P&G: Truly a World Leader in Inclusion & Diversification of Today

Potential should be nurtured and good employees should be retained, says Director at P&G

Every work environment has its own specifics and challenges. Small companies, women’s entrepreneurship, large companies, and multinational corporations. What is more difficult and demanding is not at all a subject of comparison. We believe that being part of one of the leading multinational corporations, maintaining its reputation in Croatia, and creating an office under the mentorship and supervision of experienced experts from all over the world makes every ambitious woman’s pulse rush.

Nikolina Silov Konjevoda got such an opportunity. Just after finishing her studies, she got a job at Proctor & Gamble, exactly 17 years ago. She started her career as a regional sales manager, her responsibilities grew quickly, and she advanced to the position of team leader. The convenience of working in a company like P&G is certainly the possibility of training and advancement. She spent four years in Switzerland as market director for skin care and personal hygiene products for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Her next job was in Hungary, first as distribution director for Croatia, Slovenia and Hungary, then as commercial director for those same countries. Today, Nikolina Silov Konjevoda is the General Director of P&G for Croatia and Slovenia.

 

We are known for raising leaders

As soon as they walk through the doors of P&G, from the first day our employees receive full responsibility for the achievement of business goals, they learn by doing with the support of their mentors. This makes us one of the companies known for developing leaders. From the first day, my responsibility was to the clients, I had goals that I had to meet and a budget that I had to invest. My responsibility grew with each task, and all the time I had a mentor, one step above me in the hierarchy, who went through the same path and who helped me with practical advice and support when I needed it. I could list a lot of things, but one of the factors that make us special is equal opportunities for training and a culture of inclusion. We want our company to be rich in diversity, we use the power of diversification, says the young director, mother of two young children.

Procter & Gamble Croatia is part of an American multinational corporation that today produces more than 250 consumer goods brands (Always, Pampers, Pantene, Oral-B, etc.) for more than five billion consumers in 180 countries of the world. According to the market value of shares, Procter & Gamble is one of the 15 most successful companies in the world with an annual turnover of about 40 billion dollars. Impressive is an understatement. Being a flywheel in such a company is absolutely a matter of prestige.

These large global companies do not wait for their talents to find them by chance. They are recruited already during their studies, on campuses, during career days, through social networks, they visit student fairs, and award prizes to the most successful. They follow universities that nurture talents, and nurture relationships with professors. They hire based on the potential they see in young people. Potential needs to be nurtured, and quality staff should be retained.

 

The welfare of employees is a priority

We cannot give our maximum if our employees are not at their maximum, that is our motto. That is why the well-being of our employees is one of our priorities. If we achieve that the employees have the best possible experience, then we can pass the same on to our clients and customers. Personal satisfaction is one of the areas we monitor in annual analyses and we implement various initiatives to improve the employee experience. Our starting point is strong health benefits, such as full pay during sick leave, health insurance and counselling through our employee assistance programs. From 2019, fathers can use fully paid eight weeks of parental leave. This allows fathers to spend valuable time with their children, but also helps mothers to return to their professional careers. We conduct workshops and lectures on mental, physical, emotional and financial health. Our central working hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in flexible and hybrid arrangements combining working in the office and working from home, Silov Konjevoda explained to us the vision of her employer.

One of the challenges was adapting the processes of a global company to local business conditions, and in the Croatian office, it was necessary to strengthen support for the system of female leadership, improve management competencies and expand the offer of personalised benefits. It was a good reason for the Croatian office of P&G to get involved in the certification process for the MAMFORCE standard as part of the EU co-financed project Re-create Work-Life for Women and Men, which was coordinated by the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, in cooperation with the creator of Standard Spona Code.

 

Motherhood and fatherhood are not obstacles

We are proud that this year we were awarded the MAMFORCE LEAD Standard, which recognises our efforts and dedication to the career development of both mothers and fathers, as well as the quality of engagement and communication, our culture of support and flexibility that enable well-being and good leadership. We are honoured that our employees believe that we provide fair opportunities for all. It just shows us that we are on the right track in implementing the best global practices and providing the best experience of working locally. It also encourages us to do even more, to raise the bar so that our employees remain motivated in the times to come and so that we all give our maximum. We are proud to give fair opportunities to everyone. An equal world is a better world for everyone. The commercial success of our company is based on the success of our employees, clients and customers. All of them. We strive to create a company and a world where equality and inclusion are attainable for all, where respect and inclusion are the foundations of the culture, and where opportunities for learning, growth, progress and success are available to all. The MAMFORCE methodology offers a structured and objective assessment that realistically places us on the market, and provides valuable insight into where there is room for improvement, says Proctor & Gamble’s general manager for Croatia and Slovenia.

By analysing the data and processes during the MAMFORCE Standard certification process, it was determined that the company can further improve the status of the company through a series of local activities. By re-evaluating and improving a number of long-standing benefits – such as paternity leave, financial payments for newborn children, covered sick leave, co-financing of Christmas gifts, and organising workshops and performances for children – the quality of the employee experience has been raised by seven percent, talent management is now more efficient, the number of sick days has decreased, and more than 90% of employees would recommend Procter & Gamble as a good place to work for both men and women. Motherhood is not seen as an obstacle to advancement at P&G. Development of managerial competencies and support for female leadership improved by ten percent. All employees believe that diversity is truly lived and respected at P&G.

 

Leading in inclusion

Inclusivity is one of the principles that P&G values and strives for. They boast that they are the world leader in inclusion and diversification.

One of the recent examples of our support for equality and inclusion was the cooperation with the Croatian Paralympic Committee. Through our brands, we sponsored the campaign of the Croatian Paralympians for the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, but we also encouraged children to get involved in parasports. Together with our partners, we worked to raise awareness of the obstacles faced by people with disabilities every day. Their small and big victories make them winners every day. As individuals who come from this community, we are privileged to live and work in Croatia, and as a company with our brands and employees, we want to be a force for good, to make every day a little better, says Nikolina Silov Konjevoda proudly.

 

Hybrid work is great for balance

The pandemic also brought novelties in the organisation of work to P&G, which proved to be more than welcome. Working from home two days a week, three days in the office are dedicated to meetings, agreements, and working with a multi-functional team.

Although I am often on the road or in the office for more than three days, the days when I work from home are very productive for me. A great opportunity to clear my to-do list, and reduce time in meetings. They also help me to better organise my private life, for example, picking up my children at kindergarten, organising playtime with other children, and going to the gym. If I turn off my laptop at 5:00 PM, I get at least 45 minutes more time for my family, be it feeding, playing or yelling haha. I also really appreciate the flexibility and trust my superiors give me if there is an emergency at home and I need to leave work unexpectedly, the young mother is satisfied.

Our interlocutor devotes her free time to her children. She says she still needs to work a little more on time for herself, but the extended weekend was an opportunity to rest on the coast that she didn’t miss. Good luck in your future career, with this commendable role model of female leadership.

 

The interview was originally published at Women in Adria.

 

 

Ready to join a group of responsible employers with quality HR policies?

Let’s talk!

 

      Become a MAMFORCE INSIDER

      Be at the source of relevant topics in the field of diversity and inclusion, gender balance, and human and organisational development. Get special discounts on our education!