As per the latest Nielsen Campus Track-B School Survey, for the sixth year in a row, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has emerged as the No. 1 Employer of Choice across all sectors for the 2016 graduating batch of B-School students, across functions.
In addition, HUL retains the 'Dream Employer' status for the 8th year running and continues to be the top company considered for application by B-School students. HUL has also been ranked No. 1 for Marketing as well as No. 1 FMCG in Finance. HUL has been ranked significantly higher than other companies on all the employment drivers. This is the 17th year of the Nielsen Campus Track B-school study.
This achievement is recognition by students of the consistent actions HUL has taken over the years to build mutually beneficial relationships and engagements with the student and academic community. HUL believes in a 365 day relationship with our campus audience, investing senior leadership time and effort in brining alive our employer value proposition on campuses.
HUL’s value proposition
HUL’s strong employer value proposition is rooted in its unique positioning as a school which builds leaders – offering big jobs early on in career to groom for functional and leadership responsibilities.
HUL’s approach to grooming talent and leaders has been built over several decades where every generation of leaders has left a legacy for the future through their commitment, ownership and active participation in the talent attraction and development process.
Attracting the best & laying the right foundation early
With its robust talent systems and processes, HUL identifies talent early and invests to build capability.
HUL offers a rigorous Summer Internship experience through the Unilever Leadership Internship Programme (ULIP). Interns go through an enriching learning experience by managing live projects that have a direct and huge impact on the business. In 2016, 42 % interns completed projects at international locations in Unilever.
Our flagship Unilever Future Leaders Programme (UFLP) – a programme highly sought after by fresh recruits and acknowledged within and outside Unilever as the best programme of its kind – is another key programme with a legacy of grooming leaders for over 60 years.
The UFLP provides young managerial recruits an extensive cross functional experience through live projects and learning assignments, including rural & international exposure, within 12-15 months preparing them for bigger responsibilities very early in their careers. What makes the programme unique is the strong support system of senior leaders who act as Tutors, Coaches and Mentors. This regular interaction along with a robust reverse feedback mechanism on effectiveness of the support system ensures the best grooming and inputs for the trainees.
Growth through a diversity of experience/international experience
HUL has a clearly defined career philosophy which revolves around job rotation and diversity of experiences at all stages of the individual’s career. Internationalisation is also built in and currently we have between 100-150 managers who have been expatriated to other Unilever countries.
Building a high performance culture
HUL’s Performance Management and Reward processes are geared to building a high performance and execution focused culture. The objective is to inspire employees to deliver to their best potential every day by setting ambitious goals and ensuring top rewards for top performance. Regular performance and development reviews and feedback discussions ensure high clarity and transparency for employees.
Capability building
Individual Development Plans drawn out for each employee focus on building knowledge and skills for the immediate role and preparing them for future roles. The holistic 70:20:10 capability building approach ensures blended learning with 70% capability built on the job through live assignments, 20% through coaching, short term projects and exposures and 10% through classroom, virtual and e-learning. Over and above, these there are programs led by leaders through the year to build leadership capabilities.
Rigorous & transparent people planning processes
HUL has a rigorous and transparent People planning process which is owned by leaders at each level who review and assess talent on both the “What” and the “How’” of performance through an objective process. Capability building and career plans for talent form an integral part of this process. These plans and outcomes are then transparently shared with employees as part of performance and development discussions.
Focus on leadership development
Leadership Development at HUL is about building leaders through a combination of disciplined routines and processes: a collective expertise, honed through practice, in recognizing and developing talent. This has established HUL as a source of leadership talent, both for Unilever globally and industry in general. 150 managers of HUL currently serve Unilever globally in leadership roles across markets and functions with the numbers steadily increasing over the last few years. HUL has contributed over 450 CEOs within the corporate world.
Recognizing the importance of leadership in the larger communities we operate, HUL has also been extending its role in building and harnessing leadership amongst the student community. Senior Leader campus interactions with students to share leadership perspectives and insights and leadership development program and intervention for student leaders are part of this larger initiative which has created great visible impact on students.
Values led & purpose driven
Increasingly, young men and women want to work for a company that reflects their own values. If they believe in a common vision and the larger corporate purpose, they are motivated to deliver great performance. They are looking to join organizations that are values led and purpose driven. In Unilever, we have always believed in doing well by doing good.
The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan launched by the company in 2010 has further strengthened our value proposition with young talent. The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan embodies our values and purpose. It underscores our commitment to grow our business responsibly. We have committed to doubling the size of our business while reducing our environmental footprint and increasing our positive social impact. What is most significant about the Plan is that it covers the entire value chain of our business from sourcing to consumer use.