Our Commitment to Each Other
Comments to employees by Paul Smucker; written in the early 1980s
"As Smucker’s experiences growth in the ’80s, we need to ensure that we retain one of Smucker’s most deeply cherished goals–the mutual respect of our fellow employees and an atmosphere that makes people proud to work here. This same commitment can be enlarged to include our customers, suppliers, and shareholders.
Here are a few basic thoughts, when put into our everyday lives, that can help:
Thank you for a job well done. This small recognition shows that we notice and appreciate the efforts of our fellow employees.
Listening with your full attention. By giving our undivided attention, we are showing that there is nothing more important at that moment than what is being said.
Looking for the good in others. By seeing the good in others, we are demonstrating our respect and confidence in their intentions to do what is right, and we are developing an atmosphere where we can grow and learn.
Sense of humor. Our work efforts are important–that is how we set the example and take the lead. Our sense of humor is also important, for that is how we maintain our perspective to our work. Humor, not at the expense of others, but as a brief relief from difficult tasks, can make our working atmosphere more pleasant and enjoyable.
By keeping these few thoughts in our minds every day, we can build a bridge of understanding that will nourish the atmosphere in which we work and our mutual respect for each other. I ask for your commitment to these thoughts; I ask for your commitment to each other."
Our Purpose
Feeding Connections That Help Us Thrive – Life Tastes Better Together
Meaningful connections are vital to a happy, healthy, fulfilling life - for those we love and the communities in which we live. At Smucker, we believe that when we connect, we are stronger. And when we are stronger, society thrives.
A Passion for Protecting our Employees and Company
We believe it takes participation from employees and leadership alike to build the best possible work environment at Smucker.
With our Basic Beliefs top of mind, we have established core policies, best practices and expectations for employees across all levels of our Company and have captured these in our Code of Conduct.
We realize there are instances where actions may not be in alignment with our Code of Conduct. For these situations we have developed processes for reporting and resolving concerns. For more sensitive situations and concerns, we offer an anonymous, third-party powered Integrity Portal, which employees can assess here.
In full transparency, we share annual reporting outlining high-level takeaways and implications from reported instances with the entire organization to allow us all to learn and growth together.
These processes – and our employees’ participation – allows us to foster an environment free of discrimination, harassment, retaliation and inappropriate behavior, so we can build an environment where all can thrive.
More to Explore
Great things are happening at The J.M. Smucker Co. See for yourself.
