Rik Hoeijmakers

Could you tell us something about your own work?
"My work mainly consists of managing my team. I make sure that we work productively and efficiently. A helicopter view is very important on the job. What does my working day look like? In the morning I open the department. As soon as the employees arrive, I check whether everyone is present. Then we get to work. At 16.45 we stop working. That's a big advantage of working at PVH: fixed working hours on the day shift." 

What does the process of the inbound department look like?
"In the Inbound department we receive items from all over the world. After we receive them, the team gets to work and starts unloading the goods. There are other team members who sort and open the boxes. All products are taken out of the boxes and get scanned by the team. We distribute them on pallets and those pallets then go further within PVH to the appropriate follow-up department." 

Sounds like a versatile department....
"It is. It's the most versatile department within PVH. That has always attracted me as well. I started at the outbound department twenty years ago. I soon made the step to inbound. You're not just physically active either, you also have to think carefully about what you are doing. For example: how are you going to put the products away? Part of the job involves working with an electric pallet truck or reach truck, which is a nice change of pace at our department."

What do you enjoy most about working at PVH?
"The diversity. The people who work here, the cultures but also the work itself. No two days are the same. You work with well-known brands. Especially in the inbound department you see all the products coming in, so you get a good impression of the trends for the next season." 

You've been working here for 20 years now, what makes PVH a nice employer?
"I like it very much. I know exactly what I can get out of PVH, and that works the other way around as well. What I also like is that we really look at whether the work suits a person. To give an example: my department consists of men and women. I would never let a woman unload, unless she really wants to. This is physical work which is heavier than the other work. Women are mainly involved in picking up goods, work that men generally find less enjoyable.

When you start working at PVH, you will not immediately know and do everything. But as you get going, your work becomes broader and broader. You really get the chance to develop yourself and learn new things. As a supervisor, I try to give that space and freedom to my team as well."