Large Corporate Environment With Some Perks - Software Engineer Kohl's Employee Review

3.0
Nov 28, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Decent corporate campus with wellness center, on-site clinics, banking, etc. Cafeterias are incredibly decent, free coffee and tea is available. Shuttle runs between buildings, great for rain or snow. More than enough parking. Child care is available. Great programming on campus for events like Veteran's Day, Town Halls, charitable events, etc. CEO works out of New York office but frequently visits Wisconsin HQ. 15% off discount is nice at Kohl's, plus more lenient requirements for a Kohl's Charge which gives you an extra 5%. At some times during the year, about one weekend a month, you get stackable coupons sometimes totaling up to 60% off when spent in store on a Kohl's Charge! This alone is what keeps some people motivated to work at Kohl's. Benefits have stayed decent, despite rising costs. Salaries for some competitive positions, like IT roles, remain high to start. Technology is migrating to modern trends, like Cloud Computing, full stack development, updated plans for tools, etc.

Cons

Despite being told that IT continues to be an important asset to the company's long-term success, and great company profits, cost-cutting is still prioritized. Many jobs in IT are now contracted out to places like Brazil and India. California tech office is close to 80% contractors, most on H1B visas. Innovation can only happen if it saves the company money. Much like other companies of similar size, the concept of loyalty is dead. Once you start to no longer become useful to the company, or can be replaced by either less experienced or outsourced labor, you're gone. The IT layoffs earlier this year took those with experience and useful Kohl's-specific knowledge out to be replaced by cheap contractors, some with contracts as small as 3 weeks to do one task on a project. Contractors are treated like second-class citizens with no appreciation, smaller desks, and sometimes abuse from managers. Teams are incredibly siloed and do not work well together. Teams also have individual cultures. Some IT teams are made of people who work laid-back 35 hour work weeks, while others are pulling 60+ hours rushing to get a pile of tasks done. Store associates are treated poorly depending on location. Credit signup and application quotas, low starting pay with insulting raises as low as pennies (yes, one got a $0.03 an hour raise), and competitive (sometimes cut-throat) atmospheres exist at all stores. Not worth the pay in my opinion. Oh yeah, as others have mentioned, some co-workers can be racist or otherwise make inappropriate comments without intervention from HR.

Explore other reviews about Kohl's

5.0
Mar 20, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

good pay nice perks good coworkers

Cons

entry level, boring not really much to do

2.0
Jul 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good full-time benefits, flexible scheduling. But the cons are starting to outweigh the good.

Cons

A new store manager took over the Massapequa Park location (Long Island, NY) and the workplace culture has become highly challenging since. Her management style is overly critical, and she makes harsh, rapid judgments without taking the time to know her associates or understand their roles. Furthermore, she does not lead by example, and she sets unrealistic expectations without providing regular check-ins or continuous coaching. This has left the staff feeling unsupported and neglected. There is also a strong perception that loyal employees hours are being unfairly cut or even terminated to reduce store costs rather than supporting the well-being and retention of the staff.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All