Procter & Gamble, Cincinnatti, Ohio, USA, this past week opened a new packaging customization facility at its plant in Auburn, Maine. In partnership with the Maine Bureau of Rehabilitation Services and the Department of Health & Human Services, this new FlexiCenter facility will offer local employment opportunities for individuals with physical and developmental challenges, as well as disabled veterans.
These new hires will account for at least 30% of the facility's workforce, and once hiring is complete, the FlexiCenter will house a total of 60 local employees. The plant produces Tampax feminine care products.
"The FlexiCenter operation demonstrates P&G's commitment to Diversity & Inclusion, showcasing the high level of excellence at the Auburn Site," said site leader Felica Coney. "The FlexiCenter is an example of business collaborating with state government and private agencies to deliver an incredible opportunity for an amazing group of people."
The FlexiCenter is a strong affirmation of P&G's commitment to diversity, bringing new jobs and opportunities, leveraging a broad range of diversity in an inclusive environment where people with and without disabilities work side by side, earning the same pay, receiving the same benefits and held to the same productivity and workplace standards. Continuing to broaden P&G's workforce by employing people with physical and developmental challenges is not only the right thing to do, but it also makes good business sense and has benefits that will reverberate across the company and community.
As a company, P&G' notes that its purpose is to touch and improve lives, and the belief is that this fundamentally begins at an employee level. The new pilot location highlights P&G's diversity and inclusion model that is deeply rooted in its DNA, bringing together individuals from different backgrounds, ethnicity, cultures, talents, and a wide variety of abilities. It is the company's belief that diverse organizations are highly innovative, P&G says.
P&G currently employs an estimated 7,000 individuals with various disabilities and expects a positive community impact from this new, innovative facility.
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