Unilever HR transformation and Workday implementation

When ageing HR technology, complex integrations and limited self-service capabilities began constraining future growth, Unilever set out to redefine its HR technology strategy. We helped the organisation develop a long-term HR transformation roadmap, select the right technology platforms and lead the implementation of a new global HR ecosystem supporting 170,000 employees across 106 countries.  

Building the foundations for a scalable HR transformation 

As a global consumer goods business, Unilever recognised that continued growth would require an HR function capable of supporting an increasingly connected and dynamic organisation. While the business had made significant progress in establishing global processes and systems, several challenges remained. Its core HR platform was approaching end-of-life support, many systems had become heavily customised, and a complex landscape of applications and interfaces had increased both cost and operational complexity. Self-service adoption had also fallen short of expectations, leaving HR teams reliant on manual intervention and support.  

Rather than addressing these issues in isolation, Unilever chose to take a broader strategic view of its HR technology landscape. The organisation wanted an independent assessment of its capabilities, a clear understanding of future requirements and a practical roadmap for transformation. To support this, Unilever engaged Berkeley to develop its HR IT strategy and define a future-state technology vision aligned to the business' long-term objectives.  

Our initial review highlighted the need to replace both the organisation's core HR and learning platforms. It also established a five-year roadmap that would enable Unilever to modernise its HR technology estate while creating stronger integration with the wider business.  

Aligning HR and IT around a future Workday operating model 

Following the strategy phase, Unilever asked us to lead the evaluation and selection of replacement platforms and develop the implementation approach. We worked closely with both HR and IT stakeholders to ensure the programme balanced the priorities of different parts of the organisation. HR leaders focused on employee experience and greater self-service adoption, while IT leaders sought to simplify the technology landscape and improve integration with the existing SAP estate.  

As an independent adviser, we helped build alignment across stakeholder groups and created a structured evaluation process founded on business needs rather than vendor preference. This collaborative approach enabled clear decision-making and helped maintain momentum throughout the programme.  

The evaluation concluded with the selection of Workday as the future core HR platform and Cornerstone as the learning solution. Following product selection, Berkeley continued to partner with Unilever, leading the implementation and helping the organisation move from strategy into delivery.  

Delivering a global Workday implementation across 106 countries 

With a clear strategy, business case and technology roadmap in place, Unilever launched the first phase of its HR transformation. The organisation successfully deployed its new core HR and learning platforms to approximately 170,000 employees across 106 countries. The programme included more than 100 interfaces with other business systems, including integrations to more than 40 payroll solutions. Alongside the Workday deployment, Unilever also completed the transition of its North American payroll operation to new technology and an outsourced provider.  

The transformation provided a modern cloud-based foundation for HR services globally. Unilever established a dedicated support team for its cloud platforms, creating operational efficiencies and improving its ability to respond to changing business needs. Users responded positively to the new solutions, providing confidence that the organisation had established a sustainable platform for future HR transformation and continuous improvement.  

Today, the programme stands as an example of how a clear HR technology strategy, effective stakeholder alignment and strong programme leadership can create the foundations for sustainable enterprise transformation.