Procter & Gamble Inc.

Procter & Gamble Inc.'s physical workplace is rated as exceptional. Procter & Gamble is located in Toronto's bustling "northern" downtown at Yonge & Sheppard. The company's head office building is located above a subway station and offers convenient highway access for commuters. Inside, the office features bright colours and a relaxing decor. One small but interesting aspect of the office is that the president's office is the same size as an entry-level employee's. The head office features an onsite fitness facility (with subsidized memberships, treadmills, stationary bikes, stairmasters, rowing machines, weights, massage therapy centre, shower facilities and instructor-led classes, such as pilates and muscle conditioning); health services facility (with full-time staff); employee lounge (comfortable seating, magazines, television, Wii video game system, table hockey and foosball table); nap room; religious observance room; concierge services available; onsite cafeteria (marché style layout with subsidized meals, healthy and special diet menus); free coffee and tea; outdoor eating area with barbeque; secure bicycle parking; subway access; subsidized car parkting; as well as an onsite dry cleaner, ATM, coffee shop and convenience store.

Procter & Gamble Inc.'s work atmosphere is rated as above-average. Employees at Procter & Gamble enjoy business casual dress; casual dress Fridays; can listen to music while working; employee sports teams; organized social events. Each year, employees enjoy a variety of social events, including a summer celebration, an annual holiday dinner and dance at a Toronto hotel (with over 1,000 employees, retirees and guests) as well as a Christmas party for employees' children. Across the company, departmens also host their own fiscal year-end celebrations. The company also celebrates significant employee accomplishments as well as service milestones and retirements. Procter & Gamble also hosts a variety of unique events (in Canada and around the world) to celebrate the diversity of its workforce, including cultural fairs with food, traditional costumes and informative displays. Across the company, Procter & Gamble Canada subsidizes employee teams in several sports, including dragonboat racing, hockey, curling, squash and golfing. The company keeps employees informed about new developments through a company newsletter; corporate intranet site.

Procter & Gamble Inc.'s financial benefits are rated as above-average. To keep salaries competitive the company participates in outside salary surveys every 12 months. Individual salaries are reviewed every 12 months. In addition to competitive compensation, Procter & Gamble offers signing bonuses for some employees; share-purchase plan for all employees; defined benefit pension with employer contributions (up to .4% of salary); defined contribution pension plan with employer contributions (up to 1% of salary); matching RSP contributions; life & disability insurance; retirement planning assistance; subsidized home Internet access; subsidized internet (for telecommuting employees); discounted company products (with sales proceeds donated to the United Way); an online financial modelling tool and one-on-one financial planning counselling for employees.

Procter & Gamble Inc.'s health and family benefits are rated as above-average. The company's health plan is managed by Sun Life. As part of the health plan, the employer pays 100% of the premiums. The health plan is a flexible plan with adjustable premiums and coverage levels. Employees who work 18 hours per week receive coverage. There is no waiting period before coverage begins. Employees receive full family coverage on the health benefits plan. The health plan also includes retiree coverage with no age limit. The basic plan includes routine dental; restorative dental; orthodontics; eyecare ($200 every 2 years); traditional medicine coverage; alternative medicine coverage; massage therapy; medical equipment and supplies; employee assistance (EAP) plan; travel insurance; healthclub subsidy (to $250 each year). The company's family friendly benefits include; fertility treatments; maternity top-up payments (to 95% of salary for 15 weeks); parental leave top-up for adoptive parents (to 95% of salary for 15 weeks); health benefits during maternity and parental leave; extended unpaid parental leave option (beyond the first year). Procter & Gamble Canada also provides academic scholarships for children of employees and retirees. The company awards ten university scholarships ($2,000 each) and five community college scholarships ($1,000 each) every year, renewable for up to three years. Additional family-friendly benefits include; post-secondary academic scholarships for children of employees; flexible working hours; telecommuting; 35-hour work week (with full pay); shortened work week (fewer hours with less pay); phased-in retirement work options; 36.25-hour standard work week; and a 3 month paid leave of absence every 7 years.

Procter & Gamble Inc.'s vacation and personal time-off are rated as very good. New employees receive 3 weeks of vacation allowance after their first year. Vacation increases after 10 years on the job. Long-serving employees receive a maximum of 7 weeks of vacation each year. Employees can schedule 4 personal days off each year, as needed. Employees can also apply for an unpaid leave of absence. As part of the company's flexible health benefits plan, employees may transfer their unused coverage to purchase additional vacation days.

Procter & Gamble Inc.'s employee engagement program is rated as above-average. Employees receive individual performance reviews every 12 months. Managers receive training in how to conduct effective performance reviews. Performance feedback is also solicited from co-workers and other managers familiar with each employee's work. As part of the review process employees can provide confidential feedback on their manager's performance. Exit interview provided for departing employees. Procter & Gamble Canada recognizes exceptional performance with share options, individual awards that include gift certificates dinners and theatre tickets and a variety of recognition events. Procter & Gamble Inc. sponsors its own in-house employee satisfaction survey. (Surveys are conducted every 12 months); Procter & Gamble Inc. hires an outside consultant to conduct confidential employee satisfaction and engagement surveys. (These surveys are held every 12 months).

Procter & Gamble Inc.'s training and skills development program is rated as exceptional. Employees receive tuition subsidies for courses related to their position. (Employers cover up to 100% of tuition). (Employers pay up to $5,000 in subsidies). Employees may also receive tuition subsidies for courses unrelated to their current position. (Employers cover up to 100% of non-related tuition). (Employers pay up to $5,000 in tuition subsidies for non-related courses). In addition to tuition subsidies, Procter & Gamble assists employees with in-house training programs; online training programs; online employee skills inventory; formal mentoring program; career planning services; new employee orientation program; formal mangement training program. Through its online training program, Procter & Gamble Canada offers over 1,000 courses on a wide variety of subjects. In addition to providing mandatory diversity training for all its employees, the company has a long history of supporting a variety of employee-led in-house intitiatives to address specific workplace issues, including: a Women's Network; the French Canadian Network; the Asian Professional Network; the Gay, Bi-Sexual and Lesbian Employee Network; the Black Professional Network; and the Latin Network. Procter & Gamble Canada is is also a longstanding supporter of the "Inroads" and "Career Bridge" programs, providing student internships for visible minority Canadians.

Procter & Gamble Inc.'s community involvement program is rated as exceptional. Procter & Gamble Canada actively supports a variety of local and national charitable initiatives. Employees receive paid time off to volunteer with their favourite charitable organizations. Employees also receive 2 paid days off to volunteer. Last year, employees donated over 3,000 hours volunteering with charitable projects. Approximately 50 charitable and community organizations were supported last year. As part of its charitable focus, Procter & Gamble has focused its corporate charitable efforts on programs to help young children. The initiative (called "Live, Learn and Thrive) supports charitable programs that ensure children receive a healthy start as well as the places and educational tools to not only survive but thrive as they grow. As part of this focus, the company and its employees supported the New Haven Learning Centre (school for children with autism), the Kids Help Phone, Junior Achievement and the Canadian Association of Foodbanks (donating over $1 million in food and household products annually), to name a few. Internationally, the company's unique "Learn and Thrive" program is a worldwide corporate initiative focused on helping children around the world by working towards the goal of ensuring access to educational facilities and helping build self-esteem and life skills to help them throughout their lives. As part of this initiative, the company is focused on the very basic and important goal of helping provide access to clean drinking water through its signature program, called "Children's Safe Drinking Water". Through this initiative, the company is providing international relief groups with a low-cost technology that is able to purify contaminated drinking water.