DBA 701- 5.4

Pollitt, D. (2011). The fundamental values that drive HR policy at Procter & Gamble. Human

Resource Management International Digest, 19(3), 10–14.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09670731111125862

Pollitt (2011) describes the forces that drive success and how they have shaped human resource

(HR) policies of the multinational company, Proctor & Gamble (P&G). At the heart of P&G’s

business model are its purpose, values, and principles. To these, P&G adds integrity, trust, and

respect for others to create core competencies that drive the day-to-day operations and decision

making. These competencies form three basic ideas:

• the power of the P&G mind

• the power of the P&G people

• the power of the P&G agility (Pollitt, 2011)

Focused primarily on operations in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the author explained the

recruitment process, internal communications, performance rewards, employee development, and

total rewards. All employees receive a world-wide business conduct manual highlighting P&G’s

purpose, values, and principles, which must be reviewed annually. Employees are also required

to sign a document to attest they have done so (Pollitt, 2011).

P&G believes integrity, trust, and respect for others needs to be at the core of all of its business

operations, including employee programs and procedures. They promote from within and offer

extensive training and development programs to all their employees through onsite learning

centers, virtual classrooms, on-the-job training, and coaching. The training provided by P&G’s

HR department reinforces key competency areas, including leadership, innovation, collaboration,

and risk-taking. Their total rewards package reflects their philosophy, and employees are offered

unique work/life balance options. HR managers elsewhere could take their cues from how well

P&G’s HR executives seamlessly integrate the organization’s philosophy and strategic goals into

every aspect of HR management (HRM) and HR development (HRD). P&G’s vision, values, and

principles are likewise compatible with a Christian worldview, as stated in Proverbs 29:18:

“Where there is no vision, the people perish” (King James Version, 1611/1987). There is also

correlation to Colossians 4:1, which states employers are to give kind consideration to their

employees, with management realizing they, too, have a master—God in heaven (paraphrase).

A company’s culture should be founded on values, principles, and ethical behavior, as evidenced

in its ongoing operating practices and formal corporate policies. Pollitt (2011) provides detailed

support of such practice at P&G. However, missing from the article were concrete examples or

illustrations (e.g., an employee current work and development plan) which could be of benefit to

HR managers seeking to benchmark the best practices of the company. Most intriguing is that at

P&G “each employee has his or her own salary plan that consists of the current, proposed, and

the future salary increases” (Pollitt, 2011, p. 13). A favorite quote is, “We feel that our purpose,

values and principles are our DNA, our competitive advantage and our guarantee for long-term

survival and success” (Pollitt, 2011, p. 10). The unique idiom—remuneration—was added to

my lexicon. It is used more frequently outside the United States to describe compensation. My

future research may include review of P&G’s website for employment opportunities in the U.S.

and abroad.

King James Version. (1987). BibleGateway.com. https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/King-

James-Version-KJV-Bible/ (Original work published 1611)

Martocchio, J. J. (2015). Strategic compensation (8th ed.). [CourseSmart version].

http://www.coursesmart.com