HanesBrands Honored as First Central American Apparel Maker Ranked as One of the Best Places to Work

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., March 16, 2015 /3BL Media/ – HanesBrands, a leading marketer of everyday basic apparel under world-class brands in the Americas, Europe and Asia, has been honored by the Great Place to Work Institute for its workplace practices in its El Salvador, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic manufacturing plants.

The Great Place to Work Institute named Hanes the third best multinational company to work for in Central America and the Caribbean where the company has nearly 30,000 employees. The company was ranked the second best place to work in both El Salvador and Honduras – the first ranking ever for an apparel manufacturer in Central America.

Great Place to Work gathers data from employee surveys that provide a clear picture of the state of the company’s culture benchmarked against other companies. The rankings are predominantly based on employees’ responses to the Trust Index Survey, which measures employee perception of the workplace, as well as institute’s culture audit, which is completed by management and evaluated by an independent Great Place to Work team.

“We are excited that our own employees were surveyed and recognized as a great place to work,” said Maria Elena Sikaffy, vice president of human resources, Hanes Central America and the Caribbean. “These awards reflect the passion of our employees, our commitment to responsible employment practices, and our company’s worldwide leadership in ethics. This has allowed us to be a growing responsible community member in these countries.”

Unlike most companies in the apparel industry, Hanes primarily manufactures its garments in company-owned plants in the United States, Mexico, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras and Vietnam.

In Central America and the Caribbean, the company has been recognized for its workplace practices, employee development, environmental commitment and social responsibility. Examples include:

• Hanes’ talent development programs in the region include its continuing education program in which 5,000 employees are working on high school degrees and 1,000 have already earned their diplomas.
• Hanes has launched its third school of mechanics in Honduras to instruct operators in advanced mechanic skills with the support of local universities.
• Three of Hanes’ El Salvador plants have won 3M Health and Safety Awards, a program conducted in partnership with the El Salvador Ministry of Labor.
• Hanes received the seal of the Honduran Foundation for Corporate Social Responsibility for the fourth consecutive year in 2014.
• Hanes’ Dos Rios Textiles plant in the Dominican Republic received the Golden Spike Award from the Press Workers National Union of the Dominican Republic for being a responsible company with a demonstrated commitment to the well-being of the communities where it operates.
• The Dos Rios Textiles plant has earned the clean production award from the Dominican Republic Ministry of Environmental and Natural Resources for its positive environmental practices and continuous improvement in energy performance and wastewater treatment.
• Four Hanes plants in Central America and the Caribbean earned 2014 Energy Star Challenge for Industry awards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for achieving at least a 10 percent reduction in energy usage within 5 years.

“Looking ahead, our goal is to continue improving our talent management and maintaining the position we’ve reached, leveraging our best practices to continue to be a great multinational company,” Sikaffy said.

Hanes was honored at the Great Place to Work awards ceremony for Central America held in Panama in conjunction with news media partner Revista Summa of Latin America. A separate awards ceremony for the Dominican Republic will be held later this month. (The institute’s 100 Best Companies to Work For program in the United States is conducted in conjunction with Fortune magazine.)

Among the awards Hanes received were:

• Third best multinational company to work for in Central America and the Caribbean
• Second best company to work for in Honduras
• Second best company to work for in El Salvador

HanesBrands

HanesBrands, based in Winston-Salem, N.C., is a socially responsible leading marketer of everyday basic apparel in the Americas, Europe and Asia under some of the world’s strongest apparel brands, including Hanes, Champion, Playtex, DIM, Bali, Maidenform, Flexees, JMS/Just My Size, Wonderbra, Nur Die/Nur Der, Lovable and Gear for Sports. The company sells T-shirts, bras, panties, shapewear, men’s underwear, children’s underwear, socks, hosiery, and activewear produced in the company’s low-cost global supply chain. Ranked No. 530 on the Fortune 1000 list, Hanes has approximately 59,500 employees in more than 35 countries and takes pride in its strong reputation for ethical business practices. Hanes is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star 2014, 2013 and 2012 Sustained Excellence Award winner and 2011 and 2010 Partner of the Year award winner. The company has been ranked on Newsweek magazine’s list of Top 500 greenest U.S. companies. More information about the company and its corporate social responsibility initiatives, including environmental, social compliance and community improvement achievements, may be found at www.Hanes.com/corporate.

About the Great Place to Work® Institute

Great Place to Work® Institute is a global research and management consultancy with expertise on workplace transformation and a presence in 46 countries worldwide. Their mission is to improve society by creating better workplaces. They are best-known for our global Best Workplaces Program, which they produce in conjunction with prestigious media partners such as the Globe and Mail, the Financial Times and Fortune. With more than 5,500 organizations surveyed every year across the globe, the program is the world's largest of its kind.