Evolving employee needs – the only constant

A dive into Procter & Gamble India’s mission to keep employee well-being at the core of everything it does

The consumer goods industry, like all other industries and sectors, also witnessed the impact of external headwinds and volatility caused by the pandemic, which impacted each aspect of human life and the economy. However, despite these headwinds, the Indian economy grew by 8.7% in 2021-2022 as we emerged from the pandemic. The pandemic also brought with it multiple trends, and while some have faded away already, many others are here to stay. For example, the accelerated penetration of digital – not only in terms of household penetration but also in terms of the number of aspects of our daily lives that it has impacted, has permanently evolved the way we function.

Srinivas P.M., Head – of Human Resources, P&G India Sub-Continent, shares key insights into the numerous ways in which the firm has catered to the numerous needs of its employees and their overall well-being.

What are the primary tenets in maintaining the well-being of your people? Considering the vastness of your organization, how have you balanced the wellness of your employees?

The pandemic re-emphasized the importance of focusing on the health, hygiene, and well-being of everyone, including employees at the workplace. It reiterated that the well-being of people is directly linked to their progress and hence, to the progress of the organizations they drive.

At P&G, the well-being of our people has been at the core of our priorities since our inception more than 180 years ago. We truly care for our people as well as their families, and we strive to continue to empower them in bringing their full selves to the workplace, through our policies and programs. We have continued to create an environment of mutual respect, where opportunities to thrive are available and accessible for every single employee.

As a society, also affected by the pandemic, we are moving towards a reimagined definition of inclusion.  No two people are alike, and a unique workforce has diverse and dynamic needs that are constantly evolving with time. Hence, a cookie-cutter approach will not work.

At P&G, we strive to be inclusive to every single person and their needs. We celebrate the uniqueness of each employee’s journey because we know that loyalty and success stem from the times when people feel inspired to make a difference have equal opportunity and multiple ways to continue growing, feel pride in making an impact and know they’re being valued and rewarded for their contributions to their team’s and our company’s success.

Given the popularity of the hybrid work model, how has your firm offered a sense of belonging to your employees?

Be it supporting the flexibility needs of our people through a hybrid work model, catering to their wellbeing through our dedicated wellness program, prioritizing their mental wellbeing through our diverse wellbeing initiatives, or equipping the workplace to meet their everyday needs and more, we are investing our heart and mind in making P&G, a great place to work for our people.

This high-impact organization can be made possible primarily with the pivotal role leaders and managers play in the everyday journey to fuel the personal and professional growth of the people. In line with this, our leaders at P&G take it upon themselves to conduct valuable engagement sessions with their teams at a regular frequency, to help them gain insights, coaching and mentoring, as well as an opportunity for reverse-mentoring. We are also making deliberate efforts to curate valuable in-office and virtual moments with the right opportunities to come together for collaboration, coaching and celebration, for all our employees, especially for those who have recently joined P&G. We believe that this is a critical enabler in driving employee excellence, and we aspire to empower our people by fostering a culture of continuous coaching, collaboration, and celebration at the workplace.

Can you shed light on the employee roadmap?

As we grow and move ahead in the new decade, we are consistently evolving our beliefs and values. As they say, change is the only constant. So, we are embracing this change in the mindsets, and are moving towards shaping a skill-based organization, where best talent is defined by the skills they possess, versus being driven by codified and traditional factors. This talent then goes on to form multiskilled and multifunctional teams, which in-turn propel the organization towards achieving its goals, in an agile, accountable, and resilient manner. Skills have always been part of our vocabulary as an industry, but the time is now to reimagine what skills mean, what they do and the role they play in the organizational journey towards delivering business and personal goals.

In the new decade like the decades before, we continue to invest in our people and their well-being, because we believe, that only when our people feel happy and healthy at their core, is when they will be able to bring their full selves to work and take the organization to newer heights.