My time at Carter’s was constant turmoil and displacement, unclear career pathing, and lack of clarity around my role. Here is a list of cons from my experience to really consider whether or not Carter’s is the right fit for you:
1) Layoffs are constantly occurring
• My position was eliminated in one of the many regular rounds of reorganization that
occurred almost quarterly. I reported into 4 different managers during the time I was there based on the high rate of turnover. Margins are paper thin in apparel retail, and anytime business is bad, Carter’s will react fast and let go of people immediately. Because of the constant layoffs, workload keeps getting pushed onto people who already have way too much work (with no extra pay). People are burnt out and living in constant fear of being called to the HR floor to be let go.
2) Lack of understanding from HR and leadership on projects/responsibilities within teams
• When people are laid off, the wrong people who have a long list of responsibilities and knowledge are let go. HR and leadership do not understand the detail of who owns what, how much work there actually is, or the scope of each person’s role.
3) Too much workload, not enough hours in the day
• The workload was completely unmanageable. There was no way to complete all the work that needed to be done in 40 hours a week. Leadership has no understanding of how long things take and the work people do to keep things on track/keep the company afloat.
• Roles and responsibilities were not clearly defined, which led to things slipping between the cracks, double work, and frustration/animosity between departments.
4) The only promotion you will ever receive is if you are lucky during layoffs.
• The company takes advantage of constant re-organization to award “promotions.” They are only willing to promote if they can cut costs/people in other areas. Demotions are also all too common when business is bad.
• No clear paths were defined or laid out on how to receive a promotion. Empty
promotion/career growth promises were often made to employees with no follow
through.
5) Onboarding was not well structured
• Because of all the turnover from layoffs, people leaving, etc., there is no documentation process for new hires. Formal training is messy, unstructured, and there is no true subject matter expert to lean on because everyone is so new with all the org changes.
6) Complete lack of empowerment in your role
• The Carter’s corporate politics were incredibly complicated to navigate, which led to a lack of action because of being scared to fail. Failures were viewed as detrimental, even though nobody is set up for success with proper processes, support from a consistent manager, etc.
7) The pay is way below average with little to no bonus opportunities and an uncertain 401K match
• With inflation, there are only small incremental merit increases in pay each year. Salaries are not competitive and have not been adjusted to match the inflation that is going on since 2020.
• Bonuses are rare and only occur if the company is doing phenomenally well. Other than that, there are no opportunities for lower-level managers, analysts, etc.
• 401K match is not guaranteed and depends on how the company is performing (discretionary)
• Stock options are only available for director and above leadership (from my understanding).
8) Major work shift away from remote/hybrid work and poor office infrastructure to support in-person work
• I saw the company go from 1 day a week in the office to 4 during the time I was there. There are no remote/hybrid exceptions for people with special circumstances that require them to be home.
• Remote workers are no longer being considered for promotions and are being pushed out. Carter’s is willing to let go of amazing talent to force people to work from the Atlanta office (even if they signed on in a remote work agreement).
• Office infrastructure is horrendous – there are not enough meeting rooms to support the amount of people in the office, some employees had to work at high tops for months, supply closets are being used as meeting rooms, there is no privacy to have confidential conversations with your manager, and meetings end up being done individually at desks over teams because of the lack of collaboration space. You will literally be on a teams call with someone sitting right next to you on the same call.
• No perks for being in the office – no drinks, snacks, meal stipends, etc.. Small things matter. It is already a huge change going back to the office, and Carter’s is not willing to provide any comforts/perks to their employees (even though most are commuting over 2 hours round trip to come in 4+ days a week).