How P&G is winning the fight for talent with workplace belonging

Procter & Gamble may be one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies – but it also boasts a reputation as an outstanding employer with a deep understanding of workplace belonging.

Alessandro Catellani, VP of HR for Northern Europe at P&G, tells HR Grapevine that belonging is a “retention battleground” for employers.

Reflecting on findings from a recent study into inclusive cultures conducted by the company, Catellani sets out how P&G has invested in belonging and world-class development, and the steps employers can take to build workplaces that keep staff engaged and performing at their best.

What prompted P&G to commission research into workplace belonging?

As one of the UK's largest employers, we felt we had both the responsibility and the data reach to lead this conversation and better understand how expectations around belonging are evolving – especially with a view to the workplace and culture within it.   

Being a consumer goods company, our performance ultimately depends on our people. Through my work leading HR across Northern Europe, I have seen the positive impact of creating a supportive, inclusive culture where every employee's wellbeing is a priority.

We want to be leading this conversation, driving positive evolutions of workplace culture, and this research helps us highlight how employees really want to feel and be treated.

What findings from the research particularly stood out to you and why? 

Belonging has become a retention battleground, with significant implications for organisations looking to attract and retain talent.

Two findings stood out to me. Firstly, that 82% of workers today feel a sense of belonging at work, which has grown by more than 10 percentage points in five years, from just 70% in 2021 and 76% in 2024. Organisations have been faced with unpredictable conditions across the UK in recent years, against a backdrop of socio-economic changes and geopolitical unrest, so it is great to know that so much of the workforce feels supported, well-managed, and that they belong in their workplace. This is essential, not just for employee retention and engagement, but from a business perspective too.

Secondly, our research uncovered that 59% of employees would leave their role if they did not feel a sense of belonging. Engagement gets people through the door; belonging keeps them in role and performing at their best.

How do the findings compare to P&G UK’s internal measures of belonging?

We see strong alignment between the survey findings and our internal experience.

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At P&G, we definitely see strengths in embracing all definitions of belonging across generations, creating both an environment of respect and growth potential. The data revealed that belonging can mean: feeling like your ambitions have been taken seriously, being treated fairly, regardless of background, and feeling respected, to name but a few of the definitions, and we absolutely live these at P&G. 

Ultimately, meeting someone’s definition of belonging means meeting them with respect.

We demonstrate this every day through our ethos of ‘build from within’, giving our employees access to industry-relevant training, diverse roles across a broad portfolio of brands, and opportunities to build multiple careers within the company.

This approach to developing talent from a new starter to a leader creates real intergenerational respect, putting our commitment to development into practice. 

Can you outline how you navigate onboarding to help people belong from day one?

At P&G, we believe in a constant growth approach, and we hit the ground running with high levels of trust placed upon even our newest team members. Graduates, apprentices, and interns are entrusted with meaningful projects, receive dedicated coaching, and learn from experienced leaders to build a strong foundation for their careers. This support exists at all career stages, not just early-career talent.

I joined P&G with a couple of years of experience under my belt from other companies, and within months, was handed responsibility for talent acquisition across the entire geography in Italy: plants, R&D centres, the sales field force, and headquarters.

It was a scope I'd never have been trusted with elsewhere at that stage. It was daunting – and that was the point. The expectation was clear: you'll be supported, coached and held to a high bar, but the work and the accountability are yours. That early trust and support shaped how I lead today, and it's the same principle we apply to every colleague who joins us.