Smith Promotes and Embraces Diversity Across Our Global Offices

As a global company with 17 offices across three continents, Smith is committed to serving the diverse communities that we are a part of, and we celebrate the unique experiences and viewpoints that our employees bring to the table. Collectively, our team members speak more than 50 languages and dialects, allowing us to provide the expertise of a multinational company while still giving the tailored support of a local business.

We believe that diversity isn’t something to be achieved. Instead, it must be built into our foundation and maintained over time. To accomplish this, Smith incorporates multiple diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at every stage of employment, starting with our recruitment and hiring process.

Smith is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer and actively takes measures to encourage a diverse pool of candidates to apply. Our recruiters attend job fairs that focus on employment and career opportunities for women, minorities, and other protected groups. We also include employees with diverse backgrounds and perspectives throughout the recruitment, interview, and hiring process.

Perhaps the most notable example of these efforts is our close partnership with The HUB, a Houston-based school for neurodiverse teenagers and young adults. Smith has established a dynamic internship and mentorship program with The HUB to help students acquire and develop new employment skills. Our HR and recruiting team also participate in The HUB’s Interview Day, where recent graduates of the school engage in mock interviews with real hiring managers to gain experience and constructive feedback as they prepare to enter the workforce. Over the years, several students from The HUB have gone on to work at Smith after graduation.

Once hired, we provide our employees with numerous tools, resources, and services to help them plan their career development. All employees are onboarded and receive ongoing training through our award-winning learning and development platform, Smith University. Smith also offers leadership development training and includes clear descriptions and responsibilities for all internal and external job postings. No matter the position, our employees have the opportunity to work and collaborate with our diverse teams across multiple departments and regions.

At Smith, our employee-retention policies focus on finding ways to help our employees thrive. We support and promote work-life balance, continuous employee development, manager autonomy, and open communication and feedback with both direct and upper management. To learn about our employees’ perspectives and needs, as well as measure the impact of our efforts, we regularly conduct pulse surveys across all levels of the workforce. Our employees receive periodic training on anti-harassment policies, respect in the workforce, and diversity and inclusion – including our internal training program developed in collaboration with The HUB, which provides new and existing employees with a better understanding of neurodiversity. Our team members also participate in regular performance reviews with their supervisors and have the opportunity to set goals and develop long-term career plans.

Smith offers flexible paid time off for all employees to observe religious and cultural practices. Many choose to share photos and descriptions of their celebrations – such as Lunar New Year, Holi, and Día de Muertos – on our internal social platform, Yammer. Additionally, we encourage our team members to create positive impacts on global social challenges and to respond to crises by volunteering our time, energy, and skills. Smith also works to broaden equitable access and opportunity by collaborating with schools and colleges to promote opportunities for women, minorities, and other protected groups.

In recognition of our DEI efforts, Smith’s co-founders and directors, Bob and Lee Ackerley, were recently named Best CEOs for Diversity by Comparably. This award is based exclusively on anonymous feedback from our employees of color on the Comparably website. Additionally, Houston Business Journal named Smith an Outstanding Diversity Helping Hand last year. Our longtime partners at The HUB nominated us in recognition of our dedication to the promotion and advancement of diversity and inclusion in their business operations and the community at large.

Still, our work to promote and integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion at Smith is never done. We continue to challenge our people to be a part of this growth, and we are constantly on the lookout for new opportunities to lift up the diverse voices and experiences of our innovative and extraordinary workforce.

Learn more about Smith’s DEI and CSR efforts here in our Newsroom or on our Instagram (@smithweb).