September 17, 2024

Smith & Co: Finalists in Telstra Business Awards - Accelerating Women Category

This week Smith & Co are celebrating being named one of the top 5 finalists in the national Telstra Business Awards, representing Queensland in the Accelerating Women category. This recognition is a testament to our dedication to creating equal opportunities for women, particularly in industries traditionally male dominated, such as construction, trades, warehousing, renewable energy, manufacturing, and logistics.

Recruitment companies hold significant power and influence in shaping the workforce, with the ability to create equal opportunities for all genders by driving diversity in hiring practices. With this influence, it's crucial for agencies to use their position in society to promote equality across all industries, ensuring that the most qualified individuals, regardless of gender, have access to the jobs they deserve.

At Smith & Co we are big advocates for breaking down barriers, and creating gender diversity in sectors where women are often underrepresented. To promote equal opportunities, we actively implement recruitment strategies that focus on giving everyone a fair go. One of the measures we employ to ensure an even playing field is that we anonymise resumes and remove personal details that could cause unconscious bias in the hiring process. Furthermore, we push for an equal split of men and women in our specialty divisions, and work to create more inclusive hiring practices.

Smith & Co's co-founder, Angela Smith, is a driving force behind this mission, motivated by her own experiences with workplace inequality. Under her leadership, we’ve built a team that prioritises empowerment, diversity, and pay transparency. The internal team at Smith & Co have a 50/50 gender split, and we remain committed to fostering gender equality both within our agency and for our clients.

Being recognised as a finalist in the Telstra Business Awards reinforces our commitment to driving positive change. We’re proud of the impact we’ve made in accelerating opportunities for women, and we’ll continue to push boundaries to create a more equal workforce for all. We want to congratulate all the worthy finalists and wish them the best of luck in the next stage. Check out the other remarkable Australian companies leading the way in accelerating women here - https://www.telstra.com.au/small-business/best-of-business-awards/alumni/2024b-state-finalists/accelerating-women