One of the top goals for many companies in the tech industry is to focus on building a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce. It is also one of our top goals at VentureFizz in terms of helping to support companies on this important mission.
Companies have different approaches as it relates to how they are addressing their diversity, equity, and inclusion goals, so we thought that it would be valuable to profile companies and what they are doing to accomplish their DEI initiatives.
SmartBear provides a portfolio of trusted tools that give software development teams around the world visibility into end-to-end quality through test management and automation, API development lifecycle, and application stability, ensuring each software release is better than the last. Our award-winning tools include SwaggerHub, TestComplete, BugSnag, ReadyAPI, Zephyr, PactFlow, and Stoplight, among others. SmartBear is trusted by over 16 million developers, testers, and software engineers at 32,000+ organizations – including innovators like Adobe, JetBlue, FedEx, and Microsoft. With an active peer-to-peer community, we meet customers where they are to help make our technology-driven world a better place. SmartBear is committed to ethical corporate practices and social responsibility, promoting good in all the communities we serve. Learn more at smartbear.com, or follow on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.
Please provide a high level statement supporting your DEI mission and objectives?
Diversity, equity, and inclusion. These aren’t just words to us: They’re at the core of our principles at SmartBear. Openness – that is, respectful collaboration, empathy, and the free exchange of feedback – is the philosophy that drives our support for open source communities, and it extends to every SmartBear employee and customer. They’re welcome as they are with their contributions equally valued regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or status. When we operate from a foundation of equal opportunity, we not only hold ourselves accountable, we’re better able to transform big ideas into sustainable realities. And that lets us create lasting change in our business and communities. Because at the end of the day, we’re here to make the world a more quality place – for everyone.
What is SmartBear doing to attract a more diverse workforce?
As a global company, we think broadly about the definition of diversity. We’ve made huge strides in our gender diversity over the past couple of years. With the recent hiring of our female Chief Revenue Officer, our executive team now boasts four female members, and we continue to support the promotion of women into STEM roles at SmartBear.
In the U.S., we are always on a journey to increase representation of minority racial and ethnic employees – and we know that comes through building an inclusive and welcoming environment where diverse candidates will want to work. From there, we are fostering belonging and opportunity for advancement. We are working to build that belonging through programs, events, and engagement opportunities.
Can you share all the different Employee Resource Groups at SmartBear?
This past year, we launched our first employee resource group (ERG) to build community for our employees of color and their allies. In our Somerville HQ, we held an open mic where any employees could sign up to share their talents - and they did! We had a great turnout, and the event proved that SmartBear is a place where everyone can bring their authentic selves to work. This month, in honor of Hispanic Heritage, we sent a group of employees to the Hispanic Celebration at the Red Sox game at Fenway!
In October, we plan to launch a global ERG for our women employees. These employees and allies came together back in March for Women’s History Month to talk about their own experiences in the workplace, creating a global digital whiteboard to share ideas for more inclusive workplaces. We used those ideas directly to produce a Guide to Inclusive Meetings, published internally.
What other programs do you have to support your DEI initiatives?
Opportunities for building inclusion that we’ve staged this year have been month-long book clubs. For one example, the Black History Month book club met weekly in February to discuss issues around race and identity brought up by a selected book. We also held a book club for Women’s Month in March. In June, in recognition of pride month, we hosted a speaker who presented on Allyship, explaining the ways we can all be allies in the workplace.
Our recently launched manager and leadership programs, developed internally, customized for SmartBear, include sections on diverse interviewing and hiring, bias, and inclusive leadership.
Do you have any data that you’d like to share that demonstrates your diverse workforce?
Our global employee population is made up of approximately 30% female staff.
Where can I find more information about your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives?
You can find information about our Sustainability, Diversity, and Responsibility efforts at https://smartbear.com/company/responsibility/
Hear From Our Employees
Cameo Steed, P&C Coordinator at SmartBear
“With the support of SmartBear's leadership team, BOLD is an employee-created and employee-led group that engages SmartBears in many ways. From learning opportunities with guest speakers to directly contributing to our larger global community with charity initiatives, what BOLD has been able to accomplish so far makes me excited for the future of the ERG."
Conna Walsh, Senior Product Marketing Specialist for BugSnag & Aspecto
“DEI initiatives and related events have created opportunities to connect with colleagues in other departments that I don’t work with on a day-to-day basis. Especially in a larger company, it’s always great to connect over shared interests, causes, and a sense of community.”
One of the foundational aspects of this preparation is gaining a deep understanding of the opportunity. Don't hesitate to reach out to the hiring manager, People Operations, or Talent Acquisition representative to obtain the job description and have them break it down for you. Ask pointed questions like, "What are the top 3 to 5 critical aspects listed in this description that I should focus on?" Beyond the job posting, inquire about the team's culture and dynamics, going beyond the official description to understand what truly matters.
