The polyptych Unified was painted on commission for the Sara Lee corporate group, which at the time included the Douwe Egberts company. The polyptych is arranged according to a two-part structure that shows both sides of work life. The outer side of the work is thereby dedicated to leisure time. At the bottom left of the work, the artist is depicted as a child at his grandfather's hand. Thielen thus alludes to the relaxed, free days of his youth. The portrait of the female model leads the viewer into the rest of the work. On this side of Unified, Thielen shows the enjoyment of art, vacations, being with friends and family and creating beautiful memories.

The inner side of the polyptych depicts work life in the form of the production processes of Sara Lee's various products, focusing on the production processes of the Douwe Egberts brand. The bottom right of this side shows Egbert Douwes' house in Friesland, including the artist himself behind his easel. This element forms the introductory counterpart to the self-portrait of the artist as a child on the outside of the work.

Across the panel are vertical strips of white light as a connecting element. This light refers to the long windows of the meeting room of Sara Lee's headquarters, from which all the details of the entire company are determined, discussed and viewed.