Inside Kohl’s First-Ever Celebrating Us Week

Kohl’s continues to champion Diversity & Inclusion through special programming meant to educate, inspire, and cultivate a culture of belonging for all associates.

At Kohl’s, we are dedicated to championing Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) to create a more equitable and inclusive environment for our people, our customers and our communities. Advancing D&I is an imperative for our business success — and we are committed to ensuring our workplace celebrates our differences and fosters an inclusive environment for all associates.

Kohl’s recently concluded the company’s first-ever Celebrating Us Week, which gave all associates the opportunity to engage and grow on their individual D&I journeys, foster courageous curiosity, and understand how building an inclusive workplace is an important part of driving growth for the organization.

“One of the many things that makes Kohl’s so special is our culture of caring, and Celebrating Us Week is meant to highlight the importance of creating an inclusive workplace where associates care and support each other,” said Michelle A. Banks, chief diversity and inclusion officer at Kohl’s. “It’s critical for us to not only embrace that culture of care, through tactful honesty and reflection, but to amplify it, in order to grow on our D&I journey and ensure our approach is authentic and intentional.”

The Celebrating Us Week experience encouraged associates to come together and explore Kohl’s D&I efforts and how each individual’s actions play into the larger picture to create a culture of belonging. Associates had the opportunity to participate in a number of D&I-focused activities throughout the week, beginning with an exclusive keynote and Q&A session with Innovation Expert and Author of, “The Medici Effect,” Frans Johansson. In his address, Johansson shared insight on how diversity drives innovation and creativity. Later in the week, Michelle A. Banks joined leaders from each of Kohl’s eight Business Resource Groups (BRGs) in a virtual roundtable conversation about the importance of allyship, mentorship, intersectionality, and the impact the BRGs have on Kohl’s business and culture.

A Diversity & Inclusion progress update was also shared with associates to showcase how initiatives like expanding our size-inclusive, adaptable, and gender-inclusive assortments is helping to drive D&I forward and ensure everyone feels included at Kohl’s. To conclude Celebrating Us Week, all associates were asked to recommit to the Pledge for Progress and reflect upon what actionable steps they will take to further build a sense of belonging at Kohl’s.

We’ve made important strides on our D&I journey at Kohl’s — but it doesn’t stop here. We are committed to championing diversity, and celebrating our people, our customers, and our communities each and every day.

Learn more about Diversity & Inclusion at Kohl’s here.