I’ve worked in Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Pakistan, Vietnam and now Singapore. These are different countries with different HR challenges.

Australia, New Zealand, Singapore are more stable business environments with a stable supply of talent. The challenge in Russia, Pakistan and Vietnam however is very dynamic. In these fast growing markets, Unilever is recruiting and retaining top local talent, as well as accelerating our employees’ development as business leaders.

Another example of one cultural difference in Asia is that employees are not so much bonded to their jobs because of the company but more by their strength of the relationship with their boss. So much so that when a line manager moves companies, their employees would also take the opportunity to change jobs. At times, this caused major turnover issues within a department.

As a result, we have a strong focus on ensuring our employees have clear career plans. We would also hold department events and social activities whenever there is a new line manager. This allows him or her to have the opportunity to build early relationships with their employees and the team would very quickly feel comfortable with the new line manager.

Steven Gross

Vice president of human resources

Unilever South East Asia & Australasia