Whilst the World Health Organisation estimates there are over a billion people currently living with disabilities1, in the business world today only 4% of businesses are focused on making offerings inclusive of disability2. Unilever, which has an ambition to become the number one employer of choice for people with disabilities, is committed to adapting recruitment processes and the workplace environment to achieve this. As a leading employer in the UK, Unilever believes this is not only the right thing to do but will also unlock a currently untapped source of talent, potential and creativity.
As a business committed to having a positive social impact, Unilever believes that becoming a truly diverse business, which reflects the societies and consumers they serve, is critical to long-term success. As part of the broader Unilever Sustainable Living Plan pledge to create an inclusive business, Unilever has committed to have 5% of its workforce represented by employees with disabilities by 2025 and have a number of training programmes and initiatives in place to support with this progress:
- The ‘#Unstereotype The Workplace’ programme aims to create a workplace where every employee feels free and confident to bring their true selves into the workplace, creating a culture free of stereotyping and bias
- To create an environment which ensures employees with disabilities have equal opportunities for growth and progression, Unilever has worked with the Business Disability Forum to create a ‘Disability Standard Scorecard’, a standardised guidance for sites to comply with to create a business environment and culture able to support employees with disabilities
- Working with guidance provided by the government’s scheme - ‘The Disability Confidence Scheme’, Unilever in the UK and Ireland is currently ‘Disability Confident Committed’ and working hard to achieve ‘Disability Confident Employer’ status this year
- This summer, Unilever UK and Ireland offered a number of targeted placement opportunities for students with disabilities
Richard Sharp, VP of HR for Unilever UK and Ireland, said “At Unilever we’re committed to being the number one employer of choice for people with disabilities, and know that creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, one that mirrors our society and encourages equal opportunities for all, is key to our success. We are confident that by advertising our job opportunities on Evenbreak we will see an increase in the number of talented people with disabilities who might want to apply for a role in our business and build their careers here.”
Jane Hatton, Director for Evenbreak, said “We are delighted that Evenbreak will be helping Unilever to attract and retain more talented disabled candidates. Unilever has made a public commitment around achieving disability equality, and Evenbreak is proud to be an important part of that journey.”
1https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health
2https://www.thevaluable500.com/
About Unilever
Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2.5 billion consumers a day. It has 155,000 employees and generated sales of €51 billion in 2018. Over half (60%) of the company’s footprint is in developing and emerging markets. Unilever has around 400 brands found in homes all over the world, including Dove, Knorr, Dirt Is Good, Rexona, Hellmann’s, Lipton, Wall’s, Lux, Magnum, Axe, Sunsilk and Surf.
Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) underpins the company’s strategy and commits to:
- Helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being by 2020.
- Halving the environmental impact of our products by 2030.
- Enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020.
The USLP creates value by driving growth and trust, eliminating costs and reducing risks. In 2018, the company’s Sustainable Living Brands grew 69% faster than the rest of the business, compared to 46% in 2017.
Since 2010 we have been taking action through the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan to help more than a billion people improve their health and well-being, halve our environmental footprint and enhance the livelihoods of millions of people as we grow our business. We have already made significant progress and continue to expand our ambition – most recently committing to ensure 100% of our plastic packaging is fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. While there is still more to do, we are proud to have been recognised in 2018 as sector leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and as the top ranked company in the Globecan/SustainAbility Global Corporate Sustainability Leaders survey, for the eighth-consecutive year. For more information about Unilever and its brands, please visit www.unilever.com. For more information on the USLP: www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/