Procter & Gamble (P&G) Philippines, whose portfolio has been trusted over the years for its premium health care, home care, beauty, and grooming products, continues to be a great place to work as it prioritizes employees’ wellbeing for a smooth transition to return to the office safely.
As our country recovers from the ongoing pandemic, government alert levels have been reduced to lessen remaining economic restrictions and allow recovery in economic growth. This prompted some companies to return to their offices.
Working in a physical office has benefits for both employees and companies: it allows for better coaching or mentoring, especially for the new hires, and more focused productivity and optimized collaboration in creating innovative ideas. However, there are also benefits from giving employees more flexibility to manage their time between work and personal lives which is something that P&G recognizes. P&G pioneered flexible working arrangements and working from home since the early 2000s and now since the pandemic, has established stricter safety protocols and procedures in their offices to safeguard everyone’s wellbeing towards a better normal..
“Returning to work at our offices is a positive step to ensuring we maintain our collaborative workplace culture. It gives our employees a chance to interact in person again and re-establish connections with teams and colleagues through face-to-face meetings and conversations,” Vince Dizon, P&G’s Country Human Resources Leader shared.
People-first approach
Recognizing that employees may have varying needs, P&G first conducted an employee survey and carefully assessed each employee’s personal situations. For example, some employees are currently living with family members who are more vulnerable to the virus, others may have already relocated away from the city to their hometowns or have children enrolled in distance schooling who require their assistance.
“While we are excited to open our doors, we also planned this carefully with employees as our top priority. In addition to ensuring that everyone is safe from the virus with all required measures in place, we also ensured that our employees will continue to have the flexibility and assistance through our programs, policies and benefits to help them navigate the ever-changing new normal,” Vince added.
The company allowed employees to coordinate their chosen days to work in the office independently, or as a team to maximize efficiency and allow a more intentional and productive outcome.
Transitions were phased to assure the safety of each employee, providing office safety training, establishing guidance on contact tracing and standard disinfection protocols in the event of an identified COVID case, and guaranteeing everyone’s physical safety in the office, including regular disinfection of workstation and available sanitizers, and adequate ventilation. Teleconsultation continues to be available for all P&G employees who are in need of medical attention, as well as medical advice and proper protocols in the event of infection.
P&G also partnered with Mindscapes, SafeSpace, and In Touch Philippines for online, and over-the-phone mental and emotional support, on top of their Employee Assistance Program (EAP) which is a 24-hour free and confidential access to advice on financial, emotional, legal and other matters that may affect the employees personally. Moreover, the company provided all of its employees with return to office kits that included P&G manufactured medical grade face masks, insulated reusable cups, personal utensils, and P&G hygiene products that employees could use while working in the office.
“As the world recovers from the pandemic, we will continue to remain vigilant to ensure everyone’s health and safety including mental and emotional health,” said Vince.
