How Lowe's Can They Go?

WHO AM I?

My name is Jim Lewis. I’m a former Lowe’s Pro Sales Specialist who joined hoping to bring my 30 years of experience as a licensed general contractor to a company I believed valued employees and customers. Instead, I found a dysfunctional, often hostile workplace where accountability was optional. 

After a year in this environment, I tried every avenue: I reported issues to my supervisor, assistant managers, store managers, district managers, Associate Relations, and corporate. My concerns were ignored at every level, leaving legal action as my only option.   

Once this trial concludes, my goal is to transform HowLowesCanTheyGo.com into an advocacy and resource platform for associates, customers, and legal professionals. This site will provide a space for individuals to share workplace experiences, access resources, and seek guidance on workplace-related concerns.

If you’ve experienced workplace harassment, retaliation, unethical practices, or wrongful termination, your story matters. Your voice can help bring about meaningful change. Together, we can promote workplace fairness, transparency, and accountability. My vision is for this website to become a community hub for workplace rights and corporate responsibility—one that fosters connections with attorneys, advocates, and others dedicated to workplace equity.

For now, my focus remains on my case. Once a verdict is reached, I plan to share my personal experiences and what I have learned throughout this legal journey. This will include publicly available information and insights gained along the way.

In the meantime, if you are a current or former Lowe’s associate who has faced alienation, harassment, retaliation, emotional distress, threats of violence, physical assault, managerial misconduct, or wrongful termination, I encourage you to reach out using the contact information below. I am more than happy to share my experiences, offer insights, and help provide guidance based on what I have learned.

If you haven’t personally faced these issues, that’s how it should be—but I urge you to share this website with every Lowe’s associate you know. There are employees out there who may be struggling with similar challenges, and they need to know they are not alone. Together, we can help ensure that every Lowe’s employee has access to information, support, and resources to make informed decisions.     

Never let managers discourage you from using email to document workplace issues. Email is essential for communication and accountability. When managers discourage it, it’s usually about avoiding a written record—not convenience.

A district manager once told me: “Write all the emails you want, really say what you want to say, then hit delete.” Why? Deleted emails aren’t seen by peers—but corporate can still access them. This silences your voice without erasing the trail.

Some managers told me: “Email if you must, but see me in person for the answer.” That defeats the purpose. If they ignore your email, resend it—until you get a reply.

• Always email workplace concerns to managers.
   
• Immediately forward a copy to your personal email.
   
• After meetings, email a summary to attendees and your personal account.
   
• Use precise legal terms: discrimination, retaliation, harassment, hostile work environment, theft, negligence.
   

I strongly advise you not to use Lowe’s email system to forward information about this website. Major corporations have the ability to block or filter emails from their servers, preventing important messages from being sent or received. To protect your privacy and ensure the confidentiality of your concerns, use your personal email or other secure, private methods of communication instead. Your voice matters and safeguarding your ability to share your experiences is essential.

On the other hand, I strongly encourage you to always use your Lowe's email for communicating with peers, managers, and customers as part of your daily business operations. Make it a habit—because as a district-level manager once told me, "At Lowe's, if it ain't in an email, it didn't happen!" More importantly, use it when raising concerns about the workplace. If you are reporting unethical or illegal behaviors, be as precise as possible in your language. Use exact words such as discrimination, retaliation, harassment, negligence, toxic work environment, infliction of emotional distress, or theft. Take the time to research your specific situation and ensure your complaints are worded clearly and effectively.

Never let a supervisor discourage you from documenting workplace issues by email. If they say emails aren’t allowed or preferred, don’t back down. Email is a basic, essential business tool—used for communication, organization, and accountability. When managers discourage its use, it’s rarely about convenience. It’s about control. They don’t want a written record to exist. 

In my case, after refusing to stop emailing, multiple managers, assistant managers, and supervisors told me to go ahead and email them if I had to but then go see them in person for an answer. That completely defeats the purpose. You email to document their response. If they ignore your message, forward it again—and keep forwarding it until you get a reply. Do not be intimidated. These tactics are often used to silence employees and avoid accountability. But when issues arise later, your emails may be the only evidence you have.

In one instance, a district manager actually told me to go to my work computer, write out all the emails I wanted to all the managers I felt needed to read about an issue that concerned me —really say what I wanted to say to "get the emotions out"—and then hit delete. He said if I had to, I could do it twice if I felt the need. Just don’t actually send the emails. Why would someone in a position of authority suggest that? Because once an email is deleted at the store level, other associates can no longer see it—but corporate systems, including Human Resources, Associate Relations, and upper management, can still access it at any time. It silences the message without erasing the trail.

Even more concerning, a store manager at Store 2674 flat-out told associates not to email at work at all, explaining that if they did, “corporate would become aware of the issues in the store, and [he] could no longer protect them.” That wasn’t a slip-up. That was a quiet admission of how store-level problems are buried to protect those in charge.

This is why it’s essential to protect yourself. Use email. Create a record. Don’t let anyone convince you to handle serious workplace issues in private conversations that leave you exposed. And if your email is ignored, send it again. You’re not causing trouble—you’re documenting the truth.

In situations where you feel it’s in your best interest—such as reporting workplace concerns—send your email to the appropriate Lowe’s manager or supervisor, and then immediately forward a copy to your personal email address for safekeeping. Based on my experience, emails on Lowe’s servers have sometimes been difficult to access later when needed.

If you request or are called into a meeting regarding any workplace complaints or concerns you’ve reported or been involved in, it is crucial to document everything immediately afterward. As soon as the meeting concludes, send an email to the store manager, copying all attendees, requesting written documentation of what was discussed. If your experience is anything like mine, you may find that meeting records are not always provided upon request. That’s why you must take steps to protect yourself. While your memory is fresh, write a detailed summary of the meeting, including key points discussed and any conclusions or next steps. Send this summary from your Lowe’s email to your personal email for safekeeping. Additionally, copy every associate who was present in the meeting so there is a shared record of what was said.

In my case, Lowe’s developed a pattern where documentation of key workplace matters was often unavailable or inconsistent. If you don’t create your own record, you may later find that no official documentation exists. Protect yourself—having your own written account could make all the difference.

Using the correct legal terminology in your complaints is also critical. Large corporations, including Lowe’s, often rely on precise wording as part of their legal defense strategies. If you do not explicitly state discrimination, retaliation, or harassment in your emails or depositions, they may later argue that you never made those claims in the first place. If your experience is anything like mine, you may be asked, "Well, Mr. Smith, can you show where in your email, complaint, or deposition you specifically used the words discrimination, retaliation, or harassment?" As if the typical Lowe’s associate—like myself—would have known to include those specific legal terms at the time.

Protect yourself by documenting your concerns clearly, accurately, and securely. It can make all the difference later.

 IF WE DO NOTHING, NOTHING CHANGES  

If we do nothing, nothing changes. Let’s work together to uncover the truth, demand accountability, and ensure no one has to face these challenges alone. Thank you for visiting—I look forward to building this movement with you.