Standards of ConductAnd
Ethics
for
Employees, Officers And Directors
of
Mohawk Industries, Inc.
Purpose |
Dear Mohawk employees, officers and
directors:
This
document outlines the standards of ethical behavior Mohawk expects of you. Throughout this document, we will abbreviate
these standards as the “Code.”
You
should keep in mind these important considerations when reading this Code:
·
You
should follow this Code in letter and in spirit.
·
You
should follow this Code along with any applicable laws, regulations and other
Mohawk policies and procedures.
· The
Code applies to all of our employees, officers and directors regardless of
location or position.
· You
must report any violation of this Code.
You may report violations to the Company’s Vice President-Internal Audit or General Counsel.
You can also make an anonymous report through the Corporate Hotline at ethics_hotline@mohawkind.com or
calling (706) 624-2004 or toll free at (888) 566-4295.
· If
you do not comply with the provisions of this Code and other Mohawk policies
and procedures, you could be disciplined or fired. You could also face criminal penalties and
civil liabilities for violating the standards outlined in this Code.
Integrity
and a high standard of ethics are fundamental to our beliefs. Mohawk is committed to doing what is right
and deterring wrong doing, and we expect you to uphold these beliefs, as
well. If you have questions concerning
the proper course of action, please consult your immediate supervisor, your
human resources representative, the Vice President-Internal Audit or the
Company’s General Counsel for direction.
This Code contains additional
guidelines and standards for the company’s principal executive officer and
senior financial officers. These can be
found under “Supplemental Standards for Senior Financial Officers.”
Amendments
and Waivers
Only
Mohawk’s Board of Directors may amend this Code. Only the Board of Directors or an authorized
committee of the Board may waive a part of the Code for any senior financial
officer, executive officer or director.
Mohawk will promptly disclose publicly all material amendments and any
waivers for senior financial officers, executive officers or directors, to the
extent required by law.
Reporting Violations |
You
must report any violation of this Code, Mohawk policy or legal
requirement. In reporting suspected
violations, we encourage you first to contact your immediate supervisor. If you are not comfortable doing so, you may
contact your human resources representative, Mohawk’s Vice President-Internal
Audit, the Company’s General Counsel or you may use the Corporate Hotline.
Mohawk
strives to create an environment where employees feel free to call attention to
legal or policy violations. We will
investigate reported concerns impartially.
Mohawk will not permit any retaliation against you for reporting
suspected violations in good faith.
|
Fair and Honest Dealing |
You must
deal fairly and honestly with Mohawk’s employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers
and competitors. You must behave in an
ethical manner and not take unfair advantage of anyone through manipulation,
concealment, abuse of privileged information, misrepresentation of material
facts, or any other unfair business practice.
You
must respect the integrity of persons and firms with whom Mohawk deals. You must limit the fees and commissions paid
to agents and other representatives to amounts that are consistent with proper
business conduct. You cannot make a
payment to any employee, agent or representative of a third party with or
through whom Mohawk does business without full, documented disclosure to all
parties.
|
Compliance with Laws, Rules and Regulations |
Mohawk strives to ensure all activity
on its behalf is in compliance with applicable laws, rules and
regulations. You must comply with all
applicable laws, rules and regulations, whether or not specifically addressed
in this Code. Please contact Mohawk's
General Counsel or other members of Mohawk’s Legal Department for additional
guidance or if you have questions.
Antitrust Laws
You
must comply with applicable antitrust and similar laws that regulate
competition in the countries in which we operate. These laws prohibit:
•
Agreements to
fix prices, bid rigging, market allocation and collusion (including price
sharing) with competitors;
•
Boycotts,
certain exclusive dealing arrangements and price discrimination agreements; and
•
Unfair
trade practices, including bribery, misappropriation of trade secrets,
deception, intimidation and similar unfair practices.
Environmental
Laws
Mohawk
complies with all applicable environmental laws, rules and regulations. You must strive to utilize resources
appropriately and efficiently and dispose of all waste in accordance with
applicable laws, rules and regulations.
Mohawk
believes the fair and equitable treatment of employees, customers, suppliers
and other persons is critical to fulfilling its vision and goals. Mohawk conducts its business without regard
to race, color, religion, gender, ethnic origin, age,
disability or any other classification prohibited by law, and will otherwise
comply with employment laws. Mohawk will
not tolerate any form of harassment or discrimination against anyone on the
basis of any classification prohibited by law.
Mohawk will investigate allegations of harassment or discrimination in
accordance with applicable laws and human resources policies.
Insider Trading
Federal and state
securities laws and Mohawk’s policies prohibit you from:
• Purchasing or selling Mohawk
securities while you know material, nonpublic information about Mohawk; and
• Disclosing material,
nonpublic information to others who then trade in Mohawk’s securities.
Mohawk’s Board of Directors has adopted an insider trading
policy. You should review the insider
trading policy carefully and follow the policies and procedures it
describes. Because of the complexity of
inside information and insider trading, and the severity of the punishments
involved, which can include criminal prosecution, you should seek the advice of
Mohawk’s General Counsel or Corporate Secretary on any questions regarding this
subject.
Anti-Bribery Laws / Foreign Corrupt
Practices Act
The
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, regulations of the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (“OECO”),and other
anti-bribery laws prohibits bribery or unlawful payments to foreign government
officials or employees for the purpose of influencing decisions or obtaining or
retaining business. These laws prohibit
directly (or indirectly through an agent) making such payments. These laws impose criminal penalties,
including fines and prison sentences, on corporations and employees who violate
the law. It is also illegal to bribe
government officials of your own country.
Accordingly you
may not make any unlawful payments to or
for the benefit of any government official or employee. Relations with government representatives,
even where personal friendships may be involved, must be in good taste and such
that full public disclosure would in no way damage Mohawk’s reputation. You are required to comply with these laws
and you should seek the advice of the Company’s General Counsel should you have
any questions on this topic.
Political
Process
You must comply with all laws, rules
and regulations governing campaign finance and lobbying activities. You cannot use Mohawk’s funds and assets for
political campaign purposes of any kind, except where the political
contributions are consistent with state law and you obtain prior approval of
the Chief Financial Officer of the company.
You may participate in the political process by means of personal
campaign contributions, expenditures or other activity. However, Mohawk will not reimburse or
compensate you for your personal participation in political activities.
Integrity of Records and Compliance with Accounting
Principles
Mohawk and the
law require the preparation and maintenance of accurate and reliable business
records. You must prepare all reports,
books and records of Mohawk with care and honesty. Mohawk maintains a system of internal
controls to ensure that transactions are carried out in accordance with
management’s authorization and properly recorded. This system includes policies, procedures and
examination by a professional staff of internal auditors. Mohawk expects you to adhere to these
policies and procedures.
You should
make all complaints regarding accounting, internal accounting controls, or
auditing matters to the Vice President-Internal Audit, who will assess each
complaint. If the complaint requires
follow up action, the Vice President - Internal Audit will document, file and,
if material, communicate the results to the Audit Committee quarterly or
sooner. The Vice President-Internal
Audit will record each of these complaints, retain them in a log for at least
five (5) years and make available for review by the Audit Committee.
You may submit
a confidential, anonymous memo that explains your concerns or complaints
regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters to the Vice President
-Internal Audit. The Vice President -
Internal Audit will handle these complaints consistently with other complaints.
|
Conflicts of Interest |
Mohawk requires you to
avoid any relationship, activity, or ownership that might create a conflict
between your personal interest and Mohawk’s interest. A “conflict of interest” occurs when your
private interest interferes in any way, or even appears to interfere, with the
interests of Mohawk. A conflict of
interest can arise when you take actions or have interests that may interfere
with your ability to perform your job objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest also arise when you, or
a member of your family, receive improper personal benefits as a result of your
position with Mohawk.
You owe a duty of undivided and unqualified loyalty
to Mohawk. You may not use your position
improperly to profit personally or to assist others in profiting at Mohawk’s
expense. Mohawk expects you to avoid situations
that might influence your actions or prejudice your judgment in handling Mohawk
business. You must not become obligated
in any way to representatives of firms with which you deal and must not show
any preference to third parties based on self or family interest. In addition, you must communicate to Mohawk’s
Vice President-Internal Audit any transaction or relationship that could
reasonably create a conflict of interest.
While not all inclusive, the
following will serve as a guide to the types of activities that might cause
conflicts of interest:
Outside Financial Interests
·
Owning
a substantial financial interest in any company that is a competitor of Mohawk
or which does or seeks to do business with Mohawk. If you have any interest in such a company,
you must inform the Company’s Vice President-Internal Audit.
·
Conducting
business, not on Mohawk’s behalf, with any Mohawk vendor, supplier, contractor,
agency, or any of their employees, officers or directors.
·
Representing
Mohawk in any transaction in which you or a family member, have a substantial
personal interest.
·
Disclosing
or using confidential, inside or proprietary information of or about Mohawk
(including Mohawk’s name, trademarks, patents and other intellectual property),
for your or a family member’s profit or advantage.
·
Competing
with Mohawk in the purchase, sale or ownership of property or services or
business investment opportunities.
·
Engaging
in outside business activities or employment incompatible with Mohawk’s right
to your full time employment and efficient service.
Gifts
You may not
solicit gifts, trips, cash or other incentives from vendors and suppliers. You may not accept gifts or incentives that
could influence, or reasonably appear to influence, your decision making, and
you can never accept cash or cash equivalents.
This policy also prohibits the payment or receipt of bribes, kickbacks
or illegal payments of cash. You may not
receive any commission, fee, or payment of any sort from a vendor in connection
with your work for Mohawk. You may
attend business lunches, dinners, and similar outings (sporting events, golf
outings, theater, shows, etc.) when conducted in the normal course of business
if attending would not influence or be expected to influence your business
judgment.
Loans
You may not lend to,,
borrow from or guarantee any obligation of any customer, supplier, contractor
or any person connected with the same.
Services for Competitors/Vendors
You
may not perform work or render services for any competitor of Mohawk or for any
organization that does business or seeks to do business with Mohawk, outside of
the normal course of your employment with Mohawk, without the approval of the
Company’s Chief Financial Officer (or the Board of Directors, if you are an
executive officer, senior financial officer or director). You cannot serve as a director, officer, or
consultant of that organization, or permit your name to be used in a way that
would suggest a business connection with that organization, without the
approval of the Company’s Chief Financial Officer.
Participation
on Boards of Directors
Employees and officers may not serve
as a director of any other for-profit company, other than on behalf of Mohawk,
without the written approval of the Chief Executive Officer or the Chief
Financial Officer.
Corporate
Opportunities |
You owe a duty to Mohawk to advance its legitimate
interests, and you are prohibited from competing with Mohawk You cannot take any business
opportunity you learn of as a result of your employment or use any Mohawk
property, information or your position for your personal benefit or for the
benefit of a family member. For example,
you should not acquire any interest in a company
when you know that Mohawk may take or is taking steps to acquire an interest in
that company. If you learn of a
business opportunity that is within Mohawk’s existing or proposed lines of
business, you should inform your supervisor or Mohawk’s General Counsel. You may not personally pursue the business
opportunity until Mohawk decides not to pursue it.
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Protection and Proper Use of Company Assets |
You must strive to preserve and
protect Mohawk’s assets and resources and to ensure their efficient use.
Personal
Use of Corporate Assets
You
should use Mohawk’s property for legitimate business purposes and conduct Mohawk’s
business in a way that furthers Mohawk's interests rather than your personal
interest. You may not use or take
Mohawk’s equipment, supplies, materials or services, except in the normal
course of your employment, without approval of your supervisor.
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Confidential and Proprietary Information |
Confidentiality
Confidential information includes all non-public
information that might be of use to competitors or harmful to Mohawk or its
customers, if disclosed. Mohawk owns all
information, in any form (including electronic information), that is created or
used in support of its activities. This
information is a valuable asset and Mohawk expects you to protect it from
unauthorized disclosure. This
information includes Mohawk customer, supplier, business
partner and employee data. Federal and
state law may restrict the use of this information and may penalize you if you
use or disclose it. You should protect
information pertaining to Mohawk’s competitive position, business strategies
and information relating to negotiations with employees or third parties and
share it only with employees who need to know it in order to perform their
job.
You must maintain the confidentiality
of information entrusted to you by Mohawk, its customers, vendors or consultants,
except when disclosure is authorized or legally required. You must take all reasonable efforts to
safeguard confidential information that is in your possession against
inadvertent disclosure and must comply with any non-disclosure obligations
imposed on Mohawk.
Intellectual Property and Proprietary Information
You
must carefully maintain and manage the intellectual property rights of Mohawk,
including patents, trademarks, copyrights, licenses and trade secrets, to
preserve and protect their value. In
addition, you must respect the intellectual property rights of others. If you violate other’s intellectual property
rights, you and Mohawk could face substantial liability, including criminal
penalties. Intellectual property that
you create during the course of your employment belongs to Mohawk. You must share any innovations or inventions
you create with your supervisor so that Mohawk can take steps to protect these
valuable assets.
Supplemental Standards for Senior Financial Officers |
The Board of Directors of Mohawk has
established certain additional ethical standards for its principal executive
officer and senior financial officers.
These officers include the President and Chief Executive Officer, the
Chief Financial Officer and the Corporate Controller. The principal executive officer and all
senior financial officers of Mohawk must comply with these standards in
addition to all of the other standards contained in this Code.
Integrity and
Accuracy of Public Disclosures
Mohawk’s principal executive officer
and senior financial officers must take all reasonable steps to ensure that the
disclosures in the reports and documents that Mohawk files with or submits to
the Securities and Exchange Commission and in other public communications are
full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable. In the event that the principal executive
officer or a senior financial officer learns that any such report, document or
communication does not meet this standard and the deviation is material, then
such officer will review and investigate the deviation, advise the Board of
Directors or the appropriate Board committee and, where necessary, revise the
relevant report, document or communication.
Accounting Treatment
Although a particular accounting
treatment for one or more of Mohawk’s operations may be permitted under
applicable accounting standards, the principal executive officer and senior
financial officers will not authorize or permit the use of such an accounting
treatment if the effect is to distort or conceal Mohawk’s true financial
condition.