HR practices and policies Our total employee strength, as of December 31, 2009, was 15,466. We also had 18,210 variable manpower including 800 fixed-term and temporary contract employees. We encourage employment of local residents in our manufacturing operations depending upon availability of skills. Our employee relations policy recognises the freedom of association and collective bargaining. Our company follows a collective bargaining process while finalizing long-term settlements in all supply chain units. All the workmen at the supply chain units are organised and are represented by various unions/authorised representatives in their units. In 2009, 10,018 employees were covered under collective bargaining agreements across manufacturing operations and offices. We have witnessed 4.9% voluntary attrition amongst managers and 9% amongst officers in 2009. The total rate of employee turnover (total exits due to resignation, retirement, demise, early retirement) in 2009 was 10% for managers and 14% for officers. The rate of turnover for workmen in our operations was negligible.
Child labour Our recruitment policy doesn't permit engagement of child labour directly or indirectly. Regular audits ensure compliance at our own sites and at third party locations/sites.
Forced or compulsory labour The Employee Relations Policy and business principles adopted by the company prohibit such practices and this is upheld in letter and spirit.
Rights of indigenous people We haven't witnessed any violations of the rights of indigenous people and none of our sites are at risk of violating such rights.
Diversity We are committed to maintaining diversity in our working environment. We aggressively pursue the target of increasing the proportion of women in management cadres. We have a number of gender-friendly policies such as Maternity Benefit, Career Break, Flexi-working, Agile Working from remote location, Sabbaticals, Part-time work and Career Breaks. In 2009, 19% of our managers and 9% of our officers were women. Our eight-member management committee has a woman member. Our formal employment and fitment policy absolutely prohibits gender-based discrimination. No incidents of discrimination or complaints have been reported in 2009.
We are a merit driven organisation and this is reflected in the policies concerning recruitment, training, and promotion which ensure that the best person gets the job, independent of subjective considerations.
Affirmative Action Hindustan Unilever Limited is an inclusive organization which encourages diversity of all forms. HUL considers all applicants without regard to gender, religion or social background. We comply with all applicable laws governing employment practices and do not discriminate.
Facilities for full-time employees Benefits are provided to full-time employees, such as basic access to above-minimum wages, subsidized canteen facility, safety training and equipment, safe infrastructure and washroom facilities, irrespective of contractual status. Certain benefits extended as a result of collective bargaining agreements are available only to those groups of workmen covered by the agreements.
Notice for operational changes The minimum notice period for any operational change with respect to terms and conditions of service is 0-3 weeks, while that for any restructuring activity is 3-6 weeks.
Employee engagement We maintain good communication channels with employees through company based information and consultation procedures. We have several processes instituted to ensure a two-way communication channel. In 2009, we began an employee engagement programme to ensure that employees are involved in Unilever's vision and plans for the future. Communication with employees
CEO report back: Quarterly performance updates from the CEO to the employees. Conducted at the Head Office, webcast to all sites Annual Review: All managers are invited to the Annual Review in four major metros Young Managers Lunch with CEO: Every month the CEO meets about 10-15 young managers and has informal chat sessions about the organisation and receives their feedback A Global People Survey (GPS) of all Unilever employees is conducted every 2-3 years. 'GPS-Pulse', a refined version, is conducted at six-month intervals in the years when a GPS is not scheduled for managers Ur Say: an online portal through which employees can give suggestions addressed to the Management committee on any aspect of the organisation FM-Connect: All factories have FM-connect meetings that invites participation from all workmen
Hamara: Our in-house magazine provides a platform to employees to connect, bond, inspire and express
