‘I Love My Job’: Sharing My Perspective and Being Heard at Lowe’s

Welcome to I Love My Job, the series where we hear from women who really love their jobs. In this edition, we sat down with Kathryn Howard, Senior Audit Manager at Lowe’s Home Improvement.

Howard started her journey with Lowe’s as an intern in a summer program within the Internal Audit department. “I just loved it so much that I didn’t leave,” she says. 

During her twelve years with the company, Howard has progressively grown into her current leadership position. From the beautiful campus to the hardworking and enjoyable team, as well as the company’s growth opportunities, Howard finds her work at Lowe’s rewarding and fulfilling. 

In the video below, Howard shares more about why she loves working at Lowe’s. We also provide lightly edited highlights from the video discussion in the following article.

What are some of the perks of working at Lowe’s?

Lowe’s is headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina. It’s a beautiful campus with a large lake and walking trails. We have several coffee spots on site and a gym, where it’s fun to work out during lunch or after hours. We also have a canteen on campus for lunch. 

How would you describe the company culture at Lowe’s?

The company culture is very friendly and inclusive. They want to hear new ideas—different ideas. Everyone is very friendly, willing to help out, and eager to share their perspective. They know doing the same thing over and over again isn’t going to make us better, which is very refreshing. I can provide an opinion that’s different from others, and I feel heard. There’s also a lot of lateral and upward mobility. 

What’s your favorite thing about working at Lowe’s?

My favorite thing about Lowe’s is the people I get to work with—they have my back. They’re hard workers and fun people to be around. It makes projects so much easier, and we don’t work on easy projects. So, having a great team I can rely on makes working here so rewarding. Those are the people who have encouraged me to stay here for the long haul.

Why do you love working in internal audit?

I like the work we do in Internal Audit because I get to learn a lot about the company. I get to dive deep into different areas, which puts me in a unique position to provide recommendations based on what I learn. Being able to see my recommendations implemented by the company is so rewarding.

How does Lowe’s support you?

Lowe’s supports me in many ways. First is Lowe’s University. It’s a corporate training program, but it’s not your standard corporate training program. It’s typically in person, and the facilitators do an excellent job of engaging us and making the information stick. 

We also have a very approachable team of individuals at the organization. Having one-on-ones to develop a mentoring relationship or regular conversations to get feedback is very easy. I appreciate being able to go to leaders in the organization and ask for direct feedback. We also have some excellent benefits, including great medical insurance and well-being programs.

What’s your advice for other women considering working at Lowe’s?

I recommend showing up as your authentic self. Be who you are. When you do that, people will want to invest in you. That’s something that Lowe’s values—don’t pretend to be someone else.