people
uplift our workers
and communities
Our team’s passion and dedication enable us to provide high-quality, great value children’s apparel and accessories to families raising future generations.
our culture
For nearly 160 years, Carter’s has been a family-first company—from our products to our brands to our employees—that stands true to its values. Our values are the cornerstone of who we are, and we empower our employees to live these principles every day. We invest in our teams to foster a work environment where our people are respected, valued, and able to see the impact they make.
We celebrate employees who embody our values through our annual LOVE (Living Our Values Everyday) Award recognition program. The program is designed to acknowledge the unique contributions of our corporate office, retail, and distribution center employees. In 2024, the LOVE award demonstrated remarkable growth with nominations increasing from 1,600 in 2023 to 2,800.
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LOVE Nominations
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LOVE Winners
Employee Engagement
Our values-driven culture fosters an environment of high employee engagement. It starts with our people, and we are committed to cultivating a positive workplace culture where our employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to grow. To do this, we regularly gather employee feedback and insights. We also prioritize training, development, and a respectful work environment to help teams thrive while delivering on our mission to serve all families with young children.
Field Engagement Survey
In 2024, we strengthened our commitment to understanding and responding to employee needs. We conducted our biennial field engagement survey—focusing on North American retail stores and distribution centers. This survey provides valuable insights that inform our employee initiatives and strengthen our support of field teams, who create exceptional customer experiences every day.
With a best-in-class response rate of 97%, the overall sentiment from our field employees on Carter’s being a great place to work is above the global retail benchmark.20 We continue to actively work with field teams to develop action plans based on the feedback gathered.
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Per our engagement survey partner.
recruitment
Our recruitment strategy focuses on leveraging technology and strategic partnerships to enhance the candidate experience while driving operational efficiency. This approach directly supports our business objectives of strengthening our retail presence and expanding globally by attracting and retaining top talent across all channels.
AI-powered Recruiting
Our AI-powered virtual assistant, Alicia, continues to demonstrate significant value in streamlining our recruitment process by scheduling over 4,100 interviews in 2024. We expanded Alicia’s implementation to a retail store pilot group across the U.S. and Canada. This expansion has enhanced our hiring process by enabling immediate candidate engagement and reducing the administrative burden on store managers. Early results show improvement in time-to-hire metrics, with locations reporting successful hires completed within minutes of application submission.
Tracking Our Progress
Our investments in recruitment marketing and technology yielded strong results in 2024. By leveraging digital platforms and strategic partnerships, we significantly expanded our talent pipeline while improving operational efficiency in our hiring process. This approach proved particularly valuable during our peak seasonal hiring periods, during which we successfully met all staffing goals across our retail and distribution centers.
- Over 37M impressions via digital recruitment marketing
- 357,000 applications completed
- Over 14,000 positions filled
- Exceeded peak season hiring goals in stores & distribution centers
- Reduced number of stores with critical staffing needs to on all-time low
Partnerships
We continue to strengthen our strategic partnerships to expand our talent pipeline. In 2024, we deepened our relationship with the National Retail Federation (NRF) by serving as their Case Study Competition partner and reaching students at hundreds of colleges. This partnership resulted in a record number of case study submissions, enhancing our visibility among emerging retail talent.
We also expanded our strategic outreach through targeted partnerships that align with our commitment to building a talented workforce across all levels of our organization. Our approach focuses on creating meaningful connections with educational institutions and professional organizations to develop sustainable talent pipelines for our growing business.
Partnership Highlights
- Strengthened presence at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the Atlanta area, including Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Clark Atlanta University
- Continued collaboration with military-focused organizations supporting veteran recruitment
- Partnered with the Professional Diversity Network to broaden our candidate reach
- Deepened relationships with local workforce development organizations near our distribution centers
- Engaged with alumni networks to tap into experienced professional talent pools
career development
Our commitment to investing in people remains central to who we are as an organization. In 2024, we strengthened our focus on employee development by introducing comprehensive professional development frameworks and providing clear pathways for advancement. These initiatives empower our employees to own their career growth. This renewed emphasis on development supports our strategic priority of fostering an engaged workplace culture and building long-term careers at Carter’s.
Our development strategy is built on three pillars:
- Empowering employees to take ownership of their career journey
- Providing structured pathways for growth
- Supporting development through multiple learning channels
Development happens at all levels, wherever you are in your career. Our goal is to help employees see how they can grow and take responsibility for their own development.”
Jennifer George, Human Resources Director
Development Pathways
and Frameworks
Our professional development pathways align leadership behavior with career levels.
Focused on personal excellence, executes plans, and drives results
Develops others to maximize performance and works through a team to deliver results
Sets vision and communicates strategy to achieve results across multiple layers
Each path offers tailored development opportunities through three segments
that build upon each other:
To provide greater clarity around expectations and development areas, we launched our Leadership Behaviors by Level framework. This competency model defines specific actions and behaviors for each leadership level, standardizing evaluations and career development.
Carter’s Signature Development Programs
In 2024, we continued our core development programs.
Accelerated Development Program (ADP)
The 12-month ADP program supports both high-potential emerging and advanced leaders21 in strengthening their leadership skills. Participants take part in assessments, 360° feedback, leadership roundtables, and mentorship and networking opportunities.
Field Leadership Development
These targeted programs for entry- to senior-level retail store and distribution center leaders focus on accelerating leadership capabilities, cultivating succession pipelines, and retaining top talent.
Executive Development Program (EDP)
This six-month program guides recent college graduates in transitioning from campus life to entry-level corporate roles through hands-on and cross-functional learning experiences.
Mentor Partnerships
This global program reflects our culture of people helping people and supports our value of investing in our talent by fostering professional guidance and peer learning across six countries.
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Emerging leaders include employees at the manager-level and advanced leaders include employees at the director level or above.
Since 2019, the Mentor Partnership Program has grown 60%, with a record number of participants in 2024.
Training & Learning
We are committed to supporting our employees’ growth through a variety of learning opportunities across Carter’s. From on-the-job training and development sessions to online courses and leadership programs, employees have access to resources to enhance their skills and career development. These combined efforts contribute to our total training hours, reflecting our dedication to continuous learning at every level.
Looking ahead, we will continue to:
- Integrate new development frameworks across the organization
- Enhance learning offerings to align with business needs
- Advance succession planning through targeted development initiatives
- Expand mentorship and coaching opportunities
Training and development metrics
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Total Training Hours
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Training Hours per Employee
