Our Commitment to Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion

At Ross, our values start with our people. We are dedicated to building inclusive teams and a Company that respects, values, and celebrates the vast array of backgrounds, identities, and ideas of those who work for and shop with us. With our policies, programs, and procedures, we work to maintain a culture that promotes inclusiveness, equality, and dignity across our Company and in each individual workplace. Throughout our Stores, Distribution Centers, and offices, we expect Associates to exhibit our commitment to inclusion in their interactions with Customers, vendors, and fellow Associates.

Our day-to-day work in this area is led by the Office of DE&I. They are supported by two important bodies: the DE&I Steering Committee and the DE&I Council. The DE&I Steering Committee is co-chaired by our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer and is comprised of senior executives from across the Company who strive to ensure that diversity, equality, and inclusion are integrated into our culture and how we work. The DE&I Council, chaired by our Group Vice President of Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion, includes cross-functional senior leaders who support the development of functional action plans that support our vision and objectives.

While Ross has always been steadfast in its commitment to DE&I, we have enhanced our diversity, equality, and inclusion efforts. In 2023, we received a 100 rating, the highest possible score, on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI). The CEI rates workplaces on equality and inclusion for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer employees.

This achievement is the result of the combined efforts of the Office of DE&I, DE&I Steering Committee, DE&I Council, CommUnity Networks, and all our Associates. We continue to implement programs that support our commitment to equal career opportunities for all talent; attracting and retaining a diverse array of talent; enhancing the sense of community and belonging for Associates; and communicating our DE&I priorities, events, and observances.

2023 Employee Data

Total Company

In Management Positions

Management positions include supervisors and above.

View our full 2022 EEO-1 Report and our 2022 New Hire Report

Nurturing a Respectful Culture

We aim to foster an environment where communication is open and civil, conflict is addressed early and respectfully, and there is a culture of inclusion.

To that end, in 2023, we continued our commitment to fostering DE&I learning by offering training across all levels of the organization.

Associates participated in DE&I training which was delivered in different formats, including e-learning as well as instructor-led trainings. Ross curates the content, enabling us to support our specific DE&I goals. This year, we expanded the availability of our micro-learning resources (which are succinct learning resources) to our field leaders to continue to make DE&I learning more accessible to them and their teams.

As part of our efforts to ensure we recruit and develop diverse talent, we also provided specialized DE&I experience-based training to all managers and above in Human Resources and created standardized tools and training to help mitigate potential unconscious bias in talent calibration and succession planning discussions.

We have integrated DE&I training into the onboarding process for all Associates and participants in our internship program. We provide biennial training on Ross’ Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and non-harassment training for full-time Associates. To build on these efforts, we continue to offer on-demand learning resources and guided roundtable discussions about a variety of topics on our dedicated DE&I portal for Associates.

Attracting and Retaining Diverse Talent

Our Talent Acquisition teams continue to broaden our pipeline to recruit and retain Associates from all backgrounds. Ross seeks to recruit a broad array of talent by using sources like: Handshake, LinkedIn, Professional Diversity Network, and other recruiting platforms.

In 2023, we established or continued partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and major national organizations including Ascend, Fair360, HACE, Human Rights Campaign, MBA Veterans Network, National Black MBA Association, National Organization on Disability, NextUp, and Seramount. These organizations not only help Ross identify a broad range of prospective talent to add to our ranks, but also provide information, content, and resources to assist in the development and advancement of our Associates.

We implemented programs that support our commitment to equal career opportunities for all talent in our internship program and our early career positions by partnering with organizations such as the Black Retail Action Group, working with HBCUs, and participating in several diversity-focused recruitment efforts with organizations such as the National Retail Federation and the Fashion Scholarship Fund.

Strengthening Our CommUnity Networks

In 2023, Ross furthered our commitment to instilling a sense of community and belonging among our Associates. We continued to strengthen and build upon our six CommUnity Networks, company-recognized groups of Associates from various dimensions of diversity who come together for activities that support the Company’s overarching DE&I vision and objectives. Anyone can become a CommUnity Network member, regardless of whether they share a group’s unifying characteristic.

This year, over 45 percent of all eligible Associates belonged to one or more CommUnity Networks. Led by leaders from various business units, the Networks plan actions that attract, develop, retain, and empower Ross Associates. These groups help shape an even more inclusive environment, creating networking opportunities, enhancing professional development through education and mentoring, and amplifying commemorative holidays and dates of significance.

In 2023, the Networks hosted a range of events, including a Lunar New Year celebration hosted by the InspirAsian CommUnity Network; an education session with PFLAG hosted by Ross PRIDE; a Veteran’s Day guest speaker event hosted by the Military CommUnity Network (VALOR); a professional development workshop for National Hispanic Heritage Month hosted by LatinX Connect; a day of service to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. hosted by the Black/African American CommUnity (BLAAC) at Ross; and a leadership speaker series hosted by WIN @ Ross, the Women Inspired Network.

“InspirAsian is a great community to build a network of support and understanding. It fosters a sense of unity and solidarity. This CommUnity Network isn’t just about celebrating differences in Asian cultures—it’s about recognizing our shared humanity and building a more united, empathetic organization and society.”

— Ross Associate and CommUnity Network Member

Recognizing Diverse Holidays and Commemorative Events

In 2023, Ross highlighted a wide array of annual commemorative events and holidays to recognize the diversity of our Associates. These observances included Black History Month, Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, National Developmental Disabilities Month, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Pride Month, Juneteenth, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employee Awareness Month, National Native American Heritage Month, Veterans Day, and many others.

Additionally, every April, we observe Celebrate Diversity Month, which recognizes and honors the diversity in our communities with in-person events in our offices as well as virtually.

Throughout the calendar year, observances are commemorated with internal and external touchpoints, such as the distribution of historical facts, educational resources, Associate stories, and additional communications including videos, signage, and social media posts. CommUnity Networks often host special events tied to these holidays and commemorative months such as seminars, discussions, networking events, and other engagements.

We also recognized the need for Associates to have dedicated time to honor the breadth of diverse holidays and events that they may observe individually. Diversity Day is an additional paid day off for Corporate and Buying Office Associates. Whether it is participating in a Juneteenth celebration, a Pride march, a religious observance, Veterans Day, or other holidays and events, eligible Associates can choose to use their Diversity Day in a way that is personally meaningful.

Advancing Our Commitment

Ross has made significant progress in building and implementing a comprehensive DE&I strategy. We are proud of our accomplishments in recruiting, developing, and retaining a more diverse workforce; expanding DE&I knowledge and training; creating CommUnity Networks; and observing commemorative events to recognize and celebrate our diversity. In 2023, we engaged more Associates in our DE&I efforts than ever before.

One way we do this is through the DE&I Champions Programs in our Stores and Distribution Centers. Our DE&I Champions are Associates who work together to advance our Company DE&I vision and objectives by elevating key Company DE&I commemorative observances in Stores and Distribution Centers and fostering an environment of inclusion and community for everyone.

While we have made progress on our DE&I journey, we recognize that there is more work to be done. We are committed to continuing our efforts to attract and retain diverse talent. Additional plans include continuing to offer our training programs to Associates, strengthening our existing CommUnity Networks, and expanding our mentoring initiatives. We will continue to listen and learn from our Associates and partners to help make our efforts meaningful and successful.