Question:
Discuss About The Gender Differences In Paid And Unpaid Work?
The organisational structure of every successful company needs to be diversified and there should be enough equality provisions inside the company. The concept of equality in the company has been raised in the portion of the developing countries like Britain with the help of the certain scholars like Kirton and Greene. However, the policies on equality and diversity have become a part of the employment process now days. This report is discussing about the employment policies of P&G and has provided a basic guide regarding the operational management and organizational structure of the company. Further, the implementation process of those policies has also been described in this report. According to Shen (2009), equal opportunity reflects the concept of social justice and verifies the corporate imbalance and past mistakes. According to Kirton and Greene (2009), equal opportunities can tackle the gender and racial discrimination within a workplace. On the other hand, certain scholars like Fullerton (1998) has concentrated on the diversity management and according to them, diversity management is more effective compared to the equal opportunity policies. A company may face serious difficulties if proper training has not been given to the employers and the employees regarding the equality and diversity. Therefore, it can be stated that proper training is also very necessary in this case. In this research, all the necessary research has been made to analyse the organisational structure of the company to understand all the policies regarding the diversity management and equal opportunity policies.
P&G is an American company that has the head quarter in Ohio, Cincinnati. The company is a well known multinational company that is professing their business on worldwide basis and it earns the speculation of the customers since its incorporation (Us.pg.com. 2018). However, the most important character of this company is its brand management. The company has been incorporated in the year 1887 and in that year it has introduced a profit sharing program and gave the employees an opportunity to own the stake of the company. by this, the growth of the company has been enhanced and employees played an important role to this effect. From the period of its incorporation, the main motto of the company was to attract the consumers at any cost. The company has conducted a data-based market research to understand the demand of the consumers in the year 1924 and obtained the response of the anticipated consumers on a larger basis. This initiative has helped the company to gain one of the leading positions in the arena of consumer relations department (Kirton and Healy 2012). The company has, for the first time, introduced the system of toll free service so that the customers can interact with the company. The company has worked for the interest of customers of every social class and gain the trust of all. In Procter & Gamble, multidivisional structure can be noticed where the managers and the official delegates are working on day to day basis. Most of the official delegates of this company are of different nationals which represent a diversified mentality of the company. The nature of communication made between the managers and the employees are quite liberal and it eases the process of co-ordination. All the process of the company has been going on fluently because of effective diversified policies. The nature of the company is public and there are more than 10000 employees are working worldwide. Diversity can be observed in this place too. People from every country are welcomed by the company and they have got their own respective abilities. The business segmentation of the company has different aspects and the company is hiring its employees to that way. The company has to take various steps for grooming employees with an intention to avoid all future obstacles. A functional orientation can be observed under the organisational profile of this company that creates certain positive as well as negative impact on the company (Us.pg.com. 2018).
Equal Opportunity and Diversity Management Policies
Big organisations like Procter & Gamble are an international brand where the organisational structure is multidivisional in nature. The corporate officers are monitoring the business performance at all level and a liberal functional hierarchy can be observed in the company. The organisational structure of the company can be categorised as follows:
The organisation has been headed by the President and the CEO who is the organisational head of the company. He has been sub-headed by certain particular organisational presidents who are responsible for certain specific categories of products like family care, health products, beauty products and Operational Vice Chairman. Diversity can be observed in each step of organisational divisions. The company has changed its organisational structure in the year 2005 and divided its business into five geographical segmentations. The company has developed certain business units for diversified the environment and market policy of the company.
Workforce Diversity in the modern days has undergone a sea of change and is no longer supposed to be just based on anti discrimination legal compliance. The total concept is based upon the effect of inclusion and the performance of the particular business organization. The different organizations regard diversity as one of the crucial competitive advantages that brings in economic benefits and manages to realign them with the strategies of the management (Kulik 2014). The changing scenario of the last few years has provided a clear picture on the on workforce diversity and it is treated as a competitive necessity by these organizations. The new concept of diversity is well beyond the traditional forms as it calls for the recognition of contribution of the individual people with diverse background. The management of the organization has also a great role to play as they can ensure that the company embraces difference and inclusiveness. The new approach helps to open new work opportunities for men and women of all colors, religions and races (Adkins 2016).
The new approach mainly distinguishes between two different conceptions of equal opportunities namely the liberal and radical viewpoints. The radical concept is based on the policy of proper distribution of the rewards that is implemented by an effective decision making process. On the other hand the liberal concept is based upon the principle of fair procedures that is again done by an effective decision making (Linton Moore and Exworthy 2015). The most positive element of effectiveness is the positive discrimination which provides preferential treatment to the people who are less represented in the company. The objective of such a step is to raise the consciousness of the other members in the company to avail the benefits of the disadvantaged groups. Diversity Management has the tendency to suffer from same such problems of conceptual confusion. The typology of four different management approaches is useful as it segregates between the underlying principles and aims of the policy and thus reflects upon the multi-dimensional nature of the policies of the company. The first approach is the dissolving differences. The differences that exist between each people of the organization are not thought to be based on the membership status of the social groups to which they belong, be it race, religion or color. Such a difference is rather based individually. However this approach has some problems as because it clearly ignores the large scale causes of inequality that includes the presence of unequal chances to education and training (Wheatley Lawton and Hardill 2018). Next comes the approach to Valuing Differences, which is generally based on the social group based differences and the identification of the way in which the following performs in inequality. This approach is believed to be strongly linked to the Liberal approach as its aim is to reduce the effect of differences and not to value them in high regards. The management of P&G understands the Valuing Differences of each and every individuals and stays away from the practice of group based individual differentiation.
Workforce Diversity
The third approach in the line is Accommodating Differences which follows almost the same concept like the liberal concept where the management is open to create various opportunities for the people who are less represented in the company. The management of the mentioned multinational organization ensures to follow the approach which helps them to achieve workplace diversity (Elomäki 2018). Last but not the least in any sense is the fourth approach which is Utilizing Differences. In the following approach the people who have a social identification in the group are recognized and they provide the basis for a differential treatment rather than the sole concentration on the policies and guidelines of equality in the organizations.
The above discussion based on diversity in the workplace provides a transparent view to the changing environment and concept of diversity. The management of P&G has been able to utilize all the goals of the organization gain a competitive advantage over their rivals in the industry by the effective implementation of diversity. Usually the main advantages include;
- Increasing the potential of the employees- Effective use of the Human Resource is one of the main factors that contribute to the success of P&G. The utilization of such a resource provides the company with a cutting edge in the market over their rivals.
- Managing the company in different parts of the world- According to, Hyland (2015) multinational company like the one mentioned in this report must ensure the globalization of the markets as well as the globalization of the labour market where they operate. P&G have been successful to implement an effective policy to globalize them by employing a diverse range of workforce to suit with the local culture and attract customers.
- Taking ample advantage of the diversity in the labour market- The change in the demographic composition of the workforce is notable as because the modern era has opened the door for new opportunities for women and minority workforce to enter the ranks in the company and enjoy equal opportunities like the old warhorses.
- Creation of new business scope and innovation- Innovation and creativity of P&G have been key to the success of the management and this leads to the creation of new business opportunities and thus helps the organization to achieve profit and stay competitive in the market.
However there are also some key challenges to the diversity management of a company. The involvement of union has been the main challenge that the management faces while implementing the different policies related to diversity. However effective involvement by the management of the organization and the proper steps towards the betterment of the employees has ensured the success of P&G (Qin Muenjohn and Chhetri 2014). The management of the mentioned organization has taken liberal steps to ensure the proper representation of each and every employee within the company.
As explained earlier diversity management has been key to the success of P&G in the market. An effective management of the workforce by ensuring equal opportunities for all the employees of the organization has helped P&G to manage the company more efficiently. The P&G employee’s experiences culture of diversity and inclusion each and every day (Gollan et al. 2014). The fact that the workforce of the company comes from different traditions and different cultures and has different viewpoints on a particular issue makes the combination more interesting. The increasing connectivity and the globalization of the modern market have helped the company to celebrate the uniqueness of each and every customer.
The management of Procter and Gamble has been taking adequate steps to ensure diversity in the workplace. According to, Peck and Dunne (2017) the company surely follows the workplace diversity and treats each of the employees equally to utilize their full potential and maximize their market share. According to the top level management of the company adequate progress has been made on the same and more efforts are being implemented to achieve a unique status as well as a competitive advantage in the markets where they operate. The HR department of the following business firm has an effective system that supports individual development. A regular review system is in place that helps to make sure that the system is working accordingly. A unique system is in place to ensure the implementation of diversity in the workplace which includes;
- One of the superior officer of the organization takes care of the global diversity in the different offices and factories of the company around the world
- A number of different important diversity goals are set up by the management of the organization to achieve the overall business results.
- A number of regular employee surveys are conducted that helps the management to have a clear idea of the culture and environment of the company in original.
- The reviews of the employees are considered on a list of factors as to how they behave with other employees of different cultures.
- The main head or the chief executive conducts different meetings with the organizational heads of the organization where the results of the reviews are discussed in detail.
New Approaches to Equal Opportunities
The diversity training programs of the mentioned multinational company helps them to effectively maintain a healthy environment within the workplace (Strauss 2017). The diversity programs of P&G are generally conducted by corporate business houses however most of them are conducted by different business units that operate locally and some by manufacturing houses of the company. The external resources and the assets of the company are both utilized to conduct the training properly. Apart from such a program the management of the organization also conducted a reverse mentoring program which helped the employees from all levels to successfully serve as mentors to the leaders or the organizational heads of the company. The new aim of the mentioned business organization is to connect and develop programs taking the help of other people through the internet to innovate new business ideas. Such show of diversity will surely add to the success of the organization.
The term diversity plays an important role in the workplaces. In the global companies like Procter & Gamble, employees from different race, gender, age and personalities are working and they are professing different organisational functions. The term diversity helps the employees to treat others with perception. Diversity helps to enhance the human resource of a company and increase the level of communication and adaptability. The success and competitiveness of an organisation is very much depended on the good workplace diversity. There are certain benefits of the workplace and considering all the benefits it can be stated that every company is required to implement certain policies on equality and diversity for the betterment of the company in case of all future dealings. Further, it can be stated that positive actions are also important to be taken with ultimate priority. It is also necessary to conduct training program for the employer as well as for the employees. Companies like Procter and Gamble should implement certain policies to restrict the harassment in the workplaces (Martín Alcázar et al. 2013). Every employee should be appointed on the basis of employment contract and both the employer and the employees are bound to maintain the terms and policies of the employment contract. A detailed study has been made below:
From the very inception, the ultimate goal of Procter & Gamble was to develop the business standard of the company and enhance the abilities of the employees. In this case, policies and procedures are plays important role. Policies are the pre-determined business strategies and objectives that connect the vision and mission of the company. Procedures help to understand the plan of action of a company with clarity. However, the policies and procedures of a company is required to be in written format for avoiding common misunderstanding and identify the work responsibilities. However, policies are covering the general actions and procedures are covering specific actions. Policies are reflecting the business strategies of a company. Policies should be written for its effectiveness. Procter & Gamble has implemented various policies for developing its business structure (Adkins 2016). The policies of the company can be divided into several parts that are discussing as under:
From its very inception, the main target of the company was to obtaining the trust of the customers and therefore, trust has become the mission of the company. The company keeps all the necessary confidentiality regarding the personal information of customer’s collected by the company. P&G is generally collecting the information from the register or from the consumer websites or from other sources for business purposes. However, all the policies are obtaining under the shadow of privacy and data protection laws.
All the operational functions of the company is performed with integrity and based on the policies of right thing. The company has able to obtain the trust of the customer’s because of its policies on integrity. A business conduct manual has been followed by the company that reflects the value, purpose and principles of the company.
Many companies are engaging them in various kinds of fraud during their course of business. These frauds are affecting their business criteria. However, P&G is professing its business for 175 years and implemented various policies to curd the ill effect of fraudulent activities. Customer can directly approach to the company in case of any fraudulent communication. The company has empowered the customers to lodge their complaint against any fraudulent act taken by the company.
The company has able to develop its standard with the help of social media and the company allows its employees to use social media on daily basis. P&G sometimes launched its product in social media for obtaining important response from the customers. The company has followed different kinds of policies for maintaining the standards and procedures of the company regarding social media (French and Strachan 2015).
Procter and Gamble had maintained all the necessary actions for maintaining the diversity within the company. Various positive actions have been taken by the company on diversity by the company for time to time. The company has campaigned for race equality among the employees and the company has strictly prohibited the gender related problems within the premises. There are many women employees are working in the company with dignity. The head quarter of the company employed one third of its employees from the minority community of USA. The company is playing a critical role in case of diversity and make the products for every class of people of the society. Certain diversity-based programs have been adopted by the company for developing its base (Agu 2012).
Procter and Gamble thinks for the betterment of all the employees with keeping a close vigil on their abilities as well as disabilities. Therefore, the company has taken certain training and grooming program for the employers and employees. Training is an inevitable part of company prospects. People have their own way to perform a job and most of the employees of P&G are appointed at the entry level. The company is appointing an employee with a vision that future leadership prospects are seeding in him. P&G welcomes people from every corner of the world join the company and therefore, diversity can be observed in the company. The company has implemented various policies on equality and diversity, which needs an active participation of all employers and employees and proper training, is necessary for the same. The trainings are monitoring an individual with all future prospects and they can realise the importance of the policies by training (Kirton and Greene 2015). The main objective of the company regarding the training is that it allows growing the employees so that they can grow the business.
In recent times, incidents on workplace harassment have been reported on a larger basis. The coercive behaviour of the employer, physical and mental harassment of the employees and sexual harassment in the office premises are at the peak. This weakens the standard of the company and compels a company to lag behind in the commercial world. The people are encountering with this problem at every parts of the world and every industries are witnessed the facts. Any harassment or discrimination limiting the capabilities of the employees and they do not feel safe in the workplace. The most dangerous outcome of the same is growth of adverse publicity. However, keeping all these things in mind, P&G has developed harassment policies for providing security to the employees and assured harassment free working environment to all the employees (Ortlieb and Sieben 2013).
In case of serious liabilities like sexual harassment, the employees can directly approach to the legal cell of the company. If the allegation against the employer can be proved, maximum processes are taken against them. Further, the legal counsels are providing all the necessary guidance in this behalf. The Board of Directors are liable to provide necessary advice to the employees so that they can raise their voice against any kinds of harassment. Harassment like workplace discrimination is to be followed with ultimate priority. The company is treating every employee who are victimised by the employers or other employees with all possible respect and taking strict steps against the offender as per the rules and regulation of the law (Qin, Muenjohn and Chhetri 2014). Further, the company has inserted all the restrictions within the employment agreement and all the employers and employees are obliged to abide by the rules.
Once a complaint has been filed, the company or the respective branch will promptly investigate into the matter and take all possible and effective steps. The investigators are reviewing the company policies on harassment and suggest complying with the policies deliberately (Alston 2014). P&G is implementing its harassment policies in the light of US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The process of investigation is based on fairness and necessary actions are taken during or after the investigation process. However, the company should implement and amend their harassment policies time to time and should keep zero tolerance policy for any kinds of harassment. Generally, the company does not allow any discrimination among the employees and in case of future event, the company is cooperating with the government agencies amicably (Linton, Moore and Exworthy 2015).
In almost every company, all the employers and employees are appointed on the basis of employment agreement. In an employment contract, all the policies and conditions of the job has been inserted under the employment contract. In P&G, the terms and conditions of the employment are in the favour of their interest and it gives equal opportunity to them to get a fair and non-discriminatory workplace. The employment contract includes headings like employment facilities, nature of the employment, waging criteria, working terms and others. In certain circumstances, the employees are facing discrimination regarding the employment terms and may face harassment that makes the job difficult for the employees. Further, it has been mentioned that no employer and employees are allowed to discriminate or harass others during the course of their business (Kirton and Healy 2012). Dress standard has been mentioned under the employment agreement and the rules are implemented according to the norms of Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004. Employers will be vicariously liable for the negative acts of the employees. There are certain provisions regarding complaints are also included under the employment terms and conditions. A friendly provision allow the employees to feel safe in the workplace and in case of any infringement to the rules, strict steps are taken against the wrongdoer (French, Strachan and Burgess 2014).
The overall study is being designed in such a way to support as well as construct the theories of the existing concepts and ideas. The data has been collected from several primary and secondary sources and qualitative research procedure is being carried out. Interviews with the employees that is, the primary source, have revealed the fact that the employees are quite happy working with the company. An interview with three employees, currently working there, namely John Smith, Michael Johnson and Sophia Brown have revealed the fact that the company gives equal opportunities to both men and women. In addition to this, the terms and policies of the company indicate a non-discriminatory workplace.
The company has strict policies against workplace bullying, harassment and discrimination, which ensures the health and safety of the employees. Moreover, the dress standards are also mentioned under the employee agreement. In addition to the primary sources, the data and information of the company’s policies and procedures are also been collected from various secondary sources. The overall research on the existing literatures, existing theories as well as theses helped in identifying the range and applications of them. Furthermore, the nature of the data analysis is thematic which has assisted in focusing on the existing themes and that too, within the data.
The overall method has emphasized on the topic and rich description has been given in the data set. The thematic analysis has also helped in identifying the implicit as well as explicit concepts and ideas within the data. The approach particularly emphasizes on the experiences, overall perceptions and the feelings of the existing articles and sources. However, on considering the ethics of the conducted research, it is worth mentioning that all the articles and literatures are being reviewed ethically. No interpretation has been done of the existing numbers or data. In addition to this, the primary sources have also given an idea of the overall perceptions and experiences of the employees.
All the information regarding the equality and diversity measures of the company has been collected both primary and secondary way. Therefore, it can be stated that certain information are gathered from documents and certain information are collected from the employees who have revealed their daily experience with the company. The mentality of the company towards the every level of employees, harassment policies and the employee-oriented agreement terms are the main attraction of the company and it has been assured by many employees that the company has only pros and no cons. The documentary evidence of the company is also revealing the same thing.
Conclusion:
To conclude, every organization needs to introduce diversity policies in their company terms. It is important for all the organizations to conduct sessions of diversity trainings among the employees in order to increase their productivity level. The report throws light on the employment policies of P&G, its organizational structure and operational management. The company highly promotes diversified workforce and strongly promotes equal opportunity to men and women. P&G is committed to foster an encouraging and a supportive environment which will inspire all the employees to bring in his/her personal best. In addition to this, the company highly promotes diversity and its inclusion.
The report includes the terms and conditions of the P&G company and how it has successfully implemented strong policies against workplace bullying, harassment as well as discrimination. The organization is committed to create a winning culture in which the managers as well as colleagues sincerely care for each other. The employees are engaged to ensure delivery of the organizational mission and vision. P&G believes that in order to win, the employees must respect, value and include those people who completes the organization. In addition to this, the company never engage itself into any form of unlawful discrimination on the basis of colour, race, gender, nationality, origin and other factors.
Reference:
Adkins, D., 2016. Diversity Management and the Organizational Perspective. In Celebrating the James Partridge Award: Essays Toward the Development of a More Diverse, Inclusive, and Equitable Field of Library and Information Science (pp. 131-141). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Adkins, D., 2016. Diversity Management and the Organizational Perspective. In Celebrating the James Partridge Award: Essays Toward the Development of a More Diverse, Inclusive, and Equitable Field of Library and Information Science (pp. 131-141). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Agu, K.O., 2012. Innovativeness as the main purpose of management and organization successfulness.
Alston, M., 2014, November. Gender mainstreaming and climate change. In Women’s Studies International Forum (Vol. 47, pp. 287-294). Pergamon.
Elomäki, A., 2018. Gender Quotas for Corporate Boards: Depoliticizing Gender and the Economy. NORA-Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research, 26(1), pp.53-68.
French, E. and Strachan, G., 2015. Women at work! economics equal employment policies and outcomes in construction. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 34(3), pp.227-243.
French, E. and Strachan, G., 2015. Women at work! Evaluating equal employment policies and outcomes in construction. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 34(3), pp.227-243.
French, E.L., Strachan, G. and Burgess, J., 2014. No worries–we’ll take care of it!! An examination into managing equality and inclusivity in multicultural Australia.
Gollan, P.J., Kaufman, B.E., Taras, D. and Wilkinson, A. eds., 2014. Voice and involvement at work: Experience with non-union representation (Vol. 33). Routledge.
Hyland, M., 2015. Trade Unions and Labour Migration. Migration, Precarity, and Global Governance: Challenges and Opportunities for Labour, p.121.
Kirton, G. and Greene, A.M., 2015. The dynamics of managing diversity: A critical approach. Routledge.
Kirton, G. and Healy, G., 2012. Gender, Union Democracy and Leadership. Gender and Leadership in Unions, pp.47-72.
Kulik, C.T., 2014. Working below and above the line: the research–practice gap in diversity management. Human Resource Management Journal, 24(2), pp.129-144.
Linton, K., Moore, F. and Exworthy, M., 2015. Perspectives on workforce diversity: a context-based approach to understanding diversity and equality in the police service.
Linton, K., Moore, F. and Exworthy, M., 2015. Perspectives on workforce diversity: a context-based approach to understanding diversity and equality in the police service.
Martín Alcázar, F., Miguel Romero Fernández, P. and Sánchez Gardey, G., 2013. Workforce diversity in strategic human resource management models: A critical review of the literature and implications for future research. Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 20(1), pp.39-49.
Ortlieb, R. and Sieben, B., 2013. Diversity strategies and business logic: why do companies employ ethnic minorities?. Group & Organization Management, 38(4), pp.480-511.
Peck, T.M. and Dunne, A.M., 2017. Inclusion and Diversity: Are You Making Way or IN the Way?. Design Management Review, 28(2), pp.47-52.
Qin, J., Muenjohn, N. and Chhetri, P., 2014. A review of diversity conceptualizations: Variety, trends, and a framework. Human Resource management Development Review, 13(2), pp.133-157.
Qin, J., Muenjohn, N. and Chhetri, P., 2014. A review of diversity conceptualizations: Variety, trends, and a framework. Human Resource Development Review, 13(2), pp.133-157.
Strauss, J., 2017. Inspiring Employees through CSR: Lessons from a Gambling Giant. In Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, and Ethical Public Relations: Strengthening Synergies with Human Resources (pp. 271-286). Emerald Publishing Limited.
Us.pg.com. (2018). Home. [online] Available at: https://us.pg.com/ [Accessed 14 Mar. 2018].
Wheatley, D., Lawton, C. and Hardill, I., 2018. Gender Differences in Paid and Unpaid Work. In Hidden Inequalities in the Workplace (pp. 181-214). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
