If you're employed by Unilever, you may work remotely – just not too remotely. And not all of the time.
Unilever Plc's chief human relations officer apparently has warned employees that, while they can work at home some of the time, they must be able to get to the office on relatively short notice if called in for meetings – short notice being 24 hours advance warning.
A spokesperson for Unilever USA confirmed the rule, saying it became public when Leena Nair, Unilever’s Chief HR Officer, mentioned it in an interview with the Sunday Times of London. The USA spokesperson said employees are expected in the office at least 40% of the time, "must have a reasonable commute" and need to be able to get to the office if given 24 hours warning.
The Sunday Times noted that, because of Covid restrictions and worries, many telecommuting employees have moved to more remote locations, even different countries and continents, especially in compact Europe. But as the pandemic winds down, their faces are expected to be seen in the office at least occasionally.
Nair told The Sunday Times: “People are constantly asking, ‘can I work from another country?’ Well, that depends on various factors like tax and other things, but also, you have to be willing to come to your place of work within 24 hours.”
Unilever employs some 150,000 workers across the world.
Among Unilever’s global workforce, employees under 30 and over 50 were most intent on returning to the office, the Times reported. Staff members with children were more likely to ask for flexibility with working.
