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Preparing the Next Generation Workforce to Succeed

Posted 01 May 2019 by Leah Rickert, Global Talent Acquisition Manager

At H.B. Fuller, we understand that investing in the next generation of professionals is a vital part of our company’s future. That’s why we’ve taken the time to better understand what our next generation professionals are asking for—and are actively adapting our strategies to meet those needs.

Next Generation Professionals

H.B. Fuller Next Gen Professionals group logo.Attracting and retaining the best employees is key to our company’s success in addition to being a competitive advantage. That’s why investments in building a strong workforce, including recruitment and employee development, are important to us.

In 2016 we formed the Next Generation Professionals group, having recognized the need to build a strong sense of community to support the development of employees who recently started their careers. With a strong executive sponsor, the organization is focused on social networking, leadership networking, and virtual communications and programming. The group holds regular events, including happy hour networking, opportunities to volunteer, quarterly presentations from top leadership, and ongoing sharing of valuable, career-related information.

According to Elizabeth R., Technical Account Manager and member of the Next Generation Professionals group, "For me personally, the group has allowed me to speak to and hear from many people I would most likely never have met, and it has allowed me to grow my network. It also has made me feel as though leadership really values me and my fellow Next Generation Professionals, knowing that they want to invest in us and find ways to retain us."

Corporate Social Responsibility

Dedicated to supporting our communities through philanthropy and employee volunteerism, we have made our corporate social responsibility programs an opportunity to engage the next generation. Additionally, CSR initiatives have increasingly become an expectation from the next generation of workers, who expect their employers to be socially involved corporate citizens.

One way that we are encouraging young professionals to get involved is our annual volunteer event where we invite college interns to engage with our corporate social responsibility programs as they explore what a future with our company could look like. This is just one of the many ways that we’re encouraging the next generation of employees to expand their positive impact on our communities. Learn more about H.B. Fuller’s commitment to corporate social responsibility by visiting www.hbfuller.com/community.

Supporting Healthy Living

In addition to attracting good people, we also understand how important it is to keep them—because we know that our vitality depends on the quality of our people. That’s why we are dedicated to providing them with opportunities for advancement in all aspects of their professional lives, as well as ensuring that they have the necessary tools to help take actions toward wellness.

While we offer benefits plans that include health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, we also provide a generous amount of paid time off. Furthermore, as a partner in improved health, we offer various wellness programs to employees and provide incentives to those who participate.

Learn more about how we support healthy living here.

Celebrating the Spirit of Winning

At H.B. Fuller, we celebrate the spirit of winning through our commitment to delivering outstanding offerings to our customers, passion and creativity to our work, and innovation to our products and processes.

Last year, we hired over 823 new employees, bringing our global workforce to nearly 6,300 employees. We also promoted 475 individuals from all areas of the world, and in 2018, our diverse workforce encompasses skilled individuals from the following areas:

  • North America: 42%
  • EIMEA: 28%
  • Asia Pacific: 21%
  • Latin America: 9%

We engage in varied work, including:

  • Manufacturing: 52%
  • Sales/Customer Service: 22%
  • Other: 20%
  • Research and Development: 6%

At H.B. Fuller, we know that we are best positioned to succeed as a business when we develop and retain a talented workforce. Given that our new workforce will be more diverse than ever before, we are excited to prepare the next generation—from all backgrounds—to excel. Whether it’s through funding STEM education and youth leadership development programs, working with nonprofits geared towards addressing achievement gaps, or listening to the goals and concerns of people in the Next Generation Professionals group, we are actively working to make a difference for our future workforce—and current communities across the globe.

 Search for open positions at H.B. Fuller here. 

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