Diversity In Action

Rohm and Haas: a focus on ChEs

“When you look at our top leadership, we have diversity that most companies do not have, and that gives us an advantage,” says a diversity guru

The popular notion of a chemical engineering job may not be quite accurate, at least for ChEs working for Rohm and Haas. At this company ChEs may find themselves anywhere from the manufacturing floor, working with skilled technicians, to the boardroom, presenting new products to top management.

It all comes down to your own special interests, say Kristie King, diversity recruitment consultant, and Stacey B. Adams, global director of diversity and inclusion for Rohm and Haas.

“We have many opportunities that may not look at all like traditional ChE positions,” King says. “Our goal is to have folks who know the chemical engineering processes right there on the floors of our plants around the world, or out selling the product, or even leading a commercial organization.”

Since 1909, Rohm and Haas has been a global pioneer in the creation and development of innovative technologies and solutions for the specialty materials industry. The company’s products are used in a wide range of industries, including the building trades, electronics, household goods and personal care, packaging and paper, transportation, medical and pharmaceutical, water, food and industrial process.

At an organization like this, it’s important for employees to have scientific grounding and background, King says. There are some MEs on staff but most of the techies are ChEs.

In today’s uncertain economic climate, King and Adams can’t be sure of their needs for this year. Adams points out that although many organizations have slowed their recruitment, Rohm and Haas “always has a need for talent.

“We have four generations in the workplace, and a lot of employees who will be looking at retirement in the next five years. We have to start building up the talent pools so we’re not
in a shortage.”

There will likely be opportunities outside the U.S., she adds, especially in EE to meet the high demand for offshore electronic materials work. The company footprint stretches through Latin America, Northern Europe and Asia/Pacific, King notes. Foreign language skills are a plus but not always essential.

Techies interested in management can even aspire to lead business units. Most of the current VPs have engineering or scientific backgrounds, in areas that range from paint chemistry to software coding, King says with a smile. Many of the company’s business leaders have MBAs as well as technical degrees. There are also opportunities to move up but stay in a technical role.

Required experience varies. Rohm and Haas has an engineering development program for new hires just out of college, as well as a PhD professional program.

“We have diverse age groups. In plant operations in North America we have folks who’ve been here a long time and are looking at potential retirement,” King says.

That’s why Rohm and Haas instituted the engineering development program, a mentoring arrangement in its manufacturing organization. Some fifteen participants are hired in annually, to rotate to two or three North American facilities over several years and receive “a great deal of guidance from highly tenured folks.”

To find participants, recruiters visit about twenty campuses a year, including historically black colleges and universities and Hispanic-serving institutions, as well as mainstream universities. The company also identifies candidates through NSBE, SWE, SHPE, NOBCChE and AISES.

But most new employees have several, sometimes many, years of professional experience, King says. The company keeps a sharp eye out for “great talent” in underrepresented groups.

Rohm and Haas provides mandatory diversity training for senior leaders, and some business units send their entire teams to the sessions. The global diversity office offers a variety of learning opportunities: assignments outside the home country, diversity training for recruiters and programs provided by third-party vendors, Adams says.

“Employees can register for courses individually, too. I often do webcasts throughout the organization so folks understand the business case for diversity and how it changes based on the business you’re sitting in,” Adams says. “We report to the chair of the company, so we have a process that I describe as ‘top-down and squeezed from the side.’”

A chairman’s diversity council also involves key business leaders. Employee networking groups include African American, Women’s, Hispanic/Latin, Asian Pacific and Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender leadership networks. The groups meet monthly and have diversity objectives for each year. Adams meets with all the network leaders quarterly, and each leader has a sponsor from the senior management team.

Several mentoring programs are offered through the employee networks, King says. The company also provides site-based mentoring. There are additional informal programs, King notes, often about “helping women, people of color and the younger population to develop good networking strategies and find mentors to coach them in the areas they need.”

Rohm and Haas places a high priority on its employees’ work/life balance. The company provides employee assistance programs like eldercare and childcare, and offers opportunities for flexible schedules or work from home.

Community outreach is another priority for this family-owned company. Employees can get involved with groups like Habitat for Humanity, work with local schools, or participate in employee-sponsored fundraising projects.

King notes that Rohm and Haas gives diversity top billing in its list of ideals.

“When you look at the top leadership of our organization, the top hundred people, we are the most internationally diverse of any company in our industry and many more. When you look at ethnic representation, citizenship and languages at the most senior levels, we have diversity that most companies do not have, and that gives us a competitive advantage.”

D/C