Building on the learnings gathered throughout 2021, we will continue to strengthen and deploy our employee well-being framework, with a focus globally on mental health. We will also continue to address the stigma associated with mental health and pilot initiatives to improve awareness and help employees develop the skills and confidence to have conversations about it. And we will continue rolling out our parental leave global guidelines, aiming to see them implemented in all markets by the end of 2022.

In 2022, we will set up an Inclusion & Diversity Advisory Council to foster open and constructive dialogue that will inform the development and execution of an integrated I&D strategy and monitor progress. We expect this council to guide our company in establishing meaningful strategies to meet our commitments to enhancing diversity and promoting inclusion—in particular, our new ambitions for 2025 related to gender-balance in management and leadership, as well as an appropriate representation of nationalities within executive management teams.

Meanwhile, we plan to expand many initiatives piloted in 2021, such as our Women in Leadership program, resilience workshops, and our program to increase the representation of women in sales and in senior roles. We also expect to celebrate the achievement of our 2022 target for female representation in managerial positions, and we are committed to fostering a gender-balanced organization as we progress toward our 2025 targets.

Our activities in 2022 will also focus on raising awareness of the importance of psychological safety and a sense of belonging at work through events and campaigns. We will also continue to expand our employee resource groups by supporting our markets in establishing local chapters. 

Silke Muenster, Chief Diversity Officer

Protecting the physical and psychological safety and well-being of our employees around the world is a priority for our company. Just as we acted to keep our employees safe during the past two years of the global COVID-19 pandemic, we are now committed to protecting those employees affected by the war in Ukraine.

This commitment starts by helping our Ukrainian colleagues and their families move from the areas hardest hit by the fighting and reach safety; then helping those who can cross the borders to do so, and supporting them outside the country in every way we can: Financially, logistically, and providing for their needs such as healthcare, childcare, food, accommodation and onwards travel.

Our commitment extends to providing critical aid to those who cannot, or who choose not to, leave the country. It also extends to providing continued salary payments to all Ukrainian colleagues, whether they are in Ukraine or not, whether they are working or not, and to providing a package of support measures for the mid- to long-term including salary payments, more stable accommodation, and additional financial, healthcare, childcare, legal and administrative support.

Our commitment and support to Ukrainian people is the commitment and support of our people, who have come together to collect funds, organize shipments of critical goods, offer their homes to host displaced families, and provide psychological support to those in need. At the same time, we are also doing everything we can to support our Russian colleagues, who have been affected by this situation as well. We will not rest, and we will not spare any efforts to help our colleagues affected by this horrible war. 

Massimo Andolina, Senior Vice President, Operations