SMP Culture Statement

SMP Culture Statement

At Standard Motor Products, a culture of belonging has always been a force that drives us forward. Our foundation was built upon diverse teams in an inclusive workplace.

An employee of SMP will quickly see that their colleagues share a value system that encourages personal and professional growth. We create an environment of trust and belonging; by supporting a workforce where each employee feels valued and fully engaged in their work.

Our credo: Career Long Opportunities for Talented Employees who Share Our Values captures the spirit of the employee experience at SMP. We recruit the best, we nurture them and they stay with us. In other words, they become part of the SMP family- a group of diverse individuals with common goals and objectives. That experience continues post retirement as evidenced by the over 1,000 members of our 25-Year Club.

We take pride in our people and we take pride in our culture.

Our Culture

At Standard Motor Products, a culture of belonging has always been a force that drives us forward. Our foundation was built upon diverse teams in an inclusive workplace. We continue this legacy by supporting the creative, innovative, and unique ideas of our employees, which in turn allows them to excel, and SMP to thrive.

Our Values

We are building a fluid, comprehensive culture and engagement strategy, to empower all our stakeholders from every background. We achieve our diversity, equity, and inclusion goals by listening, engaging, and creating an environment of trust and belonging; by supporting a workforce where each employee feels valued and fully engaged in their work.

Our Commitment 

We embed diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) in our policies and practices because we are committed to building an equitable and inclusive environment to ensure equitable pay and access to opportunities for all.


DEIB Steering Committee

Our DEIB strategy is a roadmap for our collective success. To further our commitment to DEIB, SMP established a Steering Committee and Taskforce to devise strategies for training, education and empowerment of our employees, as well as recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce. We’ve initiated in-depth reviews of hiring practices; affirmative outreach to ensure proper applicant flow from diverse candidates; and a comprehensive pay equity analysis to identify any gender or race related inconsistencies. Additionally, we’ve launched an extensive DEIB Training Program for all employees in an effort to eliminate unconscious bias with a focus on inclusion and belonging.

Employee Participation

We regularly utilize feedback from our employees to help shape our DEIB approach. We recently conducted a company-wide survey of our employees’ experiences; and formed small focus groups at each facility, hosted by a third-party consultant. Both endeavors encouraged open and honest DEIB discussions, identifying areas of challenge and strength, which SMP uses to help guide its continuing DEIB efforts. We repeat this survey periodically to stay up-to-date on the employee experience. In addition, our employees often engage in DEIB-related activities and events, which we highlight in our Cultural Connections and Voice of Standard publications.

Peer Collaboration

Another way we work towards DEIB progress is through collaboration with our industry colleagues. We are partners with Center of Automotive Diversity, Inclusion & Advancement (CADIA) and members of Tent Partnership for Refugees, a network of over 200 major companies committed to integrating refugees, through hiring and training initiatives.

Final Thoughts

It’s through diversity of backgrounds and perspectives, that we benefit from new and different ways of looking at our business, which leads to innovation and sustainable success. A wider pool of diverse candidates ensures we have access to the very best talent. For these reasons, and the aforementioned, we prioritize Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging at SMP.

For more information on our DEIB and Sustainability efforts download our Corporate Sustainability Report.