Mondelez Philippines, the country’s leading snacks company, has partnered with the Philippine Financial and Inter-Industry Pride (PFIP), the first for Mondelez in the region, to boost efforts for a more inclusive and safe workplace for all.
PFIP is a collaborative, voluntary, and non-profit community of practice composed of dedicated representatives from LGBT+ Employee Resource Groups, Human Resource, and Diversity teams of the corporate industry. PFIP aims to foster an industry that is safe and inclusive for members of the LGBT+ community.
As the latest member of PFIP, Mondelez Philippines Country Director Ashish Pisharodi said that while they have put in place policies and program for diversity and inclusiveness, becoming a member of PFIP is important to make its workplace more inclusive and free from bias. The partnership was unveiled Monday during the virtual Pride Month forum, the first of its kind for the company locally and even in South East Asia.
“While we have come a long way, much more can be and needs to be done to make our workplace more inclusive and free from bias. While diversity is a start, its benefits are contingent on our ability to create
a truly inclusive workplace,” said Pisharodi.
PFIP Board of Trustee Chris Eugenio welcomed Mondelez Philippines to become its latest member. Mondelez Philippines is the first Mondelez unit in southeast Asia to partner with an organization like the PFIP.
“We’re happy to welcome Mondelez Philippines as a member of the PFIP. We laud their commitment to providing a safe and inclusive workplace for all talents, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and sex characteristics,” said Eugenio.
“Through our partnership with Mondelez Philippines, we hope to promote the three basic LGBT+ rights in the workplace: the right to a chosen name and preferred pronouns to affirm one’s gender identity, the right to dress according to one’s gender expression, and the right to access inclusive facilities and amenities including restrooms. For companies who are looking to evolve their workplace culture, we recommend starting with these inclusive practices.”
Pisharodi further noted that the partnership with PFIP is exciting for the company because it can help guide them to become even more inclusive and create relevant, impactful change to their workplace.
The Mondelez approach to diversity and inclusivity is in recognition of the changing workplace over the past few decades, most recently during the pandemic. As Mondelez Philippines supports the Pride Month, it seeks to help shed light on workplace issues for the LGBT+ community.
Mondelez acknowledged that while work from home is the new norm and virtual meetings have become commonplace, there is still much to be done to address the many workplace concerns for members of the LGBT+ community.
To empower people to snack right, with the right snack, for the right moment and made the right way. is Mondelez Philippines’ purpose as a company, said Pisharodi adding that the right way means creating an open, inclusive and diverse workplace for people.
As a global company, diversity is a strength that drives its innovation and growth. From Oreo to Cadbury, the company’s brands have superpowers. They encourage playfulness, inspire acts of generosity and take a stand on issues that matter. Like equality in the workplace for the LGBT+ community.
“Even in this day and age, we still need to overcome several forms of inequality and unconscious bias around the world. We must change this. Achieving equality in all forms is everyone’s responsibility and requires collective action from all of us,” noted Pisharodi.
“Our dream is to build a more diverse, inclusive and equitable world, socially and economically. We choose to believe we are stronger through our diverse, inclusive and connected community; to act by doing what’s right and treating everyone with integrity and fairness, and to create a culture that fosters a true sense of belonging.”
Locally Mondelez Philippines has implemented several policies which support members of the LGBT+ community including HMO benefits for domestic partners, primary caregiver leaves, single parent leaves, and remote working policy for employees whose partners are working abroad. Mondelez Philippines has also launched an aggressive internal campaign to surface the issue of unconscious bias and has provided guidance and training to its colleagues to eliminate blind spots in this regard through speaking up and mutual feedback.
Mondelez Philippines Inc. has been providing consumers with delicious snack products for the past 58 years - since 1963. Its product portfolio includes Tang powdered beverages, Eden cheese, mayonnaise and sandwich spread, Cheez Whiz spread, Oreo cookies, Tiger energy biscuits, belVita breakfast biscuits, as well as Toblerone and Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolates. The company employs about 450 people in the Philippines, with a manufacturing facility in Parañaque City. With 2020 net revenues of approximately $27 billion, Mondelez International Inc. is leading the future of snacking with its iconic global and local brands, Mondelēz International is a member of the Standard and Poor’s 500, Nasdaq 100 and Dow Jones Sustainability Index.