Since its creation in 2007, the Council has maintained a clear mission to provide leadership and direction to diversity and inclusion for Shaw Industries.
 
Council for Diversity and Inclusion objectives include:

• Help form and articulate the diversity and inclusion business case
• Integrate diversity and inclusion into business strategy and operational goals
• Support and/or sponsor diversity and inclusion related initiatives
• Collect and share information on successful local activities
• Serve as a local champion, giving and receiving feedback on conditions and initiatives
• Help identify potential diversity leaders within your area

 
Members lead initiatives for demonstrating inclusive leadership behaviors and put principles into action through their involvement in various work teams including education, communication, metrics, communities, customer relations, and corporate culture.

Every one of Shaw’s 22,000 associates have unique abilities, including individuals with disabilities. Instead of focusing on potential limitations, inclusive leadership depends on leveraging what people can do. When we see people for their abilities, rather than their disabilities, we create an environment where everyone can contribute to our collective success.

​Mosaic is focused on supporting people with disabilities, including associates and/or their family or community members. This associate resource group promotes the value of each individual and how those with unique abilities succeed by being given the same thing everyone needs – opportunity.

 

Conexión is dedicated to connecting and developing Hispanics and Latinos within Shaw Industries. The group acts as an incubator for the company’s future leaders by empowering them to share their perspectives.

ONE supports individuals to be themselves and bring their whole selves to work, so they experience less stress and anxiety and have the energy to collaborate and engage more powerfully. This environment allows Shaw to attract and retain the best talent and appeals to customers seeking to choose more inclusive companies. 

WHO WE ARE: The SCC is committed to shaping a One Shaw sales culture that connects our salespeople and empowers them to create positive changes that will drive growth and innovation for Shaw Industries and our customers.
 

WHAT WE DO: We are comprised of members from all Shaw sales brands across the U.S. and abroad. Our aim of shaping a One Shaw culture is supported by:

- Networking Events that promote community service and professional development
- Creating a better understanding of Shaw values through The Shaw Way and PX
- Inclusive leadership focused on supporting members in different sales geographies
- Membership and recruiting efforts to increase awareness of the SCC
- Communication of SCC success stories and content through various platforms

WHY: We are focused on inclusive leadership and professional development and are driven by a passion to make our sales culture even better for Shaw and for our customers.

Serving in the armed forces can teach teamwork, efficiency under pressure and the persistence needed to overcome obstacles. Recognizing the great value and diverse perspective this military service can bring, Shaw formalized its efforts to serve those who served by creating ShawVET. Aimed at supporting those who have served in the military and advocating for service members, veterans and their families, ShawVET focuses on career development, raising awareness of veterans’ skills and contributions within Shaw, and connecting to veterans in our community. Veterans make our country, our community and our workplace better places. ShawVET offers a platform for Shaw associates to engage, connect and grow – helping create a better future in the process.

BLACK seeks to develop a network of support that nurtures talent and highlights opportunities for development for Black and Multicultural associates through networking, mentoring and aiding recruitment and retention efforts.

Women’s Innovation Network (WiN) supports the development of leaders at Shaw through resources and opportunities that help women drive successful careers. The program presents an opportunity for women to gain critical skills, contribute unique insights on business objectives, and become part of a community that inspires company loyalty.  Members have access to educational resources and training focused on career development and core competencies, mentorship, volunteerism, networking and more.

What we do: We positively impact business internally and externally as we interact and partner with associates, customers, vendors, and suppliers. To accomplish this, we are committed to: 

• strengthening cultural competence by providing interactive opportunities to respectfully learn and grow together. 
• bridging cultural gaps by creating an informative and engaging platform to promote development and inclusion. 
• influencing the enterprise culture by providing knowledge and awareness of world class products to impact positive business outcomes.

Why we do it: We are passionate about enriching the enterprise culture in an impactful manner that inspires, empowers, and motivates others to influence positive business outcomes. 

Diversity and inclusion is important at Shaw and we believe our business growth and strength is dependent on it.

At Shaw we strive for diversity and inclusion among our associates as well as our supplier base.  We define Supplier Diversity as proactively providing equal access to Shaw’s purchasing opportunities to all qualified suppliers. We want to promote supplier participation that is reflective of Shaw's diverse customer base and local community. We believe having a strong Supplier Diversity Program is strategic for bringing more innovation to our business and opening new markets for growth.

Shaw’s Global Sourcing team is responsible for tracking diverse spend categories that are captured when a supplier is registered, onboarded or during maintenance of the supplier record.  Diverse spend is reported on a quarterly basis both internally and externally to our customers and the federal government. 

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Project SEARCH takes place entirely in the Shaw workplace and provides participants with work experience and skill set development. All associates in participating Shaw departments are educated on the program and gain understanding of how to focus on skill growth and potential of the participants, not on their limitations. Many graduates have been hired by Shaw full-time and the organization is benefiting from their ongoing contributions. Equally important are the broader benefits gained by participating departments. It enlightened associates at every level on the importance of setting out expectations and allowing others to meet them without making assumptions on abilities.

At Shaw, we believe that all young students should be encouraged to pursue innovative careers that tap their interests and unlock their full capabilities. We realize that progress starts with providing access to education and innovative efforts to equip students from underrepresented groups with the right skill sets. In conjunction with important area schools and thoughtful leadership, Shaw associates have created several workforce development programs that are connecting students of diverse backgrounds with industry and career knowledge. Below, we delve into two particular educational programs that are helping students broaden their imaginations and opening doors to exciting career possibilities.

Led by Shaw’s Corporate Diversity Council in partnership with the Women's Innovation Network (WiN), the mentorship program partners ten girls from the academy with ten inspiring Shaw leaders to build an engaging and rewarding mentorship experience. The Shaw mentors represent all areas of the company which enables the students to learn about a range of professional roles, from IT and marketing to design and manufacturing.

With City Park Elementary School, located in Dalton, Ga., Shaw has introduced a STEM after-school program. The semester-long class includes ten rising fourth graders and 21 rising fifth graders who are currently enrolled in the school’s free/reduced lunch program. The unique partnership positions members of Shaw’s WiN program and the company’s co-op students as ongoing mentors and leaders during the after-school program.

By incorporating on-site experiences as well as a variety of STEM-focused projects, each student learns about a range of career opportunities in areas such as engineering, design, marketing, tech, analysis and IT. To conclude the program, the students present a finished project or presentation to members of the Shaw WiN group, Dalton Public School board members, parents and Dalton Middle and High School administrators.

 

See Additional Programs

Shaw has the first bilingual Toastmasters club in Georgia. During their Charter Ceremony, approximately 25 associates received their official certificate as charter members of this prestigious organization.

The Bilingual Pioneers was started to facilitate the needs of bilingual individuals within Shaw to improve their communication skills in one of their two languages. Many times bilinguals struggle with accents, grammar or vocabulary in their second language. By creating the bilingual club, associates can work on improving either language within their speeches. Also if shyness or being uncomfortable speaking is the issue, they can perform their speeches first in their native language and as they become more comfortable and confident then move to their second language. The meetings, as with all Toastmaster meetings internationally, are held in English.
 

We are committed to considering job applicants with past criminal backgrounds and/or judicial system involvement because we believe in hiring the right person for the job and creating an environment where all associates can be successful and find meaning in their work. 

Second chance hiring is not new to Shaw. We’ve had processes in place to evaluate candidates with criminal backgrounds for many years. More recently, we have become intentional about our Second Chance hiring efforts by:   

• Evaluating our HR policies and programs to determine if any changes are needed to remove unnecessary barriers and foster success for all associates 

• Partnering with community and government agencies that provide support services and job readiness training to help individuals prepare to re-enter the work force 

We are pleased to partner with the following organizations to advance second chance employment in the communities where we have major operations: 

• DISMAS 

• Georgia Department of Corrections 

• Good Neighbor Homeless Shelter 

• Goodwill of North Georgia 

• Goodwill Industries of Greater Chattanooga 

• Recovery Bartow 

• South Carolina Department of Corrections 

• TURN90 

• Treatment & Accountability Courts – Conasauga Circuit 

For more information about Second Chance hiring at Shaw, contact secondchanceemployment@shawinc.com .