Our People
People are the foundation of our success. Our daily success as a company depends on having a diverse, enriched and engaged team. Our associates find motivation in our core values of transparency, trust and respect. These values are foundational to our culture of doing the right things, the right way, for the right reasons.
Talent Attraction & Retention
Building a Better World depends on people who find purpose in their work. It’s a long-standing mindset and essential component of the entrepreneurial spirit that many of our RPM associates embody. It drives us to do the right thing for each other, for our customers and for the future of our planet.
We could not take on the challenge of Building a Better World without the committed RPM associates around the globe. We involve them in our sustainability efforts through awareness campaigns, feedback surveys, programs, contests, incentives, goals and initiatives that offer opportunities to collaborate with their fellow associates and to help build a better world at RPM.
The Building a Better World Engaged People Subcommittee is chaired by our Vice President – Corporate Benefits and Risk Management and composed of representatives from each of our operating groups and senior leaders at the RPM corporate level. The Subcommittee addresses key issues affecting our workforce, including diversity and inclusion. It develops and implements programs and suggests improvement measures to the Building a Better World Oversight Committee and, ultimately, RPM’s Board of Directors.
We recognize that our workforce is rapidly changing, becoming more diverse, and we are continually adapting to what current and new associates value. We work to create leadership development opportunities to foster top talent. We develop policies and programs to attract and retain the best workforce, and we strive to provide overall well-being, including safe and pleasant working conditions through our health and safety training and management, benefits and educational programming.
For example, we have partnered with a job posting board focused on connecting all U.S. businesses with diverse candidates, including veterans, women, people of color and individuals with disabilities.
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In 2023, we added a new leadership development program called Leadership Accelerator. This is a year-long program where participants accelerate their skills to be more effective leaders in their current roles and/or prepare for future leadership roles or assignments within RPM.
Associate Development
As part of RPM’s entrepreneurial culture, we look for ways to offer learning opportunities for our associates to meet continuing training needs, stimulate personal growth and development, and to advance education. We are committed to supporting our associates in their personal and professional growth and development, and assist in positioning them to excel throughout their careers. Our Engaged People Subcommittee is also creating centralized training and development content for associates across the entire organization.
Our Chief Talent Officer is responsible for management and oversight of associate leadership development and engagement and chairs our Global Organizational Leadership Development (GOLD) Team.
To promote interest in leadership roles among our associates, the GOLD Team emphasizes a leadership-oriented learning culture across RPM. The team ensures that programming is tailored to emerging trends and best practices and oversees our RPM University, Leaders of the Future and Strategic Leader Staff Ride programs.
We believe that better culture starts with better conversations, so the GOLD Team drives the Better Conversations Every DayTM (BCE) program. Since February 2020, over 1,000 RPM associates have been trained in BCE behaviors that build trust and collaboration for better business communications.
RPM offers Operations Leader Training to associates in manager or supervisor positions. This two-day training empowers our operations leaders to communicate, motivate, problem solve, and manage conflict confidently and effectively in their roles.
Mental Health Awareness Month is designated for May. Given that RPM’s Human Resources professionals are a key workplace resource for associates struggling with their mental health, in May 2023 RPM provided a dedicated webinar for our HR team focused on addressing and providing support for those experiencing mental health issues at work.
One initiative of our Engaged People Subcommittee was to create our first Employee Resource Group (ERG): Women of RPM. The objective of the group is to share learning and development opportunities to all interested associates across the entire company to help grow and develop our associates. Women of RPM began holding events open to all RPM associates in summer 2022. This group now has more than 270 members and continues to grow as we host more events.
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In response to 2022 engagement survey feedback, we expanded our training and development offerings by creating RPM Learning Central. This platform gives associates access to various self-paced online, on-demand courses with topics that include career skills, computer skills and wellness. This is in addition to other safety trainings highlighted on this website and in our reports.
Additional initiatives established by our Engaged People Subcommittee include:
- Provide specialized training for human resources and recruiting managers focused on unconscious bias, diversity of thought and bias in hiring.
- Intentionally work to broaden our applicant pool with more diverse candidates.
- Review current benefit offerings to identify gaps in inclusivity.
- Develop and expand training and educational opportunities equitably for all associates.
- Review hiring and recruiting practices for diversity and inclusiveness.
- Review organizational communications for cultural appropriateness, diverse representation and accessibility.
RPM University
The RPM University (RPMU) program, introduced in 2015, is a one-year program focused on cultivating cohorts of high-performing leaders who will leave a lasting legacy at RPM for years to come. Our partners at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) collaborate with us to facilitate the program and integrate fundamental RPM tenants such as The Value of 168, transparency, trust and respect, and Connections Creating Value.
The RPMU program has graduated 119 RPM leaders since its introduction, with 32 currently enrolled.
Associate Engagement
Building a Better World depends on associates who find purpose in their work. Our new RPM center-led approach to communication enables us to facilitate a more direct line of communication and engagement with our associates.
Through education and communications, we encourage our associates to voice concerns and opinions with their managers, human resources team members, compliance departments, forums, surveys and via the Ethics and Compliance Hotline.
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In early 2023, we conducted our 2nd company-wide employee engagement survey. This was the first time that we used a third party with expertise in employee feedback analysis. Participation increased by 17%, and the overall engagement score was 70%. Conducting this survey annually allows us to monitor the impact of our action plans and track associate morale, satisfaction and engagement. To make that feedback actionable, we have used the survey results, including associate comments, to focus efforts. Our companies are tasked with preparing an action plan to address specific feedback areas over the next year and report progress to RPM senior leadership quarterly.
We plan to conduct an associate engagement survey annually to monitor the impact of our action plans and track associate morale, satisfaction and engagement.
Sustainability Engagement
We developed the Building a Better World program to integrate sustainability into our company culture from the top down and the bottom up. It is critical that our associates are informed of what sustainability means to our business. Our program is designed to show how sustainability and climate change may impact our risks, opportunities and strategy. Our associates contribute to our sustainability success through opportunities to lead and share their ideas. The program’s success depends on and involves commitment from leaders and associates throughout all departments and functions within our organization.
RPM Around the World Newsletter
RPM Around the World, our global newsletter, highlights our sustainability efforts through a section in every issue dedicated to Building a Better World. We use this section to build awareness, deliver messaging about goals and objectives and showcase how RPM companies and associates integrate sustainability across their workstreams.
We share inspiring stories about how our companies and associates help build a better world through new ideas and products, unique engagements and initiatives. We spotlight our associates’ ideas, contributions and achievements and celebrate how they impact their colleagues, communities, customers and the environment, both inside and outside RPM.
Associate engagement efforts include:
- RPM Around the World features
- Contests and drawings
- Company-wide videos explaining the Building a Better World program and its importance to RPM and its associates
- Posters detailing goals and initiatives
- Earth Day projects including recycling of consumer goods, planting trees, picking up litter and other earth-friendly team-building activities
Building A Better World Internal Awareness Campaign
RPM has launched an official corporate-wide Building a Better World awareness campaign. We designed this program to increase awareness, create inspiration and facilitate engagement internally around RPM’s ongoing commitment to a sustainable future.
Associate Recognition and Awards Programs
Our 168 Awards annually recognize excellence within RPM across many categories, such as innovation, operational excellence, efficiency, sustainability, teamwork and more. The awards spotlight great new products, acquisitions, teamwork, sustainability and operational excellence. Award winners receive recognition at an awards ceremony in honor of their valuable contributions.
For 2022, we added a Building a Better World – Product Sustainability Award, which will be granted to an RPM associate or team that has enhanced the sustainability profile of a new or existing product. Our operating companies also have employee recognition programs, examples of which are below:
- Tremco CPG celebrates the achievement of production and safety milestones
- Stonhard hosts monthly associate appreciation days
- Carboline recognizes its associates’ achievements by providing them with service awards and hosting appreciation events
Benefits
At RPM, we put associates first by offering comprehensive benefits packages and resources that cultivate livelihoods in and outside the workplace. Our benefits package for full-time U.S. associates includes:
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Introducing New Benefits
In 2022, we expanded our associate benefits program in the U.S. with a focus on underserved populations.
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Online Health: Added virtual behavioral health services for children ages 18 months to 18 years. We also added online physical therapy.
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Investing: Launched targeted investment training for financial wellness for all our associates and provided access to no-cost or low-cost financial planning resources through both our employee-assistance program and Edelman Financial Engines.
Associate Assistance Program
We deeply value the mental health and wellbeing of our associates. Our associate assistance program provides short-term, no-cost or low-cost mental health and counseling services, legal guidance and financial wellness education and assistance.
Retirement and Pension Programs
RPM is proud to provide a defined benefit pension plan as well as a matching 401(k) plan to its eligible U.S. associates. Our retirement plans enable our associates to plan for their future to remain financially stable as they enter their next stage of life. Associates with full careers at RPM who actively participate in the 401(k) plan will enjoy a significant percentage of their pre-retirement income level after they retire.
Financial Planning
Recognizing the stress that finances can cause, we have implemented a program that provides access to low-cost, individual financial planning to our associates. Our initial level of participation is higher than the provider’s book of business.
Flexible Work
RPM has created numerous new remote or flexible work opportunities for our associates around the world.
Our experience has found that providing flexible work options allows us to attract and accommodate a more diverse talent pool, bringing a host of different viewpoints and ideas to foster innovation and collaboration. The flexibility also helps us continue cultivating inclusion throughout our workforce regardless of location.
Recruitment Programs
Our organization develops thoughtful ways to attract new associates to promote diversity and access to skills and knowledge. Our recruitment strategy includes career fairs, internships, apprenticeships and other programs to attract new diverse talent. Our operating companies also promote customized talent attraction programs that advance our core values and cater to specific business needs in a rapidly changing workforce. A key part of our strategy is attracting talent across generations of diverse backgrounds. We have partnered with a job posting board focused on connecting all U.S. businesses with diverse candidates, including veterans, women, people of color and individuals with disabilities
Diversity And Inclusion
At RPM, we embrace the ways our associates are different, including their background, age, gender, ability, sexuality or any other characteristics that make our associates unique.
Our Diversity and Inclusion Policy states that all associates and other parties performing work or providing services on behalf of our companies are required to comply with RPM’s Code of Conduct and are prohibited from discriminating against individuals during all stages of work and hiring.
Our Code of Conduct and Hotline and Non-Retaliation Policies maintain a zero tolerance response requirement to any inappropriate conduct or behavior against others, including, but not limited to, employment discrimination perpetrated by associates, supervisors, customers or vendors, and strictly prohibit retaliation and harassment.
Diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are center-led and overseen by the CEO and the Governance and Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors. We are working to develop and enhance related programming and training efforts.
The embodiment of diversity and inclusion starts at the top; the Governance and Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors amended its Charter in 2020 to require each search for new Directors to include qualified candidates who reflect diverse backgrounds, including diversity of gender and ethnicity.
Diversity & Inclusion Education & Awareness
We launched Respect at RPM, an educational and awareness program designed to emphasize and foster the importance of diversity and inclusion at RPM and support associates’ growth and development. The program is designed to touch all associates through various messaging such as toolbox talks, posters, emails, as well as leader-specific messaging. Respect at RPM formally links the Company values with diversity and inclusion at RPM and across all our operations.
Pay Equity
As indicated by our Code of Conduct, The Values & Expectations of 168, equal employment opportunity, human rights and diversity and inclusion policies, and supplier code of conduct, RPM is committed to providing a culture of respect for our associates and individuals performing work and providing services within our supply chain. That commitment includes compensating associates equitably for the same work, regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation or other protected status. Our business units employ various compensation best practices, including the use of pay grades and ranges, career bands and levels, benchmarking, defined commission programs, defined bonus programs and goal and objective setting.
RPM also performs periodic studies to ensure practices are working as they should — completing its latest U.S. pay equity audit in 2021.
Fair & Living Wage
We expect our companies and suppliers to pay a fair and living wage to workers and investigate instances of reported or feared non-compliance.
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Advancing Diversity And Inclusion
We value diversity and understand its benefits. We hire, invest in, retain and motivate diverse associates and evaluate them based on their qualifications, performance and contributions.
To support these efforts in 2022, we:
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Expanded Unconscious Bias Training to 500+ supervisors.
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Launched Respect at RPM, a program designed to emphasize and foster the importance of diversity and inclusion at RPM and support associates’ growth and development.
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Established our first Employee Resource Group (ERG), Women of RPM.
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Introduced RPM Supports, a social campaign that highlights the diverse community organizations that RPM supports with time, talent and financial resources.
HIGHLIGHT
Tremco Roofing and Weatherproofing Technologies Inc. work together on creating unique programs to help the workforce of the future.
- The RISE (Roofing Individuals Succeed through Education) program helps educate a new generation of roofing professionals in technical and business skills, including offering apprenticeships and scholarships.
- The ELEVATE program partners with the Department of Corrections in Missouri, Ohio and Texas to connect incarcerated people with job opportunities in fieldwork, customer service and administration.
- Our partnership with SkillsUSA empowers teens of all backgrounds with vocational skills and resources to help them progress their careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations.
Rising Stars Program
The Rising Stars program aims to create sustainable growth in the construction industry by supporting youth in vocational programs as well as minority and women-owned businesses through mentorship and hands-on education with subject matter experts. The program provides collaborative educational opportunities for disadvantaged youth in Charlotte, New York City, Boston and Newark, and educates participants on how the construction industry works, by focusing on sustainable construction and emerging technologies.
Associate Wellbeing, Health & Safety
RPM works to continuously improve the mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of our workforce. Associate health and safety are monitored and managed by the Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) managers at our operating companies and is overseen by RPM’s Vice President of Environmental Health and Safety through our center-led approach.
RPM fosters a proactive safety culture by setting high expectations and operational standards aligned to our Environmental, Health and Safety Policy. We achieve this through the dissemination and reinforcement of six Core EHS Fundamentals:
Our six Core EHS Fundamentals facilitate proactive response to and prevention of safety incidents by requiring accountability at all locations. The program provides EHS guidance on best practices, as well as associate engagement and leadership responsibilities across our operating companies. Through the center-led EHS management program, we deliver training, develop safety policies and procedures specific to our facilities and create goals to address areas for improvement. We require an incident investigation report with a full root-cause analysis to be submitted to our senior EHS management and operating company presidents for each recordable safety incident.
EHS Training & Awareness
To further integrate safety into our culture, we deploy regular center-led communications with plant and distribution center associates and temporary workers, including “Toolbox Talks,” trainings and printed posters translated into local languages that stress the importance of complying with EHS and security protocols. RPM also hosts monthly EHS leadership forums to use and share best practices among our EHS teams. And to supplement RPM programs, our operating company EHS professionals develop and deliver comprehensive local EHS training programs to our associates, including temporary workers, to comply with applicable regulations and incorporate RPM and industry best practices.
Our weekly and monthly EHS training programs are designed to not only meet regulatory requirements but also to keep compliance and safety topics at the forefront of our engagement with our global workforce.
- Over 300 operations, engineering and EHS personnel completed emergency preparedness and response training.
- 1K+ global associates participated in forklift safety training during a week dedicated to addressing the hazards and safe operating practices of powered industrial lift trucks.**
- Environmental, Health and Safety topic posters in multiple languages at sites across our global footprint.
In FY23, RPM launched two new professional development programs to ensure our EHS and Operations professionals stay up to date on the latest regulatory trends and compliance methods. In line with our EHS core fundamental of continuous improvement, RPM has partnered with Cleveland State University to provide three new online graduate certificate programs in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Management and Environmental Sustainability. These programs provide a world class continuing education opportunity to our global EHS and Operations professionals through a major university. In addition, our EHS leadership team now hosts quarterly EHS Professional Development Webinars covering best management practices in emergency planning and preparedness, process hazard analysis and incident investigation and root cause analysis.
EHS Audits
As part of our center-led EHS management program, we review the content and effectiveness of our EHS protocols through a comprehensive annual EHS audit program. This audit program consists of:
- Targeted environmental compliance audits
- Health and safety compliance audits
- Property risk/fire protection audits
- Product Stewardship and Chemical Inventory Compliance Review
These audits are prioritized based on risk assessments by the center-led EHS management team and conducted by qualified third-party consulting firms with extensive expertise in the subject matter. These audits not only help determine the actionable steps we can take to improve our EHS performance, but they also serve as a resource for local managers to improve health and safety outcomes and enable compliance with standards set forth by governing agencies, RPM and industry best practices.
Each year, EHS audits are performed on more than 40% of our worldwide manufacturing locations. Our audit escalation mechanisms consist of direct involvement from our center-led EHS and operations teams, database tracking of findings and remediation plans and immediate resource mobilization for any identified high-risk scenarios.
*RPM recognizes the slight increases in our 2022 TRIR and DART safety metrics over 2021. Although both rates are lower than our industry averages (U.S. BLR report for CY 2021), the company is taking proactive steps to focus on safety programs within our high frequency field operations and our manufacturing & distribution facilities globally to quickly identify hazardous conditions and abate these scenarios to prevent future incidents. These steps include enhanced safety leadership training for supervisors, the hiring of additional safety professionals and expanded H&S audits to ensure compliance.
**EMR is the experience modification rating of a company, which is a means to calculate the cost of workers’ compensation premiums in the U.S.. The average EMR for U.S. companies is 1.0. A rating higher than 1.0 would mean the business is riskier than average and would result in higher workers compensation insurance premiums.
Philanthropy
Through Building a Better World, we strive to elevate the communities where we operate. Our monetary contributions in 2022 totaled more than $2,100,000.
Associate engagement is critical to our goal of strengthening the communities in which we operate. We encourage our associates to actively support nonprofits they care about via our corporate matching program, under which RPM matches eligible RPM HQ associate donations up to $2,500 per year.
Community Partnerships
- Schul supports End 68 Hours of Hunger, a campaign that helps support local kids during the cold winter months. They collected hats, mittens, socks, blankets and filled two baskets. End 68 Hours of Hunger is a public not-for-profit effort to confront the 68 hours of hunger that some school children experience between the free lunch they receive at school on Friday afternoon and the free breakfast they receive at school on Monday morning.
- In June of 2023, as part of the Annual RPM Legal and Compliance Conference, team members gathered in Hickory, North Carolina, and participated in a Day of Service. The Day of Service supported two organizations: Sipes Orchard Home, which provides transitional housing, camps and support services for children (specifically those aging out of foster care), and Safe Harbor’s Resource Warehouse Thrift Store, which provides economic support and other services, specifically for women and children, impacted by homelessness and/or substance recovery. At Sipes Orchard Home, team members helped prepare garden beds, clean up the playground and even herded goats. While at Safe Harbor, team members sorted donations, organized and displayed items for sale.
- Women at Rust-Oleum raised money for Youth Haven during their 2022 “Giving Thanks, Giving Back” campaign and recently presented Youth Haven with a check for $6,446, which included a matching donation from Rust-Oleum Cares.
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Tremco has long-standing community partnerships with Harvest for Hunger, United Way, Habitat for Humanity, Women Safe, the Cleveland Foodbank, Replay for Kids and more.
In 2022, Tremco was awarded the Helping Hands award from WomenSafe, Inc., a domestic violence shelter in northeastern Ohio.