The event was kicked off by unveiling paintings made by People with Disabilities, sending a strong reminder of inclusion at the plant where a signage reads – ‘Everyone is welcome here’
Procter and Gamble India (P&G India), maker of brands like Tide, Ariel, Pampers etc., hosted the second edition of its ‘Equality and Inclusion Roadshow’ at its largest manufacturing facility in the country, located in Hyderabad. Aiming to drive education and awareness, the Roadshow brought together a diverse group of employees from all levels of the organization – right from technicians and line workers to managers, from new hires to senior leadership of the Company with decades of experience. The event comprised of various engaging sessions and nuanced conversations, that helped the audience to identify biases, break barriers, and pledge to advance on their journey to be more inclusive.
P&G’s Equality & Inclusion (E&I) strategy is holistic and integrated, aiming to drive inclusion for all, with focused efforts towards Gender Equality, LGTBTQ+ inclusion and inclusion of People with Disabilities. Building on the success of its previous edition, this year’s program brought together renowned experts and guests working to advance these areas of inclusion – Dr. Ruth John Paul, The First Transgender Person in India to join a medical Post Graduation course and Ms. Payal Kapoor, Founder – Trainer & Sensitization Workshops’ Facilitator, Sens-It-Eyes. The event also included experiential sensitisation for the employees to drive awareness and empathy, from pregnancy simulators to sessions on basics of Indian sign language among others.
Srinivas P.M. Head – Human Resources, P&G India said, “As a Company we have continued to be deeply committed to serve billions of consumers around the world, and in India. We truly believe, we do it the best when we respect and reflect the diversity of our consumers, fully understand their unique needs, and serve them with superior products and services. This is embedded in our culture at P&G. Understanding and reflecting the diversity of our consumers begins at home – at our workplace, where our people help us gain deeper insights to provide superior brand experiences for everyone. In line with this, we have continued to foster an organization where equality and inclusion is at the cornerstone of our culture, and every employee can bring their authentic selves to work. This is further strengthened by several dedicated interventions and workplace policies which are catered to meet the varied life stage needs of our diverse employees.”
He further added, “This year, with the second edition of the roadshow we have endeavoured to empower our employees to become vocal allies of true inclusion. We’re confident that the learnings and connections built here will translate into concrete actions, where everyone feels enabled to contribute their best. As our employees return to their communities, they become ambassadors for inclusion, carrying the momentum forward and inspiring positive change beyond P&G.”
Over the years, the P&G Hyderabad site has evolved to be a thought leader on inclusion. P&G India was one of the first companies to have female Technicians in all manufacturing shifts, including the night shift, by working in partnership with the government to secure the necessary approvals and unlocking growth opportunities for the female technician workforce. The plant has continued to enable a trusting, open and inclusive culture at the workplace where everyone is valued, and have equal access to opportunities to thrive.
P&G India has also continued to meaningfully impact communities it serves through its flagship CSR program – P&G Shiksha. Over the years in Hyderabad, through P&G Shiksha, the Company has aided educational infrastructure enhancement, remedial learning to improve learning outcomes in children, and empower marginalized communities. This year, P&G Shiksha has expanded its digital remedial learning program – Mindspark, to also impact thousands of children from tribal communities in Telangana. This is a specially curated program, in Telangana and Maharashtra in partnership with the tribal departments of the state. Further, P&G India also provides financial support and mentorship to girls pursing STEM education across colleges in the state, through the ‘P&G Shiksha Betiyan Scholarship Program’.
These initiatives build on top of the continued efforts the Company has been driving to advance Equality and Inclusion. Be it by raising awareness and challenging stereotypes through movements like Ariel #ShareTheLoad as well as inclusive actions like the annual ‘Women in Tech’ summit that drives conversations on breaking myths and advancing gender equality in tech and IT. The Company also offers diverse inclusive policies for its workforce and extends all the benefits to partners of its LGBTQ+ employees. For instance, ‘Share the Care’ inclusive parental leave policy, which provides all new parents including biological parents, domestic partners, adoptive parents, parents in same-sex couples to 8 weeks of fully paid parental leave.
