Proctor and Gamble, also known as P&G, are responsible for many products that you probably use every day.
They produce personal care products, including shampoos and razors, household products, including dishwashing liquid and cleaning solutions, and diapers and wipes, to name a few.
You may not realize they are P&G products, because they produce them under brand names.
These include Pampers, Head and Shoulders, Tide, Gillette, and many others.
As of 2021, the company had 106,000 employees.
According to Statistica, P&G is currently the biggest consumer goods company in the world.
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Pros of Working at Proctor and Gamble
1. Career Development Opportunities
One of the pros of working for this company is opportunities for career development and promotion.
You will need to take the initiative, and advocate for your own career growth.
However, if you are motivated, there are opportunities to move into higher positions.
It’s also very common for employees to change jobs or departments every few years.
This allows you to learn new skills, and can help prevent boredom.
99% of senior management officials at P&G are from within the company.
It’s also considered the top company for creating CEOs from marketers.
Many of these individuals go on to hold C-suite jobs at other companies.
2. Certified “Great Place to Work”
In 2022, P&G earned the “Great Place to Work” certification.
Great Place to Work is a global organization that rates companies based on employee experiences.
They surveyed 5,000 employees, which were chosen at random, and discovered that 71% of them rated the company as a great place to work, compared to the average of 59% for U.S. companies.
3. Responsibility
This can be a pro or a con, but most employees consider it a pro.
Even entry level employees are typically given a high degree of responsibility.
In fact, 89% of employees stated that they have a lot of responsibility.
This leads to having more autonomy than you find at many companies, and a greater sense of personal satisfaction.
4. Travel/Experiencing Other Cultures
Many employees state that they have had unforgettable experiences traveling around the world with P&G.
They enjoy the ability to travel as part of their career.
They had the opportunity to meet many new people, and learn about other cultures.
5. Good Coworkers
Employees state that their coworkers are one of their favorite thigns bout working for Proctor and Gamble.
They say employees are typically intelligent and friendly.
There’s also a culture of tolerance and inclusion.
Many employees find that they form close friendships, or even romantic relationships, with their coworkers.
6. Looks Good on a Resume
P&G is a prestigious company that is well known for having high standards.
Employees who go on to work for other companies state that their previous experience with the company often helps them get other jobs.
The prestige of the company, along with the valuable experience you gain, can help you improve your career in the long-term.
7. Competitive Benefits and Compensation
Most Proctor and Gamble employees surveyed were happy with their salary and compensation.
245 out of 260 employees rated P&G in the top 20% compared to similar companies.
In addition to decent pay, P&G offers a variety of benefits.
One of these is tuition reimbursement.
If you want to advance your career by continuing your education, P&G may cover your education costs.
They also offer a profit-sharing plan for retirement.
Once you are eligible, you’ll receive a percentage of your salary each year in your retirement account.
You can also purchase P&G stock through the stock purchase plan, and have the money deducted from your paycheck.
The company also has wellness benefits that go beyond a good health insurance package.
They have programs that help to educate and empower their employees to take charge of their health, which can provide benefits including earning back your healthcare deductible.
8. Great Training
P&G views its employees as its greatest resource.
This means the company is invested in them and their success.
The company actually works with employees to help them create a long-term career plan.
Employees can have an assigned mentor.
They can also meet with talent councils.
Even entry-level positions carry a lot of responsibility and decision-making, which helps build strong management and leadership skills.
Proctor and Gamble also offers two types of training programs.
Their Ignite program focuses on digital fluency, and is tailored to the needs and skills of the individual.
The PGLA, or Leadership Academy, helps employees build skills and strengthen their leadership capabilities.
Both programs are open to anyone in the company who wishes to further their career.
Holding different roles within the company also provides training.
Most employees will hold 5 different jobs within their first 10 years at the company.
As they learn new jobs, they are also gaining valuable experience and learning new skills.
Cons of Working at Proctor and Gamble
1. Poor Employee Utilization
Some employees complain about poor employee utilization.
They state that instead of being placed in fields or departments where they are skilled or knowledgeable, they are placed in areas that aren’t a good fit for them.
For example, an IT employee is put into the marketing department.
The cross-training and different job roles employees hold at P&G are often a benefit of working for the company.
However, it can be detrimental if you end up in a role that you aren’t right for.
2. Too Much Bureaucracy
Some employees state that they have great access to management, while others claim that the company has too much bureaucracy.
There seems to be a strict hierarchy at the company, and issues sometimes need to go through several people before they are resolved.
A related issue is a lack of responsibility.
Rather than focusing on problems and finding a solution, management will often blame other departments.
Instead of fixing the issue, a lot of time can be spent playing the blame game.
3. Outdated Systems/Technology
IT personnel and other employees state that Proctor and Gamble’s infrastructure is outdated.
There’s no innovation within the tech department.
Instead, it seems tech employees function more as help desk representatives.
There’s little to no automation, and no motivation to eliminate or reduce tedious tasks that could be completed more efficiently with better technology.
The leadership structure seems to be old fashioned and authoritative.
When it comes to upper management, it’s unwise to disagree with them.
Managers seem to be more concerned with collecting a paycheck than performance.
However, there is a focus on performance metrics.
It seems that some employees will be punished for poor performance or disciplined, because managers have a discipline quota they need to meet to stay in the good graces of upper management.
5. Lack of Proactive Action
Employees have noted a lack of proactive action within the company.
There seems to be a “wait until it breaks, and then fix it” approach.
This disrupts the work flow, and can cause unnecessary stress and time constraints.
One of the reasons for this issue may be the bureaucracy mentioned earlier, along with an outdated way of thinking.
6. Poor Work-Life Balance
When you work at Proctor and Gamble, you may have little time to do anything else.
Many employees report working 12 or more hours each day.
There are also lots of meetings, which aren’t always necessary, and take away from personal time.
Some positions require being constantly available by phone or email.
Even when you aren’t at work, you can be called in.
Some employees say that it’s impossible to have a life while working at the company.
However, other employees say that you can find a work-life balance if you are willing to determine what has to be done, and what can wait.
7. High stress
Most employees at P&G state that it’s a high-stress environment.
The company has very high expectations, which can sometimes be completely unreasonable.
Some employees also state that management is considered to be infallible, so any missteps fall on the people below them, regardless of whose fault it was.
8. All or Nothing Culture
There are two types of people that work at P&G.
Those who see it as a place to work, and then advance to another job, and those who are fully devoted to the company.
This devotion means that you must completely believe every piece of company philosophy and rhetoric.
Some employees describe it as being like a pyramid scheme.
16 Pros and Cons of Working for Proctor and Gamble – Summary Table
| Pros of Working at Proctor and Gamble | Cons of Working at Proctor and Gamble |
|---|---|
| 1. Career Development Opportunities | 1. Poor Employee Utilization |
| 2. Certified "Great Place to Work" | 2. Too Much Bureaucracy |
| 3. Responsibility | 3. Outdated Systems/Technology |
| 4. Travel/Experiencing Other Cultures | 4. Old Fashioned/Authoritative Leadership Structure |
| 5. Good Coworkers | 5. Lack of Proactive Action |
| 6. Looks Good on a Resume | 6. Poor Work-Life Balance |
| 7. Competitive Benefits and Compensation | 7. High stress |
| 8. Great Training | 8. All or Nothing Culture |
Should You Work at Proctor and Gamble?
Proctor and Gamble can be a great career choice, but it’s not for everyone.
If you want a career that provides you with lots of training and learning experiences, this is a good place to work.
Many employees spend their entire careers at P&G, and enjoy success.
Others go on to become managers or C-suite executives at other companies.
However, you will be sacrificing your work-life balance when working here.
If you are very innovative or disagree with the values or political views of management, you may find this company isn’t right for you.
