text
stringlengths
11
437
At Kohl’s, our social impact work is driven by our company purpose: to inspire and empower families to lead fulfilled lives.
Every day we work toward fulfilling our purpose by living our values: Put Customers First, Act with Integrity, Build Great Teams and Drive Results.
We have a responsibility to the customers we serve, the associates who make our organization, the partners who are on our journey together and the environment that we all share.
Keeping our purpose in mind is core not only to our business results, but how we achieve them.
As a purpose-led organization, we strive to make a difference in the communities nationwide that our customers and associates call home.
We are passionate about fostering a best-in-class workplace that celebrates transparency, opportunity and appreciation.
We uphold ethical standards of ourselves and our partners to maintain fair business practices.
We support our communities through charitable giving and volunteer efforts.
And, we make a conscious effort to protect and conserve the environment by operating in the interest of long-term sustainability.
Social impact has and will continue to be a part of what differentiates us.
I’m proud to share this report which highlights the accomplishments and achievements of the past year, and look forward to continuing our efforts to make a difference in the lives of our customers, associates and communities in the year ahead.
Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) is a leading omnichannel retailer with more than 1,100 stores in 49 states.
With a commitment to inspiring and empowering families to lead fulfilled lives, Kohl’s offers amazing national and proprietary brands, incredible savings and an easy shopping experience in our stores, online at Kohls.com and on Kohl’s mobile app.
Throughout its history, Kohl’s has given more than $650 million to support communities nationwide.
For a list of store locations or to shop online, visit Kohls.com.
For more information about Kohl’s impact in the community or how to join our winning team, visit Corporate.Kohls.com or follow @KohlsNews on Twitter.
At Kohl’s, corporate social responsibility means fulfilling our purpose and living our values, all while keeping our social impact top of mind.
This means that as we work to serve our customers, we are conscious of our impact on the associates working to grow our business, the communities they are a part of, the partners that make our work a reality and the environment that sustains us all.
This is what social impact means at Kohl’s.
Reporting Period This is Kohl’s seventh annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report and it covers the fiscal year 2017 (January 29, 2017 to February 3, 2018), unless otherwise noted.
More Information For more information about our history, business, sales growth, stores and more, see our Factbook or visit Corporate.Kohls.com.
We put customers first and take a “yes we can” approach to everything we do.
We support our communities and causes our customers and associates care about.
We act with integrity, earning trust by living up to our commitments, treating each other with respect and fairness, and making decisions that support the reputation of the organization.
We build great teams by communicating openly and embracing diverse perspectives.
The empowerment, engagement and continuous development of all associates is actively promoted.
We foster a culture of appreciation and recognition.
We drive results by working with a sense of urgency and accountability, making informed decisions and offering up new and innovative solutions.
We put customers first.
If it’s important to you, it’s important to us.
That’s why in everything we do, we strive to show how much Kohl’s cares.
OF THE U.S.
When we say we put our customers first and take a “yes we can” approach to everything we do, we mean it.
This value was put into action when a Kohl’s shopper reached out attempting to find a specific set of earrings to give as a gift to her sisters for her upcoming wedding.
Watch this video to see the story of how the Kohl’s team went above and beyond to help this customer honor her mother’s memory on her wedding day.
At Kohl’s our purpose is to inspire and empower families to lead fulfilled lives.
We work toward accomplishing our purpose by living our values, starting with putting customers first.
From the products we offer to the organizations we support, we are passionate about meeting the needs of our customers and their families.
National and Proprietary Brands Kohl’s strives to bring amazing product to our customers.
In 2017, we introduced new brands to our assortment, including the largest brand launch in our history with the addition of Under Armour for the entire family.
We also celebrated our long- standing partnerships with Vera Wang and Lauren Conrad with milestones and new collections.
Simply Vera Vera Wang celebrated its 10 year anniversary as a proprietary brand, commemorating a decade of offering our customers an assortment of everyday luxury products in apparel, home, shoes and accessories.
Additionally, the LC Lauren Conrad collection embraced the journey of motherhood and introduced a new maternity collection in store and online.
Product Safety Kohl’s continuously works to ensure our product offerings are high quality and safe for our customers.
Learn more about our product quality and safety in the Partners section at the end of this report.
Kohl’s is committed to delivering an easy, connected omnichannel shopping experience for our customers.
We seek to provide inspiring in-store experiences and seamless navigation on Kohls.com to allow customers to get the amazing product they know and love from Kohl’s whenever and wherever they choose to shop.
We provide regular training on service-related topics to prepare in-store associates to best serve our customers.
In 2017, all store associates and managers participated in training on taking a holistic approach to customer service, driven by goals of hospitality and digital savviness.
Learn more about how we help our associates support our customers in the Associates section of this report.
We work to ensure that we are providing a healthy and engaging environment for our customers through sustainable practices and partnerships.
Our customers see this come to life at point of sale with our gray shopping bags, consisting of 30-50 percent recycled, unbleached plastic.
You can learn more in the Environment section of this report.
Since 2001, Kohl’s has offered customers four seasonal collections annually featuring cause merchandise that supports their communities.
One hundred percent of the net profit generated from Kohl’s Cares merchandise is donated to charitable organizations, including children’s hospitals across the country.
Customers can also find our associates out in the community volunteering with nonprofits that are critical to serving their communities.
You can read more about our local and national impact in the Community section of this report.
Our responsibility to our customers goes beyond what they see instore and online.
They are top of mind as we make decisions that impact all of our stakeholders, as is showcased throughout the remainder of this report.
Our associates are our greatest asset.
They drive the positive impact our company works to make for our customers, community, partners and environment.
We are committed to fostering a best-in-class workplace for current and prospective associates through strategies of engagement, development and recognition.
We strive to build great teams by communicating openly and embracing diverse perspectives.
In 2017, Noe Lopez, Customer Service Area Supervisor in California, had a wake-up call after taking a Kohl’s well-being assessment.
The answers he received helped put him on a path to making some important changes in his life and improving his health.
Watch this video to find out more about his wellness journey and how he’s now inspiring others to do the same.
At Kohl’s, we believe that creating a culture of appreciation, inclusion and transparency helps attract and retain the best talent in the industry.
Our associates are empowered to bring their authentic selves to work each and every day, enhancing the richness of experiences, perspectives, thoughts and ideas, while fostering engagement and innovation.
Ethics Our responsibility to each other and to living our values is outlined in our Code of Ethics, which details our dedication to the fair treatment, health, and safety of our associates, and to creating a diverse workplace.
It also outlines our expectation that Kohl’s associates will model ethical behavior and act with integrity.
All of our associates are required to take annual ethics training, which is refreshed each year to cover emerging issues.
The training helps connect ethics to an associate’s day-to-day job responsibilities and promotes honesty, integrity and fairness.
We encourage associates who have questions about our Code of Ethics to talk to their manager, human resources (HR) or the legal department.
Suspected violations can be reported through the same channels or anonymously by calling the Kohl’s Integrity Hotline.
We challenge ourselves to have the best practices in the industry to attract top talent, and ultimately, build great teams.
Both entry-level associates and interns are seen as contributors in supporting our purpose, our impact and reaching our business goals.
Upon hire, we offer competitive compensation and benefits packages to all of our associates.
Full-time associates are offered medical, dental, vision, prescription drug, disability and life insurance coverage, as well as parental and adoption leave, merchandise discounts and more.
Part-time associates are offered dental, vision, supplementary life insurance and merchandise discounts.
In addition, all eligible associates who complete one year of service also receive the Kohl’s 401(k) Savings Plan which provides a 100 percent company match on associates’ savings up to 5 percent of their pay.
Intern Program The search for our company’s future leaders takes us to more than 100 college campuses across the country, where we host networking and recruiting events for students through our university relations initiatives.
In 2017, we brought on more than 400 college students for our eight to 10-week internship program, bringing top young talent to our company.
We challenge our interns to stand out and make a difference, and encourage them to actively contribute their fresh, new perspectives.
Interns are hired into nearly every department, including marketing, HR, technical design, logistics and loss prevention, at locations across the country.
They swiftly become integral team members, and nearly 50 percent of interns are offered full-time positions at the close of the program.
We offer training for associates in key areas, from ethical standards and responsibilities to delivering a great customer experience.
Associate Training Through more than 2,000 online and in-person courses, we provide associates with training on topics for specific job skills as well as agility, analytical thinking, change, communication, manager development and teamwork.
Online courses are hosted on our learning management system, which is available to all associates.
Onboarding and orientation programs provide new associates with tools and resources to learn about their work.
Our onboarding process provides clear channels for acquiring relevant information and also helps new associates build connections with individuals, teams and the organization.
Leadership Development Our leadership development approach aims to support each leader’s strengths while maintaining a consistent focus on company values and initiatives.
We work individually with leaders to understand their unique development needs, which helps them become better leaders and drive the best results for their teams and the company.
We do this by giving leaders feedback, experiences, exposure and education to drive growth.
Executive coaching, assessments, formal education and mentorship are just a few of the many avenues provided to put leaders in a position to help them and the company succeed.
To ensure a strong pipeline of leaders, we provide additional development opportunities for associates identified as high potential.
In 2017, top talent managers from our stores participated in sessions led by senior leaders to strengthen their leadership capabilities and help accelerate their development.
We are proud to actively promote the empowerment and engagement of all associates.
The goals we’ve set forth for ourselves rely heavily on building great teams of engaged, talented and results-oriented people.
Conversations with Associates We believe open and honest communication is critical to engagement.
In order to facilitate this, all areas of the business are encouraged to participate in monthly We’re Listening sessions with our company leaders.