Attracting Tomorrow’s Leaders, Today
As a Fortune 100 company, operating more than 4,500 stores in nine countries, the need to attract, develop, and retain talent is crucial to support our growth. We are continually looking for diverse, enthusiastic, and committed individuals to join our team and we remain committed to developing our Associates into our global leaders for tomorrow.
We take a multi-faceted approach to recruiting for our stores, distribution centers, and home offices to reach potential candidates with diversity of experiences, genders, races, origins, ethnicities, ages, sexual orientations, and more. We are also committed to hiring locally from the communities we serve.
RECRUITING FOR A DIVERSE WORKPLACE
To attract candidates who are members of diverse racial and ethnic groups, we work with universities, attend conferences, leverage social media, and collaborate with several community-based and business networks. In the U.S., we partner with organizations through colleges and universities that offer specialty development for members of diverse groups on their campuses. We benchmark against peers to better understand how we can leverage opportunities to expand awareness of TJX and our available jobs among diverse audiences. Similarly in Europe, we recruit from a diverse pool of candidates for our Graduate, Placement, and Apprenticeship Programmes. We are proud to have Associates from a number of different European countries taking part in our programs.
ENHANCING EXECUTIVE DIVERSITY POLICY STATEMENT
At TJX, we believe that the continuity and stability of our most senior leadership team, which includes decades of off-price retail and TJX experience, has been a critical factor for our success. We are also proud of our culture that prioritizes Associate development and advancement within our organization. We are working to build a more diverse pipeline of talent to support our efforts to improve the diversity at all levels of our organization.
Consistent with our inclusion and diversity efforts, in March 2021, our Board approved a policy that, in the event that our Board commences a search for a Chief Executive Officer from outside TJX, or if our management commences a search for an executive-level role reporting directly to the CEO from outside TJX, the initial list of candidates will include qualified female and racially/ethnically diverse candidates. If our Board or our management engages a third-party firm for such a search, that firm will be instructed to include qualified female and racially/ethnically diverse candidates in the initial list of candidates provided to TJX.
On-Campus Recruiting: From Their Campus to Ours
Each year, several hundred students take part in TJX internship and co-op programs operating across our divisions worldwide, in areas including Merchandising, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Store Operations, Distribution Services, and more. We seek candidates who are curious and have a passion for innovation, relationship building, strategic thinking, and global relations.
Our merchandising internships and co-ops, in particular, are coveted among students, especially those who have a passion for various aspects of the retail industry, including fashion, finance, business administration, information technology, and other related disciplines. Globally, many interns and co-ops go on to join us full-time after completing their college requirements. In total in 2019, we hired nearly 500 people into merchandising internships, co-ops, or permanent positions worldwide.
Hiring For Stores and Distribution Centers is a Top Priority
With more than 4,500 stores across the globe, our store Associates are our largest population of talent. But more than that, they are the face of our retail chains, welcoming customers and helping to support an exciting shopping experience. Behind the scenes, the Associates in our distribution centers also ensure our stores continue to deliver a treasure hunt experience by helping us get the right products to the right stores at the right time.
In support of our efforts to hire field Associates, teams in the U.S. and Europe participate in innovative youth programs – the Youth Business Institute (YBI) in the U.S. and Get into Retail in Europe – which offer professional and personal development opportunities for disadvantaged or vulnerable young people. YBI, a TJX program, teaches job readiness skills to students in at-risk high schools and exposes them to the business of retail. Get into Retail, run by The Prince’s Trust in the U.K., provides training, development, and employment opportunities for successful participants. Through our support, The Prince’s Trust has helped over 1,000 young people, with more than 700 of those going on to get jobs with us. The program involves a four-week course, which develops young people’s skills in the retail sector and supports them in achieving positive outcomes in retail employment. In 2019, we were pleased to be honored with the Prince’s Trust Employment Award and came highly commended in the Overall Achievement Award category.
To support its field recruitment efforts, our Canadian team, through its Find Your Stride charitable initiative, partners with organizations like the Calgary Women in Need Society. This organization created the TJX Retail Ready Program, an eight-week program that provides training and work experience to help prepare women for careers in retail.
Proudly Hiring Those Who Have Served in the U.S. Military
Our long-standing commitment to the U.S. Armed Forces is highlighted by our dedication to hiring members of the military, including active guard and reserve, as well as veterans, and their spouses. We value their strong work ethic, professionalism, and loyalty, and offer a range of career options to match their talents and expertise.
TJX has several initiatives supporting military hiring, including participating in career fairs for military personnel and working with military job boards to increase exposure and marketing efforts to military personnel and their families. The company also keeps in touch with current and prospective candidates through our military talent community page and email campaigns.
We are pleased to report that we have hired more than 8,000 men and women who are currently in the military, veterans, or their spouses since 2013. Learn more about TJX’s commitment to hiring military-affiliated Associates and their families.
Turning Employment Challenges into Opportunities
For nearly a quarter of a century, TJX has been working to provide opportunities to individuals with varying levels of skills and abilities, including those who face barriers to employment or are in underserved communities. We have developed community outreach strategies to support those who need an opportunity and to help us foster a workforce that includes qualified individuals with a breadth of abilities.
To assist in our recruitment efforts, we have collaborated with numerous community-based organizations in the U.S. and Canada that empower people with disabilities and individuals experiencing economic challenges to help them become an integral part of the workforce. These organizations often pre-screen and train candidates for work in our stores and distribution centers. The relationship between TJX and community-based organizations is beneficial on many levels:
- Individuals gain self-confidence and learn about retail career opportunities
- TJX has the opportunity to work with enthusiastic individuals who have already been recommended by a community-based organization
- TJX benefits from federal, state, and local tax credits and incentive programs
- The community-based organizations expand their outreach efforts and continue to attract government and private funding because of their success
One area of particular focus in the U.S. is hiring people with disabilities. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, in 2018, the unemployment rate for those with a disability was 8%, more than twice the rate for individuals with no disability.1 We have developed collaborative community partnerships, and our U.S. Talent Acquisition group promotes workforce programs that facilitate access to jobs for individuals with disabilities.
For example, we partner with Best Buddies, an organization of volunteers that creates opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our teams partner closely with Best Buddies volunteers and participants to find roles in our T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, and Sierra stores that match the job seeker’s interests and talents, and we’ve been excited to hire participants to perform in a variety of functions, including cashiers, dressing room attendants, greeters, merchandise organizers, and product assemblers.
DARIUS'S STORY
In 2018, after searching for a job for more than three months, Darius joined the team at T.J. Maxx. Darius quickly became a valuable resource to the store’s team, processing merchandise and helping to keep the store looking great for customers. As the holidays approached, Darius took on a key role for the store as one of the store’s Customer Brand Ambassadors, greeting customers and assisting them as needed.
For Darius, working at T.J. Maxx isn’t just a job – he says it has provided consistency and structure in his life, as well as a place where he feels he is valued for his contributions.
”I feel like I’m making a difference,” Darius said. “I put a smile on customers’ faces.”