Culture of Impact

In June, I participated in an event with our PRIDE Employee Resource Group (ERG) and experienced our culture of impact firsthand.

Our PRIDE ERG group has been educating team members and supporting LGBTQ+ communities and their families for more than 10 years. Their advocacy recently inspired Trane Technologies to expand family benefits to include domestic partners, adoption services and surrogate and IVF support. This update opened up a whole new world of possibilities for our team members. As one individual shared: “My partner and I couldn’t afford IVF and didn’t think we would be able to have children … until now.”

Our team members challenged what was possible and asked leaders to explore and expand their understanding. As a result, they created new opportunities for their peers to thrive at work and at home.

Growth through innovation

Because our people share an authentic connection to our purpose, innovation also thrives here. In 2023, we launched 98 new products that are helping our customers dramatically reduce their carbon footprint. These innovative solutions also accelerate our progress toward our signature sustainability commitment, the Gigaton Challenge, the largest climate commitment of any global company related to product emission reductions within a single decade.

Earlier this summer, I participated in the opening festivities for the Trane Technologies Innovation Center in Oberhausen, Germany. The event celebrated the ingenuity of our team members in pioneering heating and cooling solutions for industrial and commercial buildings, advancing electrification and promoting new ideas in cold storage.

The Innovation Center itself shows how we lead by example. The facility runs on an innovative heating and cooling technology we developed that eliminates the need for fossil fuels while also reducing the site’s carbon emissions—the equivalent of the emissions generated by powering 100 homes for one year. This is the kind of people-powered solution that makes a powerful impact on our communities and planet.

Growth through creating opportunity

By removing degree requirements where it makes sense and challenging the idea that industry experience is always required, Trane Technologies is increasing our access to talent and opening new pathways for people to advance their careers. To date, we have removed the four-year degree requirement for more than a dozen roles across the company, including in business-critical roles such as account managers, plant supervisors, maintenance managers and transportation planners.

Trane Technologies was also named the first manufacturing partner to join the Tear the Paper Ceiling coalition led by Opportunity@Work. Through this effort, we actively work to create more opportunities for workers who are Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs).

To further address the skilled labor gap and build a diverse service technician workforce, we launched the Trane Technician Apprenticeship Program (TAP) in 2023. Registered through the U.S. Department of Labor, the TAP is a robust, nationwide, four-year paid program designed to attract and retain aspiring HVAC technicians, regardless of experience or education.

Our best is yet to come

Hiring and keeping the best talent in our industry isn’t just a nice idea; it’s critical for us to continue to grow and innovate for the future. My goal for current and future team members is to feel supported by our culture, connected to our purpose and inspired to make a difference every day.

One person, one team, one bold action at a time—this is how we create a culture of impact, and this is how we grow.