Shawmut celebrates Women in Construction Week nationwide

Boston, MA Shawmut Design and Construction participated in Women in Construction (WIC) Week with virtual and in-person celebrations in all 11 of its offices nationwide. The firm’s WIC Week activities were developed to align with this year’s theme of envision equity and comprised of insightful and engaging employee-led sessions including guest speakers, panel discussions, project presentations, and job-site tours.

With only 10% of the construction industry’s workforce occupied by women, WIC Week aims to celebrate these women and drive conversations to ignite action about increasing representation industry wide. Shawmut is invested in creating equity company-wide and leads the industry with a workforce comprised of 33% women, with 24% of leadership roles held by women.

“We are proud to lead the industry with our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and while this week is a time to celebrate the achievements and progress we have made as a company and as an industry, it is also important to recognize how much more work needs to be done,” said Les Hiscoe, CEO at Shawmut. “That is why it is essential to operationalize this work and encourage diversity of thought throughout the year to help women and all historically marginalized people in construction achieve success in their organization and in the industry.”

This year marks Shawmut’s seventh year participating in WIC Week and throughout the week Shawmut employees and partners engaged in open and honest discussions about how the industry can increase female representation in the workplace. Highlights from the week include the virtual opening ceremony with remarks from Boston mayor Michelle Wu and Shawmut CEO Les Hiscoe; a presentation on the Marymount Manhattan College Judith Mara Center for Visual Arts project in New York that is targeting to achieve 20% female trade workers on-site through a pilot partnership with Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW); a jobsite tour from the assistant superintendent of 843 N Spring St., a commercial building project that will be one of the largest cross-laminated timber office buildings in LA; and a panel with two members of Shawmut’s board of directors, Kim Bishop and Liyuan Woo.

Outside of WIC Week, Shawmut, which is celebrating its 40^th anniversary, is committed to the growth and diversity of its workforce. The company’s Diversity Leadership Council (DLC) works company-wide to build awareness and help accelerate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Of note, Shawmut is committed to 100% pay and promotion equity and offers a sponsorship program for underrepresented employees to help increase exposure and provide access to career accelerating opportunities. Most recently, Shawmut’s DLC launched a series of monthly talks – Culture of Care Toolbox Talks – that focus on safety from a psychological, mental health, and inclusive behavior standpoint.