Our focus to DEI remains central to who we are
February and March have provided us wonderful opportunities to advocate for equity and inclusion. Black History Month, International Women’s Day and Neurodiversity Week act as important reminders that we must maintain our focus on ensuring a diverse workplace that truly reflects the variety of individuals, communities, and cultures around the world.
At Unit4, our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) is central to our identity and, considering recent events, I think it’s important to reaffirm this commitment.
It was Aristotle who taught us the merits of Ethos, Pathos and Logos, and I believe that Ethos, or empathy, is essential to achieving a successful environment, whether that’s in the workplace or society as a whole. Leading and engaging with empathy helps us all to foster an inclusive environment, where all employees feel valued and supported. This is not just the right thing to do, it also strengthens our company, fuels innovation, and drives success. It is in our own self-interest. As such, Unit4 will continue to uphold these principles, ensuring that every team member has the opportunity to thrive.
Established on trust, ambition, and wellbeing, we use our principles and foundations to guide us in creating a people-centric environment. Over the past few years, I am encouraged to see that essential changes, targets, and policies have been implemented, all designed to ensure equitable access to everyone at Unit4 regardless of personal characteristics. The journey has definitely begun, has progressed well, yet there is still more to be done. We will not stop here.
Our Chief People Officer, Tania Garrett, has been leading the way in DE&I at Unit4, supported by a strong community of advocates – including four Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), our Global Leadership team and newly formed SLT. Our ERGs alone have combined membership of over 120 employees.
We are making steady improvements with our gender ratio. Taking a base view in 2023, we’ve seen a +1pp increase in women at Unit 4 overall and a +2pp increase in women in Unit 4 leadership. Shifting this ratio takes time, and small, frequent incremental changes like these are very encouraging. We are heading in the right direction to achieve our 2026 target of 43% women employee base and 36% women in leadership roles.
We are also thrilled to have introduced gender equity measures and will soon be launching a series of new global inclusive benefits and programmes to cover the individual needs of our diverse workforce all around the world. These include:
- caregiver leave
- gender transition leave
- compassionate leave
- global maternity and paternity leave
- equipment support for our people with disabilities
- maternity and newborn care added to the support offered from our provider, Maven.
These are in addition to our existing benefits and other providers, such as Headspace – coaching, mindfulness, and Employee Assistance Program - as well as Espresa wellness.
On top of this, our ERGs connect with our people throughout the year and have hosted several informative webinars, along with running women’s wellness cafes and men’s safe space coffee corners. The ERGs also support our Global Leadership team on topics like LGBTQ+ inclusion and shaping an accessible work environment.
We collaborate with global DE&I partners like Maven, Talenti, Stonewall, and Generation Girl to improve our equality policies and cater to the needs of our people. Through these partnerships, we are not just driving change—we are shaping the future. Together, we build a community that nurtures and inspires emerging talent, empowering them to unlock new opportunities in the labor market. Our Talent team further amplifies this impact by engaging in training programs that challenge unconscious biases and stereotypes, ensuring that every candidate experiences a fair and inclusive hiring process.
Having recently joined as CEO at Unit4, I am delighted that DE&I is core to the strategy. It has always been a top priority for me, and it will remain so for us as a company. I am also hopeful that it will remain so for many other companies – after all, we have an important part to play in the future. So, let’s make it a future that is fair for all.
Hear from our community
Tania Garrett
Chief People Officer
“The world is diverse, and companies need to reflect this. We do our best work when we listen and learn from others, with different perspectives opening both solutions and opportunities. We must ensure we allow for inclusion and make our workplaces more equitable. Like Simon says, it’s not just the right thing to do, it also makes us a stronger company that can offer more value to our customers.”
Tommy Kullander
Poland, Unit4 colleague following our Black History Month panel
“Many large companies (especially within tech) are actively cutting diversity initiatives - even as far as removing them from their company policies, effectively discouraging diversity. I cannot be the only one who is happy to hear that Unit4 has no such plans.”
Helen Haynes
UK, Unit4 colleague following our International Women’s Day panel
“I cannot tell you how much it means to me, to hear you saying that we remain committed to our DEI strategy - and, if anything, plan to do more this year.”
