Created by the non-profit We Are All Human Foundation and launched at the World Economic Forum in 2019, the Hispanic Promise is a non-legally binding sign of intention, the result of the joint effort of several Hispanic Organizations as a call to action for business leaders and companies of Corporate America to create a more inclusive work environment for Hispanics.
“The Hispanic Promise exemplifies the role that businesses like ours can and should play in ensuring that one’s ethnicity should not limit the opportunities afforded to them, and is consistent with Reed Smith’s diversity and inclusion initiative,” said Diane Frenier, partner, chair of Reed Smith’s Business and Finance Department, and senior management team sponsor of UNIDOS, the firm’s Latino and Hispanic business inclusion group. “We are honored to be signatories and look forward to working with We Are All Human and fellow signatories in sharing best practices related to Hispanic employee engagement, recruitment, mentorship, and advancement.”
Reed Smith is the second law firm to sign the Hispanic Promise, and joins major corporations such as AT&T, IKEA, KiND, Microsoft, SAP and YUM! Brands as signatories. In signing the Promise, the firm commits to:
- Creating inclusive environments within the workplace and to take positive intentional actions to hire, promote, retain, and celebrate Hispanics as employees, customers and citizens.
- Creating or strengthening employee engagement, mentorship programs, employee or business resource groups, talent advancement and an inclusive company culture where employees feel they belong, are valued and have a voice.
- Acknowledging the priorities selected by Hispanic Leaders under the Vision 2020, which include access to education, financial empowerment and improving the image of Hispanics.
- Aim to increase the number of Hispanic employees in my company to better reflect the US population, increase Hispanic representation in all levels and all functions of my company, and assess the sentiment of Hispanics in my company.