Business Resource Groups
We have eight Business Resource Groups (BRGs) with more than 7,500 members focused on driving business by recognizing and championing diversity and inclusion in its multiple forms. In 2019, we launched three new BRGs to strengthen our connection with different cultures and communities including, Asian Pacific, Black Professionals and diverseAbilities. The BRGs make an impact across the organization with a focus on our three diversity and inclusion pillars. They lead our organization’s cultural celebrations, offer opportunities for diverse talent to grow in their career with leadership and mentoring opportunities, drive strategy by acting as a key resource to various business units across the organization, and work directly with nonprofits that connect with their communities.
Unconscious Bias Training
We work to provide learning opportunities for our leaders and associates to build a more diverse and inclusive workforce and engage associates on how that creates a competitive advantage. In 2019, we piloted unconscious bias training to help associates understand and manage their blind spots, and to build stronger connections with colleagues, customers, partners, and our communities. This required training has rolled out to all associates company-wide beginning in June 2020, with plans to have all training completed by the end of 2020.
Inclusive Benefit Offerings
As the makeup and needs of the modern family evolve, our products, services, and programs must also transform. We regularly evaluate how our benefit offerings can be more inclusive of the needs of our associates. Based on ongoing assessment and associate feedback, we expanded our benefit offerings in 2019. This expansion included extending parental leave time for child-bearing parents and non-child-bearing parents, which covers surrogacy and associates who are the spouse or domestic partner of child-bearing parents. We also started offering benefit coverage to domestic partners and launched additional childcare benefits.
Recruiting Practices
In 2019, we strengthened our recruiting efforts with a focus on education, training, and sourcing strategies for increasing our diverse talent pipeline. This included expanding campus recruiting to include Historically Black Colleges and Universities and having BRG members act as our representatives at campus events. We also expanded our outreach to student organizations by attending more than 30 diversity-focused events. For the first time in 2019, we attended the Grace Hopper Conference — the largest female tech conference in the world, extending more than 40 job offers to female technologists. Kohl’s is proud to be recognized for the second consecutive year in 2020 as a participant in AnitaB.org’s Top Companies for Women Technologists Program, further demonstrating our commitment to Diversity & Inclusion.
Military Hiring
We actively recruit Veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses for a variety of roles. We believe Veterans and military families come from a culture of leading through change, are strongly resilient, and have experience driving performance and results. The importance of these leadership skills led our talent teams to engage with several military bases and partner with Veteran service organizations to help connect service members and their spouses to careers within our organization.
Onboarding
It’s important that our talent understands our commitment to diversity and inclusion from day one. To ensure this understanding, we have embedded our diversity and inclusion strategy into onboarding for all associates.
Leadership
Diversity and inclusion efforts need to start at the top. In 2019, we joined the 1% club — the handful of Fortune 500 firms where both the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer are women. We are focused on growing diverse leaders by engaging top and emerging talent in internal and external professional development offerings. Diversity is embedded within our organizational planning for the future, with diversity being a key consideration during succession planning. We are also working to develop inclusive leaders through a program aimed at building awareness and encouraging advocacy.