Five Years of U-Work:
Flexibility Meets Agility at Unilever
A ProAge Case Study by Michèle Dennison
December 2025
Imagine This...
Imagine working for an employer that pays you every month yet doesn’t require you to be there set hours or days in return for a minimum commitment of work over the year. You work when it suits you - and them - but not when it doesn’t. What would you do with that freedom? Travel for six weeks instead of two. Write a book. Care for family without sacrificing your career. Start a portfolio business. Study something new.
Now flip the lens. Imagine you’re the employer. You have a pool of people who know your business inside out, bring deep expertise, and are available when you need them - whether for an urgent project, a thorny problem that needs a ‘been there, done that’ perspective, or mentoring less experienced colleagues. Flexibility and agility: two sides of the same coin.
Unilever is one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies and home to some of our favourite brands like Dove and Persil to Hellman’s, Knorr and Simple. Their U-Work programme has created just this environment by blending flexibility for individuals with agility for the business in perfect symmetry. It all started as a small pilot in 2020. This month, U-Work celebrates its fifth anniversary, having grown from a bold experiment into one of the most innovative future-of-work initiatives of the decade.
The Big Idea
U-Work reimagines the employment relationship. Participants relinquish their permanent roles, or return after a period out of the business, and join a talent pool on a retainer contract, without fixed hours or days, in return for a minimum commitment of work over the year. Assignments can last from a few days to six months and, crucially, participants can say no if timing doesn’t suit. When not on assignment, they are free to pursue other hobbies, personal business interests, family commitments, study, or whatever other activities are important to them.
As U-Work Manager Rhiannon Senn explains: ‘It’s a very adult-to-adult relationship - a win-win for both sides.’
The model is genuinely inclusive across career stages, functions, seniority levels, and locations - from shop floor operators to senior leaders and technical specialists to marketers. While uptake is strongest among the 50+ and 60+ age groups - including retirees who want to extend their working lives - it’s also attracting mid-career professionals and early-career talent seeking flexibility.
From Pilot to Fifth Anniversary
U-Work began in 2020 with ten pioneers. ‘We approached it like a start-up to try out a new way to retain skills and provide agility,’ recalls Morag Lynagh, programme founder who now runs her own consultancy, Blue Moth. ‘We didn’t have all the answers in advance so it was a case of giving it a go to see what worked.’ Since then, 225 employees have delivered 296,000 hours of U-Work, on 1,150 assignments. Over 475 managers have utilised U-Work resource spanning shop floor operators to senior managers and early-career professionals to retirees.
‘Reaching 50 people was proof we’d moved from experiment to adoption,’ says Rhiannon. ‘It also meant we had to invest in systems and structure - it’s no longer run on string and sellotape.’
Today, U-Work has 140 participants. 100% of surveyed U-Work employees agree U-Work supports work-life balance and all of those surveyed said they would gladly recommend U-Work to a colleague.
Inside U-Work: Flexibility that Changes Lives
If the concept sounds compelling in theory, the true power of U-Work lies in the lived experiences of those who have embraced it. And the human stories behind U‑Work are as diverse as the roles it supports. While flexibility is the headline benefit, participants consistently describe something deeper: a renewed sense of belonging and connection:
Heidi, a former HR manager, assumed her corporate chapter had closed when, after redundancy, she became the main carer for her mother and disabled brother. U‑Work offered a way back - on her terms. “I’d forgotten I knew this stuff - U‑Work gave me that back.” Flexibility allowed her to manage caring responsibilities, rediscover confidence, and even upskill in AI. Her loyalty is clear: “I feel more loyal to Unilever now as a U‑Work participant than I ever did as a normal employee.”
Jane, with 34 years at Unilever, faced a crossroads: retire fully or find a new rhythm. U‑Work allowed her to combine part-time assignments in R&D with running her village post office and volunteering in her community. “Whenever you see a U‑Work person, you can tell by their smile - just doing what they love without the stress.”
Guy traded the globe-trotting corporate life to be a more hands-on dad while balancing strategic projects with his own consultancy business. “It’s not and/or, it’s the and/and career” he says. “You can do both.” For Guy, U‑Work is also a retention lever: “If it enables you to dip in and out throughout your career, then I think it would be really good for Unilever in terms of retention.”
Claire Linney
Award-winning Author
Claire blends strategic marketing projects with a new career as an award-winning children’s black history author and being a (relatively) new mum: “Full-time work felt broken... I refound my love of marketing and I can work at director level on the things I’m really interested in.” Her gratitude speaks volumes: “It’s been genuinely life-changing… I will be forever grateful.”
Ben, after 26 years in manufacturing, now blends jointly running his family’s business while staying connected to his passion for manufacturing operations: “U‑Work lets me keep doing what I love as well as supporting me to step into the family firm.”
Dave, known affectionately as “Uncle Dave,” retired from his factory shift operator role but returned through U‑Work to train and support colleagues. He now enjoys more time for golf and travel. Whenever he’s asked about U‑Work by colleagues, he always says: “Just do it, it’s a no-brainer.”
Dave Hayes
Factory Shift Operator
Business Benefits and Strategy
For Unilever, U-Work is more than a flexible work model. It offers strategic advantage, delivering agility without sacrificing continuity, enabling the business to respond quickly to changing needs while retaining critical knowledge.
Paul Jenkins, Head of Global Physical and Chemical Sciences, Beauty & Wellbeing R&D Research Director explains, ‘U-Work people know how Unilever works, who to talk to, and how to navigate the system.’
This benefit, echoed by other assignment managers and participants, is rooted in four powerful benefits:
1. Dependable, Loyal Experts
U‑Work turns alumni into a trusted, on-demand talent pool. These are people who have deep institutional knowledge and a proven track record. They’re not just filling a gap they’re accelerating delivery because they already understand the culture, processes, and priorities. As Rhiannon notes. “Managers like that they’re known talent - they can hit the ground running.”
2. Faster Delivery and Decision-Making
When deadlines loom, speed matters. U‑Work participants can step in immediately, without the onboarding lag typical of external hires. Paul adds: “There’s no way I could have delivered our biggest deliverables on time without the skills I could get in from U‑Work.” That familiarity with Unilever’s ecosystem means decisions happen faster, projects move quicker, and outcomes are achieved without compromise.
3. Cost-Effective Agility
U‑Work offers a lean solution alongside more traditional resourcing models. The business pays for what it needs - retainer plus assignment - without the overhead of full-time roles or premium consultancy fees. And because participants have commitment to Unilever’s long-term success as a business, the quality of work is consistently high.
4. Knowledge Transfer and Mentoring
Beyond immediate project delivery, U‑Work ensures critical expertise is not lost. Retired scientists mentor successors, experienced managers coach rising talent, and shop floor veterans train new operators. This continuity strengthens capability and preserves competitive advantage.
Loyalty as a Strategic Lever
And there’s a fifth benefit – loyalty. One of the most striking outcomes of the U-Work experiment is the way it strengthens emotional connection to Unilever. Far from being a stopgap, participants describe the programme as a catalyst for renewed commitment, and feeling valued for their expertise, not constrained by rigid structures.
Rhiannon Senn
U-Work Manager
Perhaps the most powerful insight from the last five years is how U‑Work flips the script. In an era where talent mobility often means attrition, this model offers the opportunity for people to step away without severing ties and return when the time is right.
“U‑Work people are opting in… as a consequence, it feels like they’re happier,” comments Rhiannon.
The Bottom line: U‑Work doesn’t just retain skills it retains hearts and minds. Loyalty translates into performance, advocacy, and a talent pipeline to supplement the permanent workforce that’s ready when the business needs it most. For Unilever, loyalty is both a cultural win and a competitive advantage.
Beyond Work: Life Unlocked
If flexibility is the headline, freedom is the story. U‑Work changes how people live as well as how they work. For many participants, the ability to design their own schedule has unlocked opportunities they once thought impossible:
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Longer Travel: Dave laughs as he recalls his first six-week trip to Australia: “You can’t do that if you’re working full-time. With U‑Work, I can take a chunk of work, then a chunk of life.”
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Community and Caring: Heidi uses her flexibility to support her elderly mother and volunteer locally: “I could never have managed caring and working full-time - this made it possible.”
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Portfolio Careers and Passions: Claire took a three-month break to edit her second book and prepare for World Book Week: “U‑Work gave me breathing space to reinvent myself.”
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Hobbies and Health: Ben spends more time on the golf course and with his grandchildren while still contributing to factory efficiency projects and his family business.
These stories show that flexibility is more than convenience, it’s about autonomy, choice, and trust. And when people feel trusted, they give back loyalty and advocacy. As Dave puts it: “it’s a no-brainer.”
Looking Ahead: The Next Five Years
As U‑Work celebrates its fifth anniversary, the question isn’t whether the model works; it’s how far it can go. For Rhiannon, this means scaling without losing the essence of what makes U‑Work special: trust, flexibility, and connection.
That vision includes expanding the pool, increasing assignment opportunities, and embedding U‑Work into Unilever’s global footprint.
‘I’d like to see us continue to expand into different markets, and it’s critical we keep our bench future fit, including digital and AI literacy.... so we’re investing in learning funds and engagement sessions to keep people sharp.”
A Closing Reflection
So what can other employers learn from Unilever’s experience? Five years ago, U-Work began as a bold experiment - a handful of pioneers testing a new way of working. Today, it stands as one of the company’s most innovative responses to the future of work: a model that blends flexibility for individuals with agility for the business. It has extended careers, enriched lives, and safeguarded knowledge.
As Morag reflects: ‘U-Work meets the needs of real people in the real world and provides opportunity to continue to learn, develop and grow in the workplace while giving the business access to a great resource.’
But its impact goes beyond operational efficiency. U-Work has redefined what it means to belong. It has shown that loyalty isn’t about contracted hours - it’s about trust, respect, and choice. When people feel trusted to manage their time and contribute on their terms, they lean in. From the shop floor to senior leadership, from retirees to rising stars, U-Work has created a space where careers can bend without breaking. Where knowledge is not lost but shared. Where flexibility and agility are not opposites but partners.
Sounds too good to be true? It isn’t. It’s the future of work - already here.
About the author, Michèle Dennison:
Michèle explores the strategic challenges of demographic change, longer careers, intergenerational collaboration and age inclusion. She loves connecting people and ideas to support creative collaboration and development.
About ProAge:
ProAge is a member-powered charity. We help organisations unlock the value of experienced employees and design strategies that retain critical knowledge while building resilient, multigenerational teams. Our work delivers measurable business benefits by strengthening collaboration across generations and ensuring continuity as the workforce ages.