we have two globally adopted recognition programs: Podium and Stars of Excellence. Podium is a digital recognition platform that allows colleagues to recognize one another for day-to-day contributions and their service anniversaries. Stars of Excellence is our premier annual recognition program to recognize the top 150 colleagues for achievements in the previous calendar year.

One of our most important priorities at Manulife is supporting the health and well-being of each one of our employees around the globe. We strive to create a culture of well-being that supports the diverse nature of our workforce. Supporting our employees’ health, safety, and well-being means:

• Protecting the health, safety, and well-being of our employees, including ensuring compliance with legislative requirements
• Providing employees with flexibility when it comes to their benefits and wellness choices
• Supporting the evolving needs of our employees

Our employee programs cover a wide array of benefits plans with options that employees can tailor to their individual needs. Some of our benefits and wellness programs include:

• Health, dental, vision, short-term disability, long-term disability, and life and accident insurance coverage
• Retirement savings plans 
• Care and support for employees with cancer
• Extra Personal Days for employees to use during each calendar year

• Mental health support and benefits
• Family friendly benefits for families of all kinds and family planning
  • Adoption, fertility medication and surrogacy financial support in Canada and the U.S. 
  • Paid maternity leave, paid parental and adoption leave in Canada and the U.S.
  • In addition to parental and maternity leaves, various family leaves are available to employees in select geographies.
  • Designated breastfeeding facilities in many of our corporate offices
  • Emergency childcare and eldercare subsidies in Canada and the U.S.
  • Ability to expense childcare through a flexible wellness account via employee benefits, up to the available maximum in Canada and the U.S.
  • The maternity and paternity leaves across Manulife in Asia are at or above statutory requirements (in certain locations such as Cambodia, Hong Kong and Indonesia, our provision is above the statutory and market practices)
• Flexible work programs following a human-centred approach
• Access to industry-leading expertise and financial products to help employees optimize their own financial planning
• Healthy workspaces, including healthy food options in cafeterias and amenity spaces supporting wellness at several locations.

Our Global Health and Safety program embodies its commitment to providing a safe and healthy workplace in compliance with legislative occupational health and safety requirements. This commitment to health and safety is an integral part of our operations and involves the co-operation and support of every individual within the Company. 

All employees have a responsibility for fostering a healthy and safe working environment: 

• Our global Working Better Program helps guide how we manage work schedules and connect with each other to boost our effectiveness.
• Senior management is responsible for enforcement of Manulife’s Global Health and Safety Policy and for ensuring that Health and Safety Committees are established as required by law. Leaders are held accountable for the safety of employees under their supervision. This includes ensuring that equipment is safe and that employees work in compliance with established safe work practices and procedures. 

Our Global Health and Safety Policy recognizes that everyone in the organization has specific responsibilities for Occupational Health and Safety integrated into everyone’s job. This includes: 

• Encouraging all employees to comply with all Company operating procedures pertaining to health and safety and empowering them to take ownership of their safety and report any concerns. 
• Encouraging employees, supervisors, and senior management to raise and resolve health and safety issues as part of their daily business duties. 
• Referring items to senior management if the department manager/supervisor is unable to correct the issue and, to use the Joint Health and Safety Committee, Health and Safety teams, and Employee Relations if the issue(s) remain unresolved. 

Our workplace policies and programs prioritize prevention, monitoring of our health and safety procedures, and training. This includes procedures to investigate work-related injuries, ill health, diseases and incidents. Our workplaces have emergency response plans to identify risks and to plan for emergency situations to premises and employees and we identify actions required to prepare for, and respond to, emergency situations. Internal inspections including health and safety workplace, security and real estate/building operations are completed, and hazards and risks are addressed. 

We provide employee education, including health and safety training, first aid training for health and safety committee members and training on our Global Discrimination, Harassment & Violence Policy. Occupational Health & Safety criteria are included in procurement process and contractual requirements. We prohibit retaliation against employees who report workplace health and safety concerns, injuries, or illnesses or who participate in health and safety-related investigations. 

Customer Experience and NPS: Delivering great customer experience starts with listening closely to our customers, learning from their signals and cues and responding quickly with action. Through our Net Promoter System (NPS), enabled in all of our business globally, we collect real-time feedback from customers at all key moments of interaction. This transactional feedback is delivered directly to the teams that are empowered to take steps to fix or change the customer experience. We are continually maturing our NPS system, ensuring we have the best coverage across key touchpoints and the right people in place to act on real-time feedback.

Customer complaint resolution: We are committed to providing high-quality service and products to assist customers in making better financial decisions. If customers have questions or concerns, we see it as our responsibility to respond promptly, accurately and with the utmost courtesy. Our websites outline complaint resolution processes in each region. The Audit Committee annually reviews the procedures for dealing with customer complaints.

Behavioural Insurance: We are at the leading edge of behavioural insurance, a shared value approach to life insurance that encourages customers to take small steps every day towards living longer, healthier, better lives.   

• When customers live longer, healthier lives, it is good for them and for their life insurers, while society benefits as a whole — it is a primary example of bringing the principles of shared value to life. 
• Whereas traditional insurance policies are priced based on a limited snapshot of a customer’s data (e.g., age, smoking status, gender, basic health indicators) at the point of purchase, this new type of insurance provides financial protection and rewards customers with premium savings and other benefits when they make healthy lifestyle choices.
• We offer four behavioural insurance programs: Manulife Vitality and Manulife Vitality Group in Canada; John Hancock Vitality in the U.S.; and ManulifeMOVE, delivered through the MOVE app, in select markets in Asia.