Abstract
The positive impact that gender equality and diversity produce on companies’ financial performance and success has already been proven. However, these aspects are still the acute problems in business. The process of fostering a diverse workforce implies accepting and supporting differences in the population and promoting a supporting working environment for every individual, regardless of race, religion, sexuality, gender, age, etc. In addition, it is particularly important to understand and meet the demands of the diverse customers, and diversity in the workforce is the answer. Moreover, companies should introduce mentoring and coaching programs to regulate gender equality issues and diversity. Procter & Gamble as long been identified as a brilliant example of a company that adheres to a strategy of diversity and inclusion and develops various international programs that support women and promote gender equality and diversity. Besides, company’s brand teams are made up of representatives of both genders, and its effective diversity management includes all groups. Significantly, the company’s statistics are an illustrative example of how commitment to gender equality and diversity works in reality.
Diversity and gender equality are essential components of building a strong and profitable organization in the modern world. Procter & Gamble has a particular set of core values, including integrity, trust, leadership, etc; nevertheless, people lie at the heart of these values. By attracting the best employees, regardless of their race, culture, gender, religion, and giving them equal opportunities for promotion, Procter & Gamble has become a successful and prosperous company. Procter & Gamble is one of the few companies that demonstrate its commitment to gender equality and diversity by having a fifty percent female board. The company believes that diversity and gender equality are absolutely necessary to make a company prosperous and a good place to work. The company’s culture measures results and productivity rather than how or when people work. Moreover, Procter & Gamble invests in its employees to achieve better results despite their race, gender, religion, sexuality, etc. Procter & Gamble supports a lot of programs and initiative to develop talented people and retain the best employees because the company understands that employees are the most valuable asset.
Procter & Gamble is committed to hiring people of all nationalities because a monoculture of white men cannot understand and meet the demands of diverse customers all over the world. To attract the best minority scientists, for example, the company has created several programs. Saturday Science program is one of them. Each spring, the company invites numerous students, predominantly African Americans, to visit its research facilities, interact with potential employees, and give them a sense of scientific career opportunities (Webb, 2003). Moreover, Procter & Gamble finances the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and participates in the Ohio Mathematics and Science Coalition. Another successful company’s strategy for attracting minority specialists is Research and Technical Careers in Industry Conference whose participants are minority doctoral students in biology, chemistry, and engineering. Finally, the company has successful reward, recognize, and retention programs for minority groups. “One of the more effective strategies for ensuring retention of minority groups is to proactively provide, and also value, mentoring and support groups” (Webb, 2003). The components of Procter & Gamble’s reward and recognition program are performance-based rewards, public acknowledgment of success, and bringing inclusion of minority employees into all facets of its business (Webb, 2003). Figure 1 and Figure 2 vividly demonstrate the company’s commitment to diversity and gender equality in the workplace.
FIGURE 1. Annual hiring rate of underrepresented minority doctoral candidates (blacks or Hispanics, combined), 1995 to 2001 (Webb, 2003).
FIGURE 2. Annual hiring rate of female doctoral candidates, 1995 to 2001 (Webb, 2003).
Procter & Gamble is a company that promotes gender equality and creates workplaces where males and females have absolutely equal opportunities to lead and advance. The company does not simply challenge the status quo. Instead, it tries to break stereotypes and create an inclusive workplace where everyone has a chance to develop his or her talents and unique abilities. A strong commitment to developing talented people of both genders is the company’s central effort that results in various global initiatives, including “Everyone Valued, Everyone Included, Everyone Performing at Their Peak” (Diversity & Inclusion, n.d.). This initiative addressing gender diversity issues in areas where females are underrepresented in the workforce, for example, in the Middle East and Asia. Procter & Gamble believes that the value of diversity and inclusion helps understand consumers much better and develop the company much faster.
Procter & Gamble’s global diversity platform supports the development of talented women across all levels and regions through various learning and developing programs. In 2015, Procter & Gamble was announced as a recipient of the Catalyst Award that honors various innovative and exceptional practices aiming at expanding diversity and gender equality in business throughout the world. The company believes that people are the most valuable asset and the source of competitive advantage in the era of globalization. Kindah Sais Diversity & Inclusion Leader for Saudi Arabia, Procter & Gamble said at the ceremony, “Our success depends on the strength of our diverse talent, including in the Arabian Peninsula where we have brought in female staff to support our growth” (P&G Wins the Catalyst Award for Promoting Women in Business Globally, 2015). He continued, “P&G is committed to providing equal opportunities in employment, and this diversity and inclusion is what makes us the Company we are today” (P&G Wins the Catalyst Award, 2015). In general, Procter & Gamble supports women in the Arabian Peninsula and promotes their employment. Significantly, the company was the first one to attain a license that permitted to hire females in Saudi Arabia. Nowadays, almost fifteen percent of the company’s management is females in Saudi Arabia, and they have the same career opportunities and benefits as their male colleagues.
According to the company’s purpose, diversity and inclusion is an integral part of their values and principles. The company believes that both men and women are talented in their unique ways and celebrates such uniqueness every day. Diversity and inclusion purpose enables the company to be the “employer of choice” that hires, engages and retains the best talent from around the world Through our focus on understanding each individual’s skills and passions, as well as our fundamental commonalities, we enable behaviors that lead to a culture of innovation” (Diversity & Inclusion, n.d.). Moreover, due to encouraging and supporting working environment, Procter & Gamble is able to inspire its employees to bring their best. In addition, the company tries to prevent any forms of unlawful discrimination and does not discriminate individuals according to their race, gender, religion, etc. Significantly, nowadays, females from all cultural backgrounds occupy almost forty-three percent of the company’s management positions, and one-half of the Board of Directors is also represented by them. The company is also notable for its efforts to retain their female employees and develops numerous extensive training programs that support them.
The company’s global strategy is to make diversity an integral part of the business culture similar to the notion of profitability. If a person really wants to develop his or her talents in the company, Procter & Gamble will always give him or her this chance and will sack a high earning individual if his way of conduct is disrespectful or sexist. Significantly, the company has a lot of stories that tell about hiring pregnant women who were going on maternity leave but they were the right candidates for the job. Thus, Procter & Gamble is always ready to take on similar challenges to look longer term and attract right people for their positions.
In Thailand, Procter & Gamble also supports several programs, including the “Responsible Women Entrepreneurs” program and the ASEAN Businesswoman’s Support initiative. Moreover, the company demonstrates its commitment to gender equality within the company by joining the “HeForShe campaign” (P&G shows support for gender equality by becoming first HeForShe corporate partner in Asia-Pacific, 2015). HeForShe is a movement designed to attract males to the issue of gender equality. The movement emphasizes the need to give women equal opportunities, rights, and freedoms to develop their unique potential and have full participation in social and economic lives. Thus, Procter & Gamble recognizes the importance and necessity of promoting gender equality in Thailand and employ individuals who represent diverse cultural backgrounds. “Launched 2010, the global P&G strategy of Diversity and Inclusion has made progress in P&G Thailand to increase the number of women in senior managerial positions with a balanced female-to-male participation ratio” (P&G shows support for gender equality by becoming first HeForShe corporate partner in Asia-Pacific, 2015). By its own example, Procter & Gamble sends a clear message to males that it is vitally important to create a world of equal opportunities for women in the marketplace all over the world. Significantly, Thailand is the country where women face a lot of obstacles that prevent them from exercising their rights in social spheres. Procter & Gamble seeks ways that can help narrow the gender gap and contribute to improving society in Thailand.
References
Diversity & Inclusion. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://us.pg.com/who-we-are/our-approach/diversity-inclusion
P&G Wins the Catalyst Award for Promoting Women in Business Globally. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.pg.com/en_AP/news_views/pressreleases/Catalyst_Award.shtml
P&G shows support for gender equality by becoming first HeForShe corporate partner in Asia-Pacific. (2015). Retrieved from http://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/news-and-events/stories/2015/03/press-release-pg-shows-support-for-gender-equality-by-becoming-first-heforshe
Webb, R. (2003). Diversity in the Industrial R&D Workforce: Challenges and Strategies. In Minorities in the Chemical Workforce: Diversity Models that Work: A Workshop Report to the Chemical Sciences Roundtable. National Academies Press.
