Why championing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusions in organizations is key to good business management
In today’s progressive and ever-changing business landscape, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) may seem like just strategic buzzwords in the workforce, but that are actually key to achieving any organization’s business goals.They have the possibility to promote a positive workplace culture and are part of the secret recipe to successful people management. Companies that embrace ED&I have the added advantage of attracting highly skilled and knowledgeable individuals stemming from diverse backgrounds to join the team, as it provides every employee a safe space to grow and maximize their full potential while simultaneously achieving the company’s growth and expansion.
Diversity is about having a demographic mix of people, including those from marginalized and underrepresented groups within any organization. The act of creating a work culture in which individuals can fully participate is the basis of inclusion while with equity, systemic barriers that inhibit full participation should be eliminated so equal access to opportunities for all could be implemented. However, more than treating everyone equally and giving them equal opportunities, promoting equity in the workplace also means that management should acknowledge that each individual (persons with disabilities, for instance) have needs that are different from one another thus, they need to be supported according to that specific need. The Equality Act 2010 emboldens the promotion of ED&I in the workplace and encourages embracing each individual because of (and not despite) their gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, race, or belief. It is all about accepting and supporting every individual notwithstanding their background, treating them with respect, and providing them with a safe environment where they will always feel welcome, and where their voice is heard.
ED&I in the DNA
When ED&I is championed in an organization, there will be increased engagement, collaboration, and loyalty among employees, resulting in enhanced productivity and customer satisfaction, and in the long run, improved profitability. Unilever Philippines has long been committed to promote ED&I, regarding it as a crucial factor for its growth and success. At the heart of Unilever’s values, leadership behaviors, and management practices is its strong commitment to champion ED&I, with its ambition hinged on the premise of building equitable workplaces and to achieve equity, diversity and inclusion in everything it does. Unilever’s vision for a more equitable world extends far beyond its own factories and offices. It is relentlessly working towards transformations in society that will tackle social inequality and unfairness, and end the marginalization of individuals and groups, starting with promoting and supporting diversity in its own supply chain. Unilever is harnessing its business, influence and partnerships to drive action in the key areas of respecting rights, building skills and creating opportunities for women and other underrepresented groups.
Specifically, Unilever Philippines actively works with its partners to empower women and SMEs by being instrumental in making livelihood accessible through various programs and skills training available for everyone. It prides itself with the Kabisig Summit where Unilever Philippines partners with “Super!Store” owners and their ‘Kabisigs’ to help grow its partner sari-sari stores across the country. This project also provides access to skills training to help sari-sari store owners on how to effectively run their business. Misis Walastik, on the other hand, is a community-based waste collection program which helps provide livelihood and upskills Filipina waste pickers in the informal sector, while helping contribute to a waste-free world. Its Wais University (Wais U)—an initiative from laundry brand Surf—is committed to unleashing the ‘Wais’-ness (wise/crafty) of each Filipina through a free online entrepreneurial certification program for all Filipino Moms to help them kickstart and grow their own business.
It comes as no surprise, then, that Unilever’s internship program is an undoubtedly coveted opportunity for graduates, mostly coming from the top universities based in Manila. Thus, Unilever Philippines’ HR created U-Fresh, a six-month program where graduates and young professionals gain meaningful experiences through mentorship, stretching projects, and skills training. This opportunity is open to applicants outside of our usual hiring pool, especially those outside of Metro Manila. As Unilever serves consumers nationwide, this program attempts to gather people into the organization to represent Filipinos across the country.
A beacon of hope for a more inclusive, diverse and equitable tomorrow
As a staunch proponent of ED&I globally, the company has removed barriers and bias from all existing policies and practices which impact employees’ experience and established leadership accountability for equipping and supporting all employees to excel in their roles and contribute to the growth of the business. When it comes to recruitment and selection, development and career progression, Unilever continues to attract creative and highly skilled talents by removing exclusionary practices in all markets and by seeking to make its workforce fundamentally representative of the populations in the geography in which they operate, and of their customer base. It has likewise established leadership accountability for equipping and supporting its employees to excel in their roles and contribute to the growth of the business.
The four focus areas of the company’s ED&I strategy embraces gender, race and ethnicity, people with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ communities; the company continually works to address the challenges of these groups’ under-representation at all levels. Its vision is to drive a workplace that is more equitable by transforming the way they think, by tackling social inequality and unfairness while empowering those who are under-represented simply because of who they are, and by not only transforming its brands and products, but by working together to instill a deep sense of belonging for every individual.
Unilever’s “proUd network” (the company’s LGBTQ+ network group) has seen an escalation in number, from 250 colleagues in 2018 to more than 1,300 colleagues across 20 local networks around the world currently, a proof that the playing field for all LGBTQ+ colleagues is leveled. To further underscore gender sensitivity and inclusion, the workplace features inclusive facilities like gender-neutral restrooms, where all its employees can feel safe and comfortable, regardless of gender identity.
“At Unilever, our Equity ambition is to UNLIMIT people’s potential. We aim to bring down the barriers that limit people. It starts with having deep empathy that not everyone gets to start from the same place, and then leading by example with intentional people and workplace practices that offer equitable opportunities,” Geeta Royyuru, Philippines HR Head and B&W SEA HR Lead, said, while noting that 58% of Unilever’s management comprises of women leaders as it believes that Gender diversity enables other forms of diversity and inclusion to thrive. “We are proud to be practicing Gender Neutral policies including Health coverage, Fertility treatment leave, Childcare leave, Transition of Gender Expression, and more,” she added.
Unilever acknowledges the different forms of unions and families, extending “Malasakit” and allowing equitable access to healthcare benefits. For mothers, Unilever has been providing a 120-day expanded maternity benefit since 2017, and this perk is complemented by 20 days of paid paternity leave, a significant increase from the seven-day paternity leave mandated by Philippine law. Meanwhile, parents who are adopting a child aged six months and below enjoy paid absence. These incentives encourage all of its employees to be the best they can be for their family and likewise inspire how they show up for the workplace as well. While the company extends the value of malasakit (caring) to its employees, its people also extend their malasakit to the business in return as they (and their families) are all treated with respect and dignity.
Kay Veloso, B&W SEA Growth Media & Performance Lead on Unilever’s inclusive policies, is a living testimony of how she has benefitted from these programs as a working mom. “I’m really proud to be part of Unilever and am lucky that the company has seen and supported me through different life stages—from entering as a single mid-career hire to getting married to now having two children. Our maternity leave policy gives new mothers 120 days of childcare. We also have daycare and nursing facilities onsite, and in case of emergencies, we can also avail of childcare leave to look after our children. All of this allows me to give the best possible care to my children. It lessens the mental and emotional load of leaving them behind, and I am able to bring out my best self at work and at home,” she shared.
Mission #Unstereotype
Unilever’s Unstereotype initiative aims to create systemic change and make end-to-end inclusive marketing a priority. With this, Unilever and its brands aim to provoke inclusive thinking across a holistic marketing process—from consumer insight, brand DNA and proposition, marketing mix development and creative development to behind the camera and on-screen portrayals. It also intends to ensure an Unstereotype charter for every Unilever brand, outlining its commitment to ED&I through its marketing and advertising campaigns to increase representation of people from diverse groups on screen and behind the camera. Eventually, this will discourage any digital alterations to photography, advocating for a 100% ban on changing models’ body shape, size, proportion or skin color (Unstereotype Experiment Video: Science Against Stereotyping – YouTube).
Proud to be U!
Being one of the biggest FMCG players in the country (with strong category positions in Nutrition, Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Ice Cream & Home Care), Unilever continuously champions ED&I. The company’s employees have developed a deep and shared understanding about how ED&I could seamlessly create a truly inclusive workforce. In turn, they foster more diverse ideas that ignite greater innovation as a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive working environment proves to be more productive and profitable, making them proud to be part of Unilever.
Like Royyuru and Veloso, Richard Velasquez (Home Care SEA and Philippines Head of Customer Strategy & Planning on inclusivity for consumers), revealed that working in the homecare category, their goal is to make tasks as trivial as doing laundry or cleaning the toilet a delightful experience. “That means keeping the shopper at the heart of everything we do. I think that’s inclusivity in action—knowing, understanding and respecting the needs of your consumers and shoppers and finding ways to delight them. In homecare, everyone is authentic and respectful and because of that, I’m not just proud to be part of this company, but I also feel at home,” he said.
Herbert Hallig, Deo R&D Lead for Personal Care SEA, has this to say of Unilever when it comes to hybrid working and work-life balance. “I have the flexibility to arrange my schedule such that I have collaborative days in the office, including face-to-face check-in with my team. I spend my focus time at home or remotely to work on my priorities. I also make sure to insert off-site work such as visiting the laboratory, the manufacturing plant, and even joining trade checks or consumer connections to know our consumers better,” he said. In his free time, he focuses on his passions such as watching sports, working out, playing board games, and spending quality time with family and close friends. “I am fortunate to be part of an organization that enables both flexibility and productivity. Unilever’s hybrid working policy allows me to flex my time between work, my wellbeing, family and even my passion for teaching and travel,” he added.
Unilever’s Communications and Employee Engagement Executive on Purpose Programs around ED&I, Carol Cerveza, confirms this workplace culture: “It makes me feel proud to work for Unilever, where ED&I is in its DNA, brought to life with equitable employee policies and brands in action. Through the Unilever GIVES employee volunteerism program which I lead, we empower our employees to get involved, act, and work with our brands to help communities and positively impact society.”
The ED&I mindset is very much alive at the core of Unilever, evidenced in the culture of knowing, understanding, respecting, and finding ways to listen to each other’s needs, and the company has proven how it takes ED&I efforts seriously through its programs, projects, and campaigns. Unilever works to create a fairer, more socially inclusive world in its business, through its brands, and in wider society, by providing a safe space with fair opportunities, unbiased treatment, and full support. By building a workplace founded on ED&I, Unilever allows individuals to grow side-by-side with the company as a content employee, as they simultaneously strive—as a parent, spouse, or partner—to become their own authentic self and fulfill their personal potential.
To know more about Unilever’s EDI efforts, check out this about Sustainability: https://www.unilever.com/sustainability/equity-diversity-and-inclusion/ or visit https://www.unilever.com.ph
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