HOW P&G IS USING TECH TO SUPPORT D/DEAF EMPLOYEES
- BEE NEWS
- Sep 29
- 3 min read
Georgia Collins | 28 September 2025
At P&G, technology supports D/deaf and hard-of-hearing staff with live captions, transcription, visual alerts and ChatPG, building inclusive workplaces.
Procter & Gamble's (P&G) commitment to sustainability and innovation extends into creating an inclusive work culture.
Virginie Helias, Chief Sustainability Officer at Procter & Gamble (P&G), says: "We are committed to improving people's lives with innovation that delivers irresistible performance and is more sustainable."
This policy of advancement isn't restricted to products alone, but also embraces workplace inclusivity.
P&G actively works towards promoting a culture that is inclusive not only for its consumer base but also for D/deaf and hard-of-hearing members of its workforce, enabling all employees to contribute to the company's success.
Fostering an environment where such communities can thrive is key to sparking innovation throughout the organisation.
Adapting workplace facilities and technologies
Central to P&G's mission is the creation of workplaces equipped to support a Disability Confident culture.
This involves building adaptive environments and providing accessible accommodations such as sign language signage, captioning on training videos and visual alert systems.
An embodiment of this commitment is the IT Accessibility Hub situated in P&G's Geneva Business Centre, inaugurated in 2024. The facility serves as a resource centre, providing adaptive technologies to meet diverse employee needs effectively.
By integrating these technologies, P&G ensures that D/deaf and hard-of-hearing employees, along with others, can reach their full potential.
Ranked fourth in Sustainability Magazine's Top 250 Most Sustainable Companies report in 2025, P&G continues to lead by example in sustainability and inclusivity.
Innovative communication tools in manufacturing
Ensuring effective communication is pivotal in manufacturing settings where collaboration and coordination are essential.
P&G utilises accessible communication tools and emerging technologies, like glasses with built-in captions and voice-to-text applications, to remove barriers for D/deaf and hard-of-hearing employees.
These tools promote seamless interaction, diminishing the reliance on interpreters and encouraging more direct engagement among staff.
“For a long time, I needed a sign language interpreter,” says Scott Van Nice, a Deaf Privacy & Responsible AI Project Manager in P&G's Global Business Services organisation.
“I still do in many respects. But P&G has given me and many of my D/deaf and hard-of-hearing colleagues the confidence to be able to perform without an interpreter due to the many accessibility solutions available.”
The adoption of internal tools like P&G’s generative AI, ChatPG, complements these efforts by aiding tasks such as summarising meeting notes, which further assists employees in maintaining efficiency and productivity.
Community support and business success
Central to P&G's ethos are its Disability Employee Support Groups. These groups are essential in providing a platform for connection and support.
They empower disabled employees and their allies to feel valued and increase their unique contributions to the business.
Effective support systems championed by individual managers and teams ensure that D/deaf and hard-of-hearing employees are equipped with the tools and confidence needed to succeed.
In a manufacturing environment, where noise is prevalent, having an understanding and supportive team can greatly impact the experience of workers like Kayley Judd, a Deaf Fabric Care Packaging Engineer at P&G’s Lima, Ohio plant.
She says: “The manufacturing environment is not exactly quiet, but my team at the Lima plant has been incredibly supportive, clarifying anything I missed or did not understand, and invested in getting the tools that will help me succeed.
"Because it can be intimidating in a manufacturing setting, having avenues of tools ready makes a world of difference.”
Through these efforts, P&G not only enriches the work culture for its employees but also fuels innovation that leads to creating more accessible products and authentic representation in advertising, inherently benefiting the company's brand and consumer relations.
‘Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’.