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Toolbox Talk – Harassment and Bullying

• The Company is committed to providing a work environment that is professional, productive and free of harassment and bullying. Harassment and bullying can involve a range of damaging actions that negatively impact our work environment.
• Workplace harassment is unwelcome conduct, in the eyes of the recipient, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), age, disability or genetic information that either becomes a condition of employment or that is severe or happens often enough for it to be intimidating, hostile or abusive.
• Workplace harassment can be verbal, visual or physical and could include taunts, jokes, threats, epithets, slurs, drawings, text messages, emails, unwanted touching or even assault because of an individual’s protected status.
• Bullying, on the other hand, does not have to be based on a protected status, and is more than simply rude or unfriendly behavior. Bullies threaten, intimidate or humiliate others by, for example, spreading rumors or gossip, publicly blaming others, yelling or purposefully undermining another associate’s work performance.
• Both harassment and bullying are strictly prohibited and it’s on all of us to work to ensure our work environment is free of harassment and bullying. If you see or experience any harassing or bullying behavior whether from another associate or external party, speak up by contacting your supervisor, Human Resources, your group’s or RPM’s Legal and Compliance Department or call RPM’s hotline. The Company will investigate all reports thoroughly.
• Let’s go through two examples. One of the third-party truckers in the distribution center has started leaving Penny handwritten notes with their original poetry. Their latest poem includes a sexually explicit verse that made Penny feel uncomfortable. What should Penny do?
• The trucker’s notes are concerning, and Penny should report her discomfort with them immediately to any supervisor or manager, Human Resources or her group’s or RPM’s Legal and Compliance Department or call RPM’s hotline.
• As a second example, when something doesn’t go right at work, Kabir’s boss holds a meeting with all his direct reports to publicly shame Kabir for what Kabir views as minor mistakes. Does Kabir need to toughen up, or is his boss behaving inappropriately?
• Kabir’s boss’s behavior might constitute bullying, and he should report his concerns about it to another manager, Human Resources, his group’s or RPM’s Legal and Compliance Department or call RPM’s hotline.