Our Commitment to Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion

At Ross, our values start with our people. We are dedicated to supporting diverse teams and maintaining an inclusive 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 respect, 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 DE&I in their interactions with Customers and fellow Associates alike.

Our day-to-day work in this area is led by the Office of DE&I, which continues to grow, and we are guided 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 ensure that our DE&I strategy is 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 are responsible for developing functional action plans that support our DE&I vision and objectives.

While Ross has always been steadfast in its commitment to DE&I, we have made significant progress in advancing our efforts in recent years. For our efforts in 2022, we were recognized by Newsweek magazine as one of “America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity” and one of “America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women.” We also received a 90 out of 100 rating on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index, which rates workplaces on equality and inclusion for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer employees.

These achievements were 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. In recent years, we have expanded our focus to include increasing education and training around DE&I-focused topics; attracting and retaining diverse talent; enhancing the sense of community and belonging for Associates; communicating our DE&I priorities, events, and observances; and building a long-term strategy for improvement.

2022 Employee Data

Total Company

In Management Positions

Management positions include supervisors and above.

View our full 2021 EEO-1 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 2022, we continued our commitment to fostering DE&I learning by providing training across all levels of the organization.

Leaders across the Company completed instructor-led inclusive leadership training. This training provides leaders with skills to maintain trusting and inclusive work environments that enable their teams to do their best work, while guiding them through the process of developing an action plan for implementing inclusive behaviors.

In addition, 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. We continue to expand our DE&I education offerings to leaders and Associates with additional learning resources.

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 succession planning and talent calibration discussions.

We have integrated DE&I training into the onboarding process for all Associates and participants in our internship program. On an annual basis, we provide training on Ross’ Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for full-time Associates and non-harassment training for all 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 drive our efforts to recruit and retain Associates from diverse backgrounds. All job postings include our DE&I commitment statement, and we continue to search for opportunities to broaden our recruitment pipeline. We post jobs at all levels on a broad range of career sites, including sites focused on diverse job seekers. Examples include Handshake Beyond Pride as well as Professional Diversity Network, which shares our roles across additional recruiting platforms.

In 2022, we established or extended partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and major national organizations including Ascend, DiversityInc., Human Rights Campaign, MBA Veterans Network, National Black MBA Association, National Organization on Disability, NextUp, Prospanica, and Seramount. These organizations not only help Ross identify diverse talent to add to our ranks, but also provide information, content, and resources to assist in the development and advancement of our Associates.

We also expanded our efforts to increase diversity 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.

Continuing to Build CommUnity Networks

In 2022, Ross furthered its commitment to instilling a sense of community and belonging among our Associates. We expanded to six CommUnity Networks, Company-recognized groups of Associates with common identities who come together for activities that support the Company’s overarching DE&I vision and objectives. The Networks are being developed to include various dimensions of diversity, such as race, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, and military experience.

These groups help shape an even more inclusive environment, enabling networking opportunities, enhancing professional development, and amplifying commemorative holidays and dates of significance. In 2022, the Networks held more than 60 events, including a Veteran’s Day Speaker Panel hosted by the Military CommUnity Network (VALOR), a Diwali celebration hosted by the InspirAsian CommUnity Network, a speaker series for National Hispanic Heritage Month hosted by LatinX Connect, a Black History Month Career Panel hosted by the Black/African American CommUnity (BLAAC) at Ross, and an education session with PFLAG hosted by Ross PRIDE.

We also support social justice efforts and invest in diverse communities where we operate. In 2022, we made donations to several organizations working to advance DE&I, which are further described in the “Supporting Our Communities” section.

“Ross does a great job supporting not only veterans but also their families. The transition from serving your country in the military to stepping out into a civilian career can be scary and difficult. One of the things Ross does really well through their DE&I efforts is to support the conversation about what a veteran and their family can bring to the table and how that can be leveraged.”

— Ross Associate and Military CommUnity Network Member

Recognizing Diverse Holidays and Commemorative Events

In 2022, 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, Mental Health Awareness Month, Pride Month, Juneteenth, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Native American Heritage Month, Veterans Day, and many others.

Throughout the calendar year, observances are commemorated with internal and external touchpoints, such as the distribution of historical facts, educational resources, and Associate stories, as well as 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 for Associates.

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. In 2020, we introduced Diversity Day, 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 2022, we engaged more Associates in our DE&I efforts than ever before.

One way we did this is by launching 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 extending our training programs to reach more Associates, increasing the number of CommUnity Networks and other opportunities for Associates, 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.