HUL offers flexible working options for employees, gig workers: Report

Hindustan Unilever (HUL), the country’s largest fast-moving consumer goods company, has introduced two flexible work models for employees and workers not on its payroll, the Times of India reported on Friday.

U-Work scheme, offered globally by Unilever, gives employees a flexible association with the company and yet provide financial, security, retirement, and medical benefits. The Open2U model is for HUL's gig workers and it gives a financial safety net and medical benefits.

U-Work covers about 8,000 of its office-based HUL employees and these employees can apply to be a part of U-Work, the final decision is based on a mutual agreement between the company and the employee. The company expects employees opting to work on a flexible basis to be low. In the long term, it expects a ratio of 80:20 where 20 per cent of its staff could fall in the flexible bracket.

The two models consider practices changing in the pandemic when a number of people introspected on what they want from life and are keen on new and more personalised work experiences, Anuradha Razdan, HUL's executive director (HR), was quoted as saying in the report.

Under 'Flexi-Curity', the company offers employees to have both flexibility and security like structured pay and benefits.

India is a key market where its parent, Unilever has rolled out U-Work, the report said.

Publicis Groupe on Tuesday announced ‘Work Your World’, a global programme that allows employees to work from any accessible country where the communications company is present for up to six weeks. This will be offered to its staff from January.