For this consumer goods brand, employer brand and diversity and inclusion aren’t separate initiatives—they work in tandem as vital components of attracting the best employees.
Both employer brand and D&I play vital roles in attracting the best employees. Both foreground employee stories, shape company culture and inform its values. As Unilever’s Employer Brand Lead Zakiya Nashid puts it, uniting these efforts allows employees to “bring their whole selves to work.”
Unilever North America in particular has seen success merging its employer brand and D&I efforts, under Nashid’s leadership. This much-admired, transnational consumer goods brand illustrates what can happen when companies align employer brand and D&I.
Nashid offers a word of advice for companies still developing their diversity and inclusion efforts. “Ensure there’s transparency around the journey you’re on,” she says. “If you’re not there yet in specific areas, make sure you’re transparent about that. Work with key partners and HR to continue to grow.”
Unilever’s success with both employer brand and diversity and inclusion hasn’t come from treating one as a subsidiary of the other. Instead, integrating the two has created an inclusive workplace that both attracts diverse candidates and supports their wellbeing after they become members of the team. It’s an environment, Nashid says, where employees can be confident that “their voices matter, and their stories are celebrated.”
To follow Zakiya Nashid’s work in employer brand at Unilever North America, connect with her on LinkedIn. If you’re in search of help refining your employer value proposition and identifying the values and culture you want to create in your company, let’s talk.
