The company was looking to add to all of its divisions, including human resources, marketing, sales and technicians, said regional human resources director Thulani Makhathini.
Every eight to 10 years, the company, which has been in SA since 1994 and active globally for more than 170 years, looks at its structure and trims dead wood.
This ensures that it operates as a lean structure. In addition, it seeks graduates who it can train in the P&G way, and believes in promoting from within for positions in the US$83bn company.
As a result, attrition at top levels is below average, while general attrition rates are average for the industry.
P&G is home to brand names such as Pampers, Gillette, Febreze Old Spice, Duracell, Olay, Max Factor, Tampax, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Clairol and Braun.
The company views the economic crisis as an opportunity to pick up scarce skills in a market that is retrenching. It has, as a result of its longevity, a long-term view and believes that it can withstand the crisis.
Two years ago, it anticipated the global crisis and conducted an assessment. As a result, it was in a position to hire, said Makhathini.
“We know other companies may be getting rid of the smart people and it is those people P&G is seeking to recruit,” he said.
In addition, the company had just spent R200m on a Pampers factory and was looking for about 20 technical staff for it. In its history, none of its staff had chosen to unionise, but Makhathini said this was a possibility at the factory.
However, the company believed its standards surpassed those required by unions.
P&G has about 200 staff at its regional headquarters and about 80 at the plant.
In SA, the company actively recruits on campuses and has a 48-hour recruitment turnaround time. This means that anxious candidates sign on the dotted line and the worry is soon over.
The company had never lost a university recruitment place, said Makhathini.
P&G also offered opportunity to grow within the business internationally. Each career is mapped out, and staff can move overseas if they hit a glass ceiling in SA. In such instances, the entire family is relocated.
The average age for staff at P&G's local division is 28, Makhathini said. It sends staff on international training courses and there have been no cuts in its training budget.
Source: Business Day
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