HUL sustainable strategy in response to digitalization and automation. The program focused on three key priorities— accelerate real change by collaborating more broadly with trade unions, governments, and other relevant stakeholders; equip everyone in the organization with the skills that would make them employable in the future; and create a workplace that allowed for flexible resourcing.

1. Unilever’s response to future of work
By : | Swarn Shekhar|

2. Started in 1992 Now HUL : €4.5bn powerhouse
3
HUL performance HUL footprint HUL Recognition
Nearly every
household uses one
or more of our brands
UL brands are
available in
8mn+ stores
10% CAGR over
10 years*
Among the top 5 most
valuable companies in
India with market cap
of $51 b**
‘Dream Employer’ for 9
years in a row among
top Indian universities
#8 Globally and
#1 in India
• Unilever operates in over 190 countries,
• with over 400 brands and over 127,000 employees.
• In 2022, Unilever had a turnover of € 60.1 billion

3. Changing FMCG industry & future of work drivers
Growth is projected to reach $15k billion by 2025
Technological factors brought about a revolution
• Buying behaviours evolved
• Rapid advances in automation and AI
• Aging population
• New modes of work

4. Unilever’s Future of work framework : 3 pillars
2. Ignite Lifelong Skill
Distinctive Technology giving
Competitive Advantage
Consumer
Need/ Unmet
Problem
Enabling employees with skills
for life i.e digital , leadership
behaviors, purpose and
wellbeing
Embracing Hybrid Crowd-source
employment models ;Gig/talent
swaps/freelance i.e flexible and
location free.
Helping young people outside HUL
to develop essential skills and
access employment opportunities.
1. Nurturing the work style 3. Redefining the Work system

5. Responsible automation along the value chains : Purpose driven
Harnessing the power of ‘Data as an enterprise asset’
Distributor Store
Distribution
Center
Factory Consumers
Performance
Management
AI Augmented
Decision Making
B2B Model and
assured N+1 Delivery
Precision Marketing
Digital Factory
& Robotics
Digitization of Stores
Robotics Automation @
Warehouses

6. Responsible Automation Plan Execution
Leave no one behind. Create employability. Jobs become redundant, not people.
Step1 Mindset Change: Step 2: Creating Plan Step 3: collective approach
• Unilever's strategy for lower-skilled job automation – by getting workers in front of automation
• Equipping impacted employees with future skills for future employability – partnerships to place.
Implementation Steps:
Aligned with
cost cutting
Strategy

7. Applications
Diverse applications by HUL to match up the Digitalization and Automation
 Unilever Italy: Joint agenda with works council for automation and digitalization
 Alliance for Employability in a Digital World: Addressing skill mismatches in Italy
 Job Estimates: 4.7 million jobs generated vs. 3.6 million automated
 Digital Learning Academy: Govt-funded, open to SME employees and disadvantaged groups
 Redundancy Support: Redeployment partnerships with other companies
 Office Digitalization: Identifying tasks for automation and upskilling programs
 Augmenting Capabilities: Using technology to enhance human productivity
 Global Application: Future of Work framework in Pakistan and Kenya
 Transition in Kenya: Creating an entrepreneurial ecosystem for 2,000 workers

8. MOVING FORWARD & CONCLUSION
The program focused on three key priorities—
• accelerate real change by collaborating more broadly with trade unions, governments,
and other relevant stakeholders;
• equip everyone in the organization with the skills that would make them employable in
the future; and
• create a workplace that allowed for flexible resourcing.
This initiative had elicited various reactions in the firm so far and this is what Unilever
has to say—
“We need to lead our organizations to a new future of work—one that has the potential to be
more inclusive, more purposeful, and one which can deliver more positive impact to our people,
our consumers, and the competitive growth of our business.”
IN THE END…
Unilever estimated & realized that employees were 35% less likely to quit if they
had access to lifelong learning and upskilling, representing a potential saving of
€6.6 million per year in hiring costs for every 700 employees trained!