Equipping our workforce for the future
Our people are at the heart of being a ‘force for good’.
It is through our people’s determination that we will strive to make progress on our Net Zero Roadmap and advance regenerative food systems at scale. By prioritizing health and well-being and advocating for inclusion throughout our business, we can unleash the potential of our workforce and drive business performance.
How we’re building a respectful, supportive workplace
13.8
Creating a progressive working environment
We are working hard to create a healthy, positive and ethical working environment – one that empowers employees, brings benefits to individuals and helps us as a business. We are building on the progress we have made to improve cultural diversity, equity and inclusion toward a workplace that is gender-balanced and offers equal opportunities for people with disabilities.
We recognize employee health is fundamental to a strong business: healthier people tend to be happier, more engaged and more productive. We are also recruiting for the digital and artificial intelligence skills we will need in the future.
Our approach is based on six key pillars:
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Talent management Attracting, developing and retaining talent while encouraging our workforce to find new and exciting opportunities within the company and preparing them for the needs of our future business. -
Diversity, equity and inclusion Building a better business that reflects society at large and is inclusive and equal for genders, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+ communities, all races and ethnicities and the five generations working at Nestlé. -
Employee health, well-being and safety Inspiring and empowering our people to make healthier choices for themselves and their families, while providing a healthy and safe working environment. -
Employee relations and engagement Supporting Nestlé in its goal to be a company where employees are treated with mutual trust and fairness and where they feel engaged with our purpose, values and principles. -
Organizational design and change management Using our Corporate Business Principles as the basis, our culture is supported by regularly updated policies and communicated through our training. -
Compensation and benefits Providing employees with fair and competitive salaries and benefits and conducting regular performance reviews.
This work builds on other efforts designed to support particular communities, such as respecting and promoting the rights and expectations of people in our supply chains and creating opportunities for young people entering the workplace.
Managing talent
We strive to attract, hire, develop and retain the right candidates to try to ensure we are a ‘force for good’. Our talent acquisition and retention approach is outlined in our People Strategy 2025 for building a future-ready workforce; developing leadership that is inspiring, disruptive and inclusive; and, by offering employees new experiences, fostering a culture that is agile and purposeful. This approach is aligned to our business strategy, Corporate Business Principles and our purpose and values.
Diversity, equity and inclusion
Our approach to diversity, equity and inclusion is geared toward building a better business and includes four key pillars. Each pillar also recognizes the needs and challenges of the five generations working at Nestlé.
- Gender balance
- People with disabilities
- LGBTQI+ community
- Race and ethnicity
If we are to continue to meet the evolving expectations of consumers, our teams must be innovative and challenge the status quo. Innovation thrives on diverse, out-of-the box thinking. Having people from diverse backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities, of all ages and experiences, enables us to better understand the reality of the world in which we operate.
A critical factor in building a more inclusive workplace is understanding intersectionality or the fact that different social categories can overlap. For example, people can be part of the LGBTQI+ community and have a disability or be a single parent and come from an ethnic minority background. One example is our work to support young people with disabilities through our Nestlé needs YOUth initiative.
We seek fair and just treatment for all our people, regardless of their characteristics, unique needs or experiences. To make this explicit, in 2023 we introduced the word ‘equity’ into our approach to diversity and inclusion.
Employee health, well-being and safety
Our employee health vision aims to inspire and empower our people to make healthier choices, while respecting the principles of privacy and personal choices, in an environment of caring leadership. Our Safety and Health at Work Action Plan is being implemented across all markets, focused on strengthening our safety culture and realizing our zero-harm ambition.
We encourage informed decision-making and for people to take responsibility for themselves, their families and our business. At the same time, we work to anticipate and mitigate workplace health risks, we offer health and well-being programs, and we support employees during and after injuries or illnesses.
Employee relations and engagement
We recognize the importance of collaborating with our employees and their representatives and organizations, as well as external labor stakeholders. Our vision is to ensure that employees are treated with mutual trust and fairness and feel engaged with our purpose, principles and values. We aim to provide a work environment that is contemporary and flexible, contributing to openness and inclusiveness in all our interactions.
Organizational design and change management
We manage and promote our purpose and values at a global level, providing our markets with the support and guidance they need to ensure a consistent culture throughout our business.
In line with our Corporate Business Principles, our purpose and values are based on the same ideas as when we develop our products: fairness, honesty and a concern for individuals, families, pets and communities. We also recognize the world changes fast, so we constantly evaluate the external environment, taking local legislation, cultural and religious practices into account, and adapt where necessary.
Challenging, inspiring and transformative are the words that define my experience at Nestlé. Working on inclusivity projects, employer branding and youth engagement was an opportunity to hone my professional and personal growth.
