Building a Better World depends on people who find purpose in their work. That search for purpose is a long-standing mindset and essential component of our entrepreneurial spirit—an attribute that many of our RPM associates embody. Together, we maintain a commitment to doing the right thing for each other, our customers and the future of our planet and communities. 

We recognize that today’s workforce is continually changing and becoming more diverse. To ensure we attract a wide pool of candidates, our ongoing initiatives include: 

• Gathering insights about what current and new associates value 
• Creating leadership development opportunities to nurture top talent 
• Developing policies and programs to attract and retain the best workforce 
• Posting openings to a wide range of job boards ensuring a broad applicant pool is aware of opportunities 

Attracting talent across generations and of diverse backgrounds and skills is a key aspect of our strategy. We host and attend career fairs to attract potential candidates and offer internships, apprenticeships and other programs to connect with new and diverse talent. 

Providing learning opportunities to help associates further their talents is critical to our long-term success. Some of our learning and development offerings are located in the RPM Learning Central platform, which was expanded in 2023. This centralized resource provides associates with access to various self-paced online, on-demand courses featuring topics such as career skills, computer skills and wellness. 

In addition, led by our Chief Talent Officer, our Global Organizational Leadership Development (GOLD) Team is responsible for creating a leadership-led learning culture across RPM. The GOLD Team develops programming that reflects emerging trends and best practices, including: 

• Leaders of the Future: This two-day educational workshop helps emerging leaders develop valuable skills that prepare them for future opportunities within RPM. 
• RPM University (RPMU): In collaboration with our partners at the Center for Creative Leadership, RPMU is a year-long program focused on cultivating cohorts of high-performing leaders who leave a lasting legacy. The program includes leadership development tools related to emotional intelligence and direction, alignment and commitment as well as fundamental RPM tenets such as The Value of 168; Transparency, Trust and Respect; and Connections Creating Value. 
• Strategic Leader Staff Rides: This three-day seminar provides senior business leaders with a unique immersive experience, including a “staff ride” of Civil War battlefields, as well as hands-on curriculum focused on strategic planning, executive presence, leadership tactics, crisis response and health and wellness. 
• Better Conversations Every Day™ (BCE): The BCE program trains associates in behaviors that build trust and collaboration for better business communications. Through the end of 2023, 1,231 associates have completed this program. 

Our center-led approach to corporate communications enables us to maintain a more direct line of information-sharing and engagement with our associates. We encourage them to share concerns and opinions and provide multiple avenues for doing so, including conversations with managers, human resources team members and compliance departments and formal submissions through forums, surveys and the Ethics and Compliance Hotline (read more in Ethics & Compliance). 

In addition, we view engagement as finding purpose in our work and feeling connected to others and the company. As such, we seek opportunities to highlight our projects and people through our Around the World newsletter, organize contests and drawings and sponsor community engagement projects that encourage involvement and team building.

To foster inclusion, our teams will often host gatherings and socials to engage our associates. For example, for more than 15 years our corporate office has hosted an associate clambake.

Employee Engagement Survey 

We conducted our third companywide employee engagement survey in 2024. Participation increased by 11%, with more than 11,000 associates participating. The overall engagement score continued to be strong at 70%. Results from the survey allow us to focus our efforts, monitor the impact of our actions and track associate morale, satisfaction and engagement. Our companies develop action plans to address specific areas of feedback and are required to report progress to RPM senior leadership on a quarterly basis. Based on 2023 survey results, we placed specific efforts on general communication as well as highlighting specific actions that were taken as a result of the survey. Scores in these areas improved noticeably. We plan to continue administering the survey annually and emphasizing the changes the survey has triggered.

We developed the Building a Better World program to fully integrate sustainability into all levels of our company culture. It is critical that our associates know what sustainability means to our business, as well as how it may impact our risks, opportunities and strategies. The program’s success involves commitment from everyone, and we encourage our associates to contribute to our sustainability efforts through opportunities to lead and share ideas. 

We keep our associates engaged in our sustainability efforts through the following initiatives: 

• RPM Around the World Newsletter: Our global newsletter highlights sustainability efforts in every issue. We share inspiring stories about our companies and associates, reinforcing our goals and objectives and celebrating the collective impact of our teams. 
• Building a Better World Internal Awareness Campaign: Through our ongoing companywide awareness campaign, we increase knowledge, create inspiration and facilitate engagement internally around RPM’s ongoing commitment to creating a sustainable future. 
• Building Blocks Series: In 2024, we launched a series of 30-minute webcast discussions to highlight RPM associates and their contributions to advance sustainability initiatives globally. The Building Blocks series also helps associates learn how they can incorporate sustainability into their own roles.

Central to our core value of Respect for our associates is offering a benefits package that supports all dimensions of health and wellbeing. Our comprehensive U.S. benefits package and resources improve associates’ lives in and outside the workplace. 

In 2023, we expanded our U.S. benefits package by partnering with third-party providers to offer a substance use support program. In addition, we enhanced our support of mental health by establishing connections with providers who work with children and teens. We also increased the allotment of covered provider visits through our associate assistance program to five. To support our associates’ physical health, we now work with third-party providers to offer virtual physical therapy sessions.

Benefits outside the U.S. are determined by social offerings and local laws. Additional benefits offered in select geographies include: 

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): We deeply value the mental health and wellbeing of our associates. Our assistance program provides short-term, no-cost or low-cost mental health and counseling services. In 2023, the number of covered provider visits increased from three to five for all locations offering the benefit. The EAP offers additional services including legal guidance and financial wellness education and assistance. 
• Financial Planning: To alleviate the stress financial planning may cause, we offer our associates a program that provides access to low-cost, individual financial planning. 
• Flexible Work: Numerous remote or flexible work opportunities are available to associates around the world. This offering expands our talent attraction pool to include people with diverse backgrounds and viewpoints.