Procter & Gamble Working Culture

Procter and Gamble (often referred to as P&G) is the global leader in consumer goods – the largest company of its kind in the world.

The company produces household name products: a total of 65 different brands across 10 categories. Its offering includes Ariel, Fairy, Pampers, Head and Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Gillette and Oral B.

What Is the Culture like at Procter and Gamble?

The foundation of P&G’s culture is divided into purpose, values and principles. These ideals have stayed with the company for generations:

• Purpose – Providing quality brands that play a unique role in the world. * Values – P&G’s values include integrity, leadership, ownership, passion and trust.
• Principles – P&G has eight core principles. These include respect, integrity and mutual success, strategic focus, innovation, mastery, being the best, teamwork, and external focus.

The company has divided its citizenship efforts into five categories:

• Ethics and corporate responsibility
• Community impact
• Diversity and inclusion
• Gender equality
• Environmental sustainability

Ethics and Corporate Responsibility

The company publicly notes the responsibility it believes it holds as a sizeable company with many employees and five billion people worldwide using its products.

P&G focuses heavily on its ethical profile. It wants to ensure it is renowned for its commitment to employees, transparency with customers and clients, consideration of the environment, and support of good causes.

Community Impact

Here, P&G considers its employee community as well as the communities it serves. The company has community impact programmes in place in many different countries around the world.

This includes its flagship children’s safe drinking water programme, which sees P&G distributing its purifier of water packets to people who need them. 

Another of its recent and well-publicised community efforts is teaming up with neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses to create a nappy for premature babies that is three times smaller than Pampers' smallest size.

Diversity and Inclusion

In 2019, Forbes America voted P&G one of the best employers for diversity. The company also scored a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s corporate equality index.

The company believes that by having a diverse workforce it can better reflect its consumers and therefore serve them better. P&G holds an annual Diversity and Inclusion Week and has Project REACH which provides real-life work experience to individuals with disabilities.

The company also has ‘Affinity’ groups to support employees in minority groups.

Gender Equality

The company set a goal to achieve 50/50 gender parity in all of its businesses. Currently, 45% of manager positions and 35% of executive positions are held by women.

Environmental Sustainability

The company recently launched Ambition 2030; a set of environmental goals to work towards.

Ambition 2030 covers everything from the company’s brands, to supply chain, society and employees. Packaging in the firms top 20 brands will become recyclable or reusable and its manufacturing processes will be looked at with the aim of cutting emissions in half. The company also aims to power its factories using 100% renewable energy.

Part of this process will involve rewarding and recognising employees who adopt sustainable practices.

The company states that it has achieved a 13% reduction in packaging and a 27% decrease in water consumption (used in manufacturing) since 2010.

What Graduate Roles Do Procter and Gamble Offer?

P&G offers roles within the following skill sets:

• Brand (communication, consumer and market knowledge, design, marketing/brand management)
• Sales
• Finance and accounting
• Engineering
• Information technology
• Supply chain logistics
• Business administration
• Human resources
• Intellectual property/legal
• Manufacturing
• Plant technicians
• Quality assurance
• Research and development (R&D)
• Purchases
• Supply network/logistics

The company works on a 70/20/10 learning basis and stresses that no employee will be faced with rotational programmes or graduate onboarding (training videos, print materials, etc.). The ratios break down to:

• 70% Experience-based learning
• 20% Learning via mentors, colleagues and peers
• 10% Learning through structured study (courses and materials)

The company gives graduates responsibility from day one, with genuine projects that allow the individual to fully engage with the new role straight away.

In a graduate position, you will receive formal training as well as on-the-job day-to-day mentoring from your manager.

The company boasts a workplace that is dynamic and respectful; graduates are encouraged to embark on new initiatives and take advantage of the offer of flexible working to work to the very best of their ability.

You can find specific information on the Procter & Gamble application process here, as well as what interview questions you may encounter.

What Is It like to Work at Procter and Gamble?

P&G prides itself on developing from within; helping graduates progress from an entry-level role through to higher-level management.

The company focuses on ensuring employees have a fulfilling experience from day one; trusting them with real work, straight away.

Hours

At P&G, employees work hard. As a new graduate, the hours can be long – a normal 40-hour week can creep over 55. In general, however, the company doesn’t monitor hours – rather, the output of work.

In most cases, the company takes a relaxed approach to work hours, as long as the work is completed; 75% of P&G’s workforce work flexible hours.

Holiday

Paid holiday increases over time (the longer you work there, the more you get), but in the UK, employees have 24 days holiday per year as standard.

Work/Life Balance

P&G has remote working options, location free roles, flexible working times and the ability to work less than a full-time schedule (fewer days per week or hours per day).

The company gives personal leaves of absence, or sabbaticals. Employees can take up to three months off after handing in their first assignment and, subsequently, every seven years (without pay but with standard employee benefits), to pursue individual interests.

Parental leave and family leave (time off to look after a member of the family) can be taken for up to 12 months.

Dress Code

The dress code is described as business-casual. This generally means role-appropriate clean and tidy outfits which are not overly revealing.

Jeans are accepted, trousers, knee-length skirts, shirts, blouses and jumpers.

Benefits

Benefits include (not everyone is offered everything):

• Private medical insurance
• Life insurance
• Company cars
• Well-being programmes
• Interest-free loans
• A share purchase plan (tax-advantageous)
• Educational support with life experiences like buying a first home
• A contributory pension plan

In addition, employees receive discounts on P&G products and significant savings across a wide range of items from groceries to holidays. Depending on location, employees often have access to gyms, relaxation and fitness classes.

Salary and Career Development

Salary increases happen throughout a career and are often reflective of personal achievements and an individual’s ability to meet their KPIs. P&G notes that it reviews salary ranges each year to ensure its salaries are at the top level.

The company strives to produce ‘world-class leaders’ and those who do well can expect to rise through the ranks to a more senior role.

The company has a global reach, selling its products into 180 different countries – therefore, opportunities for relocation are plentiful.

Employees and their families who relocate are supported by P&G in a variety of different ways, whether it be help with learning the native language or finding accommodation.

Final Thoughts

Procter and Gamble continues to win awards and earn new titles for its commitment to employees, diversity and equal opportunities.

The company offers graduates the chance to work on live projects straight away to quickly start making a difference in their career and to the wider world.