Procter & Gamble India Bolsters Its Mental Well-Being Program For Employees At Workplace

Procter & Gamble India (P&G India) today announced that it is further bolstering its mental well-being initiatives with the ‘Happy Minds 2.0’ program. The program shifts the focus from mental health to mental well-being, and comprises of a bouquet of initiatives, including counselor services at the workplace, preventive mental health check-ups, enhanced awareness among leadership to identify mental well-being impact indicators within workgroups, and increased flexible working arrangements for employees, among others. The program aims to help build resilience within workgroups, along with empowering and enabling employees to feel more comfortable to raise conversations about the subject freely within and outside the organization.

The initiative comes behind the consistent efforts that the Company has taken over the past years to help bust stereotypes and myths around mental well-being, and empower its employees to seek support when in need. Last year, the company announced the introduction of certified Mental Health First-aiders at workplace, the impact of which has paved the way for Happy Minds 2.0. The Company has also led several initiatives to create a dynamic work environment where its people can feel comfortable in seeking counsel, and are hence able to bring their authentic selves to work everyday.

Srinivas P.M, Head – Human Resources, P&G Indian sub-continent said, “At P&G, we believe that our employees are our most valuable asset and we truly care for them and their families. We have undertaken deliberate efforts to prioritize their health and well-being, which is yielding visible results. Our approach has been comprehensive and holistic, wherein we are treating mental well-being as a critical part of the overall health and wellness of our employees. With Happy Minds 2.0, we are pivoting from mental health to mental well-being, in a more positive, proactive and holistic approach with equal focus on the overall happiness quotient of our employees. As they say, prevention is better than cure.

We believe that only when our people feel happy and healthy at their core, is when they will be able to bring their full selves to work. As part of this, we are creating an environment which encourages our people to feel free and confident in talking about the subject, without any apprehension. We are continuing to support our employees through various initiatives, which together are aimed at helping fuel their personal, mental and professional growth.”

Caring for its employees and their families has truly been the cornerstone of the culture at P&G India, with the top most priority being their health and well-being. Recognizing that a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work across a diverse workforce, the Company has evolved its mental well-being program basis real employee experiences and feedback, which resulted in the curation of a more holistic program. ‘Happy Minds 2.0’ has identified the following key areas:

· Proactive Interventions: The Company continues to support its employees through various means including flexible policies, a bi-annual ‘pause & recharge week’ to help them destress, and dedicated ‘no meeting zones’ to help them get more time for their personal needs, be it capability-building or personal needs. Additionally, the Company is also inviting experts to support employees on topics that they are most concerned or stressed about like physical health, nutrition, financial management, parenting, and relationships. P&G India is also empowering its employees to personalize their schedules by offering location and time flexibility.

· Creating Safe Spaces: P&G India is creating a holistic environment where employees feel comfortable to speak up and share. The Company has launched the ‘We Care Helpdesk’, which is dedicated to addressing mental well-being needs of employees as and when needed. Further, the Company also includes mental well-being check-up as part of the annual preventive health check-up available to all employees. Over 80% of the employees have availed of this facility giving impetus to the philosophy of prevention is better than cure that the company follows.

· Manager Capability to tackle Bias: The Company is driving awareness among every manager through the empaneled specialist counselor, to enable them to identify mental well-being indicators within their workgroups, by spotting early signs. Further, leaders are also encouraged to conduct regular check-ins with their team, to understand and help address anything that is on their minds. The Company has also equipped leaders with a specialized toolkit which acts as a ready reckoner in case of any mental well-being concerns within their workgroups, as well as training to view the situation devoid of any biases. Additionally, senior leaders are engaging with their workgroups and sharing personal stories and experiences around mental health in order to address biases

· Mental Well-Being Enablers: The Company is comprehensively assisting employees by providing one-to-one counselling sessions for every team member. For this, the Company has empaneled a counselor who will be available for tele-consultations as well as in-person consultations at the workplace. This is in addition to the existing 24x7 Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) service available for all P&G employees and their family members. The Mental-Health First-Aiders task force continues to be the first line of response to signs of distress. The company’s wellness allowance also reimburses employees for expenditure on mental health.

Over the past year, P&G India has made significant progress on its mental well-being agenda. It has witnessed that more employees are feeling empowered and aware, which is helping them in feeling more comfortable and open in talking about the subject.