The lively and thought-provoking session was an opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities of flexible working along with highlighting examples where we are making great progress in supporting both men and women to build meaningful careers with Unilever.
Flexibility and agile work practices – the ability to work anywhere and anytime as long as the business needs are met are key to the culture we are creating at Unilever. Increasingly both men and women in our business are taking advantage of technology that enables them to work from home as well as flexible work options such as part-time and job-sharing to help them balance different priorities in their life - whether that be family commitments, individual pursuits and their own health and well-being.
At Unilever, we have an ambitious goal to double the size of our business while reducing our environmental impact and increasing our positive social impact. This includes empowering women in our own business and those connected to our supply chain as well as promoting women’s rights.
We want to achieve gender-diversity at all levels of our business. With women representing more than 70% of the people who buy our products, a gender balanced workforce is critical to ensure we can continue to create products that meet the needs of our consumers.
The panel discussion showed there is clear business case for gender equality and flexible working at Unilever to stimulate creativity, cater to our diverse consumer base and deliver better overall business performance.