As we build a more diverse talent pipeline, we continue to use a variety of strategies to support our recruiting efforts including increasing internal training, expanding outreach to better connect with diverse networks, and finding ways to use technology to improve our processes. For example, in Fiscal 2023, we worked to enhance our ability to analyze our applicant pool and capture leads; our relaunched global careers website improved the user experience for prospective candidates; and we continued to use a tool designed to help reduce potential unconscious biases in job descriptions and other recruitment communications as well as to identify language that may inadvertently undermine our inclusion efforts.
In recent years, we have scaled our internal diversity training which we believe helps us in our efforts to continue to build more inclusive recruitment practices. For instance, many of our recruiting teams participated in unconscious bias training globally and in Canada, the recruitment team has completed training focused on inclusive interview practices to help make candidates’ experiences welcoming.
We are actively pursuing opportunities to increase minority candidate representation when we recruit for early career positions. In the U.S., we have enhanced our outreach to Historically Black Colleges and Universities and partner with diverse on-campus organizations for recruitment events. We have developed and expanded relationships with several non-profit partners focused on increasing opportunities for underrepresented students, such as Bottom Line, Girls Who Code, Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA), The Posse Foundation, and Thrive Scholars. In Europe, we recruit from a diverse pool of candidates for our Graduate, Placement, and Apprenticeship Programmes and partner with organizations such as The Prince’s Trust, the UK Government’s Department for Work and Pensions, and the UWV in the Netherlands to create career opportunities for disadvantaged young people, including many from underrepresented communities. Globally, we continue to broaden our relationships with schools, universities, and smaller colleges to widen our reach.
We are also committed to working toward increasing the representation of diverse candidates in management-level positions, including people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, and women. In certain U.S. markets, we are also considering ways to better align the diversity of our Field Management teams to reflect the demographics of the communities we serve.
Enhancing Executive Diversity Policy Statement
At TJX, we believe that the continuity and stability of our most senior leadership team, which has 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. In addition, we continue our work 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 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.
Learn more about TJX’s efforts to build and support a more inclusive and diverse workforce on our Inclusion and Diversity page