Coats, the world’s leading industrial thread manufacturer and a major player in the Americas textile crafts market, has been included in the best 80 companies to work for in Brazil by Great Place to Work (GPTW), a global research, consulting and training consultancy.

The announcement was made at a gala awards ceremony held at Espaço das Américas, São Paulo, Brazil, on Monday 13 August. The event was attended by business leaders and HR representatives from Brazil’s leading companies across many different industries and sectors. Douglas Aceiro, Managing Director, LatAm South, accepted the award on behalf of Coats.

Douglas Aceiro, Managing Director, LatAm South Cluster, Coats, said: ‘Our people are our biggest asset so Coats prides itself on being a great company to work for. A key part of our strategy is to attract, retain and grow talent and with employees looking for more from their careers than simply job satisfaction we need to identify ways to ensure our employee value proposition remains attractive and rewarding. To receive an accolade like this, in the year Coats celebrates 111 years in Brazil, is proof we are getting it right.’

The key criteria for the ranking is the level of trust employees have in their organisation. This is measured using two methods. First, the culture of the organisation is surveyed through a Trust Index, which is modelled on five dimensions found in the employee view of a great workplace, including values, opportunities and wellbeing. Second, the workplace, is evaluated through a Culture Audit, which looks at nine areas from the management definition of a great workplace, including development, inspiration and celebration. Coats had a trust index score of 90%.

Coats runs an annual Employee Engagement Survey to measure the engagement of all its employees across the world. In the last three years employee engagement in Brazil has increased by 22% from 66% to 80%.

Examples of recent employee and workplace focused initiatives and programmes Coats has introduced in Brazil include:

• Coats Solidária – A corporate responsibility programme based around education, craft skills training, charitable donations and volunteering. It aims to enhance the feeling of community, both internally and externally.
• Viva Bem – A special health programme that includes: workplace gymnastics classes to help prevent repetitive strain injuries and promote an active lifestyle; an employee Zen room to provide a relaxation area for before and after work; health campaigns to increase employee’s awareness about their health; and a series of organised events to increase integration of employees from different departments such as Easter Party, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and End Year party.
• Coats Stars – Recognition programme that focuses on behaviours linked to Coats values and principles.
• Boas Ideas – An innovation suggestion programme that encourages continuous improvement processes, services and cost reduction.
• Diversity and Inclusion initiatives including women workshops and coaching sessions to improve gender diversity.
• Customer First programme that aims to create a culture of customer orientation, product and application knowledge for employees through training, customer visits and projects to encourage department integration.

ENDS