“Our vision for a more equitable world extends far beyond our own factories and offices. We want our entire business to work towards the transformations in society that will tackle social inequality and unfairness, and end the marginalisation of individuals and groups who are under-represented simply because of who they are. But we know that to achieve our ambition, we must make sure our own house is more than ‘in order’ – we have to be leaders in building and maintaining equitable workplaces, ” said Unilever in a blog.
Unilever team highlighted that the biases and structural inequalities that contribute to inequality in society can still be barriers in workplaces. “That’s why we’ve adopted a transformational approach that actively addresses issues of discrimination and promotes equity for all, and made it a goal within our Unilever Compass, ” stated Unilever.
“We believe every employee, without exception, must feel able to bring their true authentic self to work, and we are committed to fighting for equal treatment for the LGBTQI+ community. In 2018, we signed the UN LGBTI Standards of Conduct for Business: Tackling Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans & Intersex People, ” the blog further stated.
Unilever talks about creating proUd, its global employee resource group whose mission is to be ‘a beacon of inclusion for people in the LGBTQI+ community and allies, amplifying their voices in society and at Unilever’. “It has local chapters all over the world, involving over 1,200 employees and we’re continuing to expand it to increase advocacy for human rights and safe havens for this community. We’ve also introduced an updated LGBTQI+ training module on our Degreed learning platform. This training offers a broad understanding of the LGBTQI+ community and includes guidance on inclusive language and becoming an LGBTQI+ ally, ” stated Unilever in the blog and added, “As well as ensuring our own workplaces are inclusive and free from discrimination, we advocate LGBTQI+ rights globally. We’ve signed the Declaration of Amsterdam – a global statement of support for LGBTQI+ rights and joined Open for Business, a coalition of leading global companies, to show we mean business on taking action on LGBTQI+ inclusion globally.”
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