PROCTER & GAMBLE SUPPORTS WORKWISE

GLOBAL consumer goods specialist Procter & Gamble is throwing its support behind the Work Wise North East campaign in a bid to help smaller firms adopt smarter working practices.

Procter & Gamble is an acknowledged leader in flexible working techniques and its support for Work Wise is a major plus for campaigners seeking to consign 9 to 5 working to the dustbin of history.

The multi-national corporation has 7, 500 staff across 14 sites in the UK who all have access to a range of flexible techniques to get a better work life balance. Flexible working started informally at the organisation a decade ago before being formally incorporated into work practices.

Marion Peutherer, Procter & Gamble HR manager, is responsible for the company's flexible working policies: "The business benefits are huge. It is a great way to retain and motivate our workforce. We have a huge amount of talent we don't want to lose.

"In this day and age, people are looking for flexibility in their employer. In the past it was all about wage, pension and holidays. Now, flexibility is a differentiator in the market.

"This is a key strategic decision the company has made to help attract and retain the best talent."

Procter & Gamble offers its staff part-time working, flexible start and finish times, job-sharing, work from home as well as location-free roles where employees are not tied to a particular site.

Workers can take an unpaid personal leave of absence for three months, or family care leave of absence for upto two years to look after children or elderly relatives.

A number of the work teams at the company have signed up to their own flexible working arrangements mixing home and office-based activities, thus reducing the need for costly desk space for the business and cutting travel time and improving the work-life balance for the employee.

Marion added: "These are extremely beneficial on an individual basis. Say, for example, you were a student who couldn't afford to travel straight from university - you could take a personal leave of absence later to see the world for up to three months."

Procter and Gamble will be providing mentoring services for businesses wanting to implement flexible working practices, providing expertise and guidance to make the smarter working journey easier.  The company will also be speaking at a series of Work Wise events planned later in the year, aimed at helping SMEs.

Phil Flaxton, Work Wise chief executive, said: "Procter & Gamble is a paragon of flexible working. This is a world-leading company practically implementing world-leading initiatives to make their workplace the best it can possibly be for its employees. No wonder people queue up to work there.

Simon Roberson, chairman of Work Wise North East and regional manager of BT said "Enlisting Procter & Gamble's help is a coup for Work Wise because they have spent many years developing and implementing flexibility.

There is a great deal smaller companies can learn from their experiences. Ultimately, it could work wonders in raising productivity and cutting costs at businesses across the North East."

Work Wise North East has attracted wide-ranging support from leading organisations in the region. Strategic partners include One NorthEast, Government Office North East, North East Chamber of Commerce, Onyx Group, EEF Northern, Workplace Travel Planning Company, Dickinson Dees, Equality North East, RBLI and BT. The campaign is also backed by the Journal, TUC, CBI, Federation of Small Businesses, Northern Business Forum and Women into the Network.

ENDS

Media contact:  Sheila Chapman, Sheila Chapman PR on 07732 827 486 email scpr@btopenworld.com

Notes to editors:

 Further information about Work Wise North East can be found on the website www.workwiseuk.org.

 Work Wise UK is organised by the IT Forum Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation.