Hafsa Himdi

How did you end up working here?
"A friend of mine had been working here for a long time. When I was looking for a job five years ago, she asked me if I wanted to join the team. I started here as a temporary worker. Yet, I didn't work for that temporary agency for a very long time. I got a permanent contract fairly quickly. If you do your job well, PVH sees that immediately and you get a certain appreciation in return." 

What do you think of your work?
"I have been working here for five years now and I still enjoy it. You can execute different roles within your department. Today I happen to be packing but often I work here as a helper. Then I go along with colleagues to help them. There are also days when I am fully occupied with picking. Every day is different. In the morning you get a planning from the supervisor. Then you just get to work and work through your list. When that's finished you also know you're done working."

You just mentioned that you have two children, is the work easy to combine with home?
"Certainly, in almost all departments within PVH you only work the day shift. During that time, my children are at school. I have always worked full-time, you don't hear that much here. In contrast to other companies, you can also work part-time here. That is ideal when your children are not going to school yet.

There are so many possibilities here. You can indicate how many and which days you would like to work. Would you like to work three, four or five days? You can. Would you like to work the day shift? That’s okay. Would you like to work in two shifts? That’s fine as well. You can even work weekends if you'd like."

What do you like best about working at PVH?
"The atmosphere. My colleagues and my supervisors are nice. The environment is multicultural, which is nice. I was born in Morocco and that's where I studied as well. My English was pretty good back then, but I didn't know Dutch at all. When I moved to the Netherlands and started to learn Dutch, the English language dropped away completely. Since I have been working here, I have noticed that my English is improving again. I understand German better and better, and I intend to learn it more. I am even starting to understand Polish. You try to get close to your colleagues to build a nice bond. Respect and knowledge of each other's culture and language are just part of it, I think."

What do you prefer to do outside of working hours?
"My hobbies are listening to music and going out to eat. Do you know what I also love to do? I draw. I used to make drawings of fashion. And look where I work now! I'm the first to see what fashion is coming up and it's fun to then use that for my drawings." 

What does your future look like here at PVH?
"I'm having a good time, so my plan is to definitely keep working here. In the future, I might also want to work two shifts in the e-commerce department. My husband also works two shifts so we can alternate and there is always someone with the children. I really like that flexibility here."