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.

Ross has always been steadfast in its commitment to DE&I, and we continue our diversity, equality, and inclusion efforts. In 2023 and 2024, 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 maintain programs that support our commitment to equal career opportunities for all; attracting and retaining a diverse array of talent; enhancing the sense of community and belonging for all Associates; and communicating our DE&I priorities, events, and observances.

2024 Employee Data

Total Company

In Management Positions

Management positions include supervisors and above.

View our full 2024 EEO-1 Report and our 2024 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 2024, 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.

We have integrated DE&I training into the onboarding process for our Associates as well as interns. We provide biennial training on Ross’ Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and non-harassment training for full-time Associates (or annually as required). 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 a Diverse Array of 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, TalentAlly, and other recruiting platforms.

In 2024, we established or continued partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and major national organizations including DEI Board, Fair360, HACE, Human Rights Campaign, National Association of Asian American Professionals, National Black MBA Association, National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, National Minority Supplier Development Council, National Organization on Disability, NextUp, Seramount, Tanenbaum, and Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. 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 all our Associates.

We continued to 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 recruitment efforts with organizations such as the National Retail Federation and the Fashion Scholarship Fund.

Strengthening Our CommUnity Networks

In 2024, 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 46 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 2024, the Networks hosted a range of events, including a Lunar New Year celebration hosted by InspirAsian @ Ross; a leadership lessons series for Pride Month hosted by Ross PRIDE; a day of service creating Red Cross care packages for active serving military hosted by VALOR @ Ross; a communications seminar hosted by LatinX Connect @ Ross; a Black History Month career speaker series hosted by BLAAC @ Ross; and a Words of WINsdom speaker series hosted by WIN @ Ross.

“Our Women’s Inspired Network (WIN) is a powerful platform for career growth and connection—offering opportunities for all Associates to network across departments, learn from accomplished leaders, and build the skills that support long-term success. It’s where collaboration sparks growth and meaningful relationships thrive.”

— Ross Associate and WIN CommUnity Network Member

Recognizing Holidays and Commemorative Events

In 2024, Ross highlighted a wide array of annual commemorative events and holidays to recognize the diversity of all our Associates. These observances included Black History Month, Women’s History Month, 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 continues to pursue a comprehensive DE&I strategy. We are proud of our accomplishments in recruiting, developing, and retaining a more diverse array of talent; expanding DE&I knowledge and training; creating CommUnity Networks; and observing commemorative events to recognize and celebrate all of our diversity. In 2024, we engaged more Associates in our DE&I efforts than ever before.

One way we advance our commitment 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 celebrating 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 a diverse array of 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.