We recognise the importance of meeting the requirements of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 and are taking proactive steps to support the needs of individuals with disabilities. Our Company has implemented various measures to provide disabled-accessible infrastructure. In our various factories and offices, we have installed:

Additionally, we are preparing the remaining factories and offices for accessibility infrastructure and aim to achieve certification for 100% of our sites with the Minimum Mandatory Standards required under the Persons with Disabilities Act. We believe that accessibility is an essential aspect of social responsibility and are persistent in our efforts to create an inclusive environment for everyone.

We understand the needs of our employees, who are planning to or have recently become parents, to take paid leave to experience this beautiful phase and nurture a bond with their young child. We also extend maternity and paternity leave with full pay and benefits to parents legally adopting a child. We also extend this benefit to same-sex partners, where the partner who is a primary caregiver is eligible for paid leave and benefits as applicable for maternity, and the secondary caregiver is eligible for paid leave and benefits as applicable for paternity.

All the employees and workers are free to exercise their right to form and/or join trade unions, refrain from doing so, or bargain collectively. This freedom of association also ensures fair compensation and that long-term settlements cover all the factories and offices.

We have a robust and diverse agenda to impart skills to employees and workers through various training programmes.

We are a performance-driven organisation with a robust Performance Management System. At the start of every performance year, based on business priorities, each unit/function crafts its flexible goals, which include business and development-related objectives. We assess the achievements against these goals at the end of the year with regular feedback throughout the year to ensure that people deliver their best. We provide our employees with versatile horizontal and vertical exposure to chart a course for developing leaders for the future. For factory workers, performance is evaluated annually through our in-house Performance Appraisal System. We assess workers based on their performance for their assigned jobs against set standards and ensure communication.

We have established a robust health and safety management system for all employees and workers. Our occupational health and safety system is governed by our Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Framework Standards. We are committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment for those working on, visiting, or living near our operations. Management at all levels is responsible and accountable for the employees’ and workers’ occupational safety and health performance.

During FY 2023-24, our factory in Amli was awarded the ‘FICCI Gold Award for Excellence in Safety Systems’, while the Greentech Foundation recognised our factory in Doom Dooma for its ‘Safety Excellence’.

We conduct risk assessments based on the HUL Occupational Health and Safety Risk Assessment Methodology. Occupational health and safety risk assessment is integral to the organisation’s development and management of change processes. We conduct a thorough risk assessment exercise for routine tasks and implement adequate controls to mitigate the identified risks. For routine tasks, a thorough risk assessment exercise is conducted, and adequate controls are put in place to mitigate the identified risks. Risks arising due to the introduction of a new plant, equipment, processes or methods of working are addressed through the management of change process.

For non-routine tasks, the risks are governed by the permit-to-work process. The process involves identifying the hazards associated with the facilities and the work involved and outlining the controls to eliminate or reduce hazards. A Job safety assessment is developed for each permitted work task and displayed with the permit.

Yes, workers are encouraged to report work-related hazards through offline as well as online modes. We take adequate measures to mitigate these hazards and communicate the same to the workers.

Yes, the employees and workers have access to non-occupational on-site medical and healthcare services for common health conditions and emergency management. In addition, employees and workers can avail medical services from a chain of hospitals across the country through the insurance coverage extended by the organisation.

We make every effort to integrate safety into all business processes. Our safety and health management system is based on the principle of plan, do, check and act. We evaluate credible risks and take adequate steps to mitigate these risks. We conduct periodic training, capacity-building sessions, and regular mock drills at each unit. Safety induction is mandatory for all new employees and workers, including contractor workers, security, and staff.

Safety incidents are reported and investigated, and lessons learned are communicated widely within the organisation. We underpin this approach with continuous improvement objectives and periodic reviews through the Safety and Health Sub-Committees, each headed by a Management Committee Member, to ensure we achieve our targets. A robust audit mechanism is in place to verify compliance with internal standards and statutory requirements. A safety culture is promoted by undertaking behavioural interventions at all levels and disseminating the importance of safety as a personal value. We encourage positive safety behaviours and correct unsafe behaviours through established procedures.

We maintain a comprehensive emergency response plan and related facilities at all sites and train employees to respond accordingly. Our team, comprising over 150 experienced and well-trained medical professionals (including physicians and nursing staff), is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy working environment. For instance, all employees can benefit from periodic health evaluations for health issues, Health Promotion programmes, access to market-leading medical care, and other support facilities.

Nil

High consequence work-related injury or ill-health

At factories, there is a formal grievance redressal mechanism for workers along with a defined escalation matrix to ensure timely closure of complaints. In addition to these, complaints can also be raised through our online portal i.e., ‘Convercent Tool’, which is available on our website: (Link)

We have a robust mechanism to assess all our premises’ health, safety, and working conditions. All our sites undertake a Positive Assurance Review (PAR) to track the effectiveness of these parameters in the operations.

Yes, we extend requisite support in the form of ex gratia to the legal heirs of all full-time employees and workers in the event of death during their service with us.

Our Responsible Partner Policy (RPP) includes a set of mandatory requirements that all our suppliers need to meet to do business with us. Under RPP, value chain partners are required to comply with all applicable laws and regulations of the country where we undertake operations.

Yes, we conduct retirement workshops for retiring employees. The Rewards and Human Resources teams conduct financial well-being sessions periodically and extend support in outplacements for redundancy cases. Furthermore, with the ‘Future Fit’ model, we upskill our workforce to equip them with digital and non-digital skills, which helps hone their existing skillsets.

Our Responsible Partner Policy (RPP) sets out the requirements that all our suppliers must meet to do business with us. Our RPP and its Fundamental Principles embody our commitment to responsible, transparent, and sustainable business.

Each fundamental principle of the RPP provides guidance on what we expect from our suppliers. We are committed to working with our suppliers on this journey of continuous improvement.

We also verify alignment to and implementation of the RPP’s mandatory requirements using supplier self-declarations, online assessments and independent verification, including third-party audits which are performed for designated high-risk countries and supplier types.

During the reporting period, no significant risks/concerns were identified in the assessment of our suppliers. We expect our partners and their employees or contractors to report actual or suspected breaches of our RPP. We will investigate any non-conformity reported in good faith and discuss findings with the partner. If remediation is needed, we work with the partner to identify the root cause of the issue and to develop a time-bound corrective action plan to resolve the failure effectively and promptly. By working with partners to overcome any issues, we support the betterment of their business and, most importantly, promote respect for human rights.

We conduct regular audits, and both third-party audit companies and suppliers are responsible for continuously updating us with the audit outcome on a digital system. Audit companies are mandated to report the audit documentation and the outcome of the initial and follow-up audits, while suppliers are mandated to report corrective actions and progress against each non-conformance identified, both within certain specified timeframes.