PLEXUS CORP.
HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY

April 2020

 

Plexus is dedicated to preserving and protecting human rights around the globe. Our Human Rights Policy (the “Policy”) formalizes Plexus’ commitment to respect human rights and embodies principles reflected in the United Nations (UN) Global Compact, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, core International Labour to Organization Conventions, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, and the laws of the countries in which we operate.

The foundation of our commitment to international human rights stems from our values of integrity and excellence and is reinforced in our Code of Conduct and other Plexus policies and training. The Policy applies to all employees and contingent workers, employees of our subsidiaries, our products and services, and our business relationships, including our supply chain.

Plexus’ Social Responsibility program (the “Program”) drives the promotion and integration of human rights standards in our global locations and supply chain. Our Program is sponsored by our Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and our Chief Administration Officer (CAO). They lead the Plexus Compliance, Ethics and Risk Committee, which regularly monitors Program performance.

The Policy was created by a cross-functional team appointed to conduct regular policy and impact mapping, as outlined by the UN Global Compact, to facilitate continuous improvement and commitment to our standards. Stakeholder input was an integral part of the development of this policy and will continue to be a valued voice in how we evolve our expectations.

We are committed to being a responsible member of the communities in which we live and work. We value all stakeholders and strive to provide a healthy, safe and satisfying work experience for our employees. As a community partner we promote and financially support science and technology in education. In addition, we encourage employees to be involved in community charitable organizations, as well as volunteerism, and we partner with community organizations to promote local business. Plexus maintains internal policies and procedures that support our commitment to conduct business in a responsible and ethical manner. Key policies include our Code of Conduct, Anti-Corruption Policy, Global Labor Policy and Prohibition of Harassment, Discrimination and Retaliation Policy. These and other policies uphold our standards regarding:

We believe that each individual offers diverse perspectives, backgrounds and experiences that create great outcomes when we are united as a team. We respect our people and embrace our differences. We welcome everyone and value the ideas generated by our collective uniqueness.

We are committed to providing a workplace free of harassment and discrimination. Plexus prohibits harassment and discrimination of our employees, and those of our customers and partners, based on race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, ethnicity or national origin, disability, pregnancy, religion, political affiliation, covered veteran status, protected genetic information, or marital status (or any other category of persons protected by applicable laws or regulations), consistent with applicable laws. We ensure no such discrimination is part of our hiring and employment practices nor that it affects the terms and conditions of employment.

No recruiting agency, temporary employment agency, broker, agent or any of their respective subagents may charge a Plexus worker an unreasonable fee, require a deposit or otherwise indebt the worker for repayment for their employment or work assignment with Plexus. This specifically prohibits unreasonable fees that are deducted from payroll over time.

We prohibit the use of forced, imprisoned, indentured or bonded labor. Under no circumstances will Plexus directly use, or tolerate the use of, enslaved labor or labor that results from human trafficking.

Plexus prohibits any unreasonable restriction on the movement or travel of its workers or access to their basic liberties, such as access to bathrooms or clean drinking water, while at work. Plexus and any of its brokers, recruiting agencies, or temporary employment agencies will not require workers to surrender their government-issued identification, and will not store or hold a worker’s passport or other government-issued identification.

Plexus endeavors to provide one day of rest every seven days, and for employees to work no more than sixty (60) hours per week. Workers are entitled to take breaks during their shift consistent with local laws.

All Plexus workers are entitled to take time off for vacation and holidays that are legally required. Plexus workers are also entitled to a reasonable amount of time off for illness or maternity leave
when supported by a medical certificate consistent with applicable laws, without any further financial penalization or threat of job loss.

Plexus prohibits the employment of any person who is under the age of 18, unless the employment is in conjunction with a bona fide apprenticeship program that complies with all applicable laws and regulations, or unless the worker is 17 years old and has completed compulsory education, as identified by local law. Workers under the age of 18 are not allowed to perform work that is likely to jeopardize their health or wellbeing, including night work or overtime.

Plexus is committed to treating all workers with dignity and respect, providing safe and healthy working conditions and fair treatment. Plexus prohibits harsh or inhumane treatment or threat of inhumane treatment of its workers. Inhumane treatment includes, but is not limited to, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, corporal (physical) punishment, the withdrawal of physical comforts provided to other workers, mental or physical coercion, verbal abuse or intimidation, and all other elements outlined/defined in FAR 52.222-50.

Plexus believes that open, honest and direct communication between employees and management is the most effective way to resolve workplace and compensation issues. Workers are encouraged to communicate with their managers and share their reasonable recommendations, suggestions, concerns, ideas for improvement and grievances with their supervisors, and Plexus management, regarding working conditions and management practices without fear of reprisal, intimidation or harassment.

Plexus strictly prohibits the payment or acceptance of any bribe, kickback or facilitation payment intended to influence a person’s judgment or gain an unfair advantage. These restrictions apply to all business relationships, including transactions with customers, suppliers and government officials. Regardless of local practices, employees and agents are prohibited from directly or indirectly paying or accepting a bribe, kickback or facilitation payment (whether it is cash or any other item) with the intent to influence a business decision.

Plexus commits to providing a fair, or living, wage for all employees. All Plexus workers are paid at least the prevailing minimum wage, and if no minimum wage is legally defined, then workers are paid in an amount that is equal to the prevailing industry standards. Plexus pays overtime in excess of regular hourly wages, consistent with local laws and practice.

Plexus is committed to reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to minimize the environmental impact from our operations. We also strive to minimize the amount of waste generated by our operations and follow international guidelines for disposal of electronic waste (E-Waste). Plexus continues to pursue recycling opportunities for our waste streams and will continue to pursue opportunities to improve our landfill diversion performance.

 

We expect our suppliers to maintain employment, environmental, health and safety and ethics practices aligned to applicable laws, as well as the standards detailed in the Plexus Code of Conduct, the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) Code of Conduct, and this Policy. Our Supplier Code of Conduct is distributed to suppliers and is available on Plexus.com. Throughout the year we train our suppliers on important issues, such as detecting and preventing forced labor, and we collaborate with suppliers to advance sustainability throughout the supply chain.

We strive to create workplaces with open and honest communications among all employees. If any employee detects activity that doesn’t align to our Human Rights Policy, our Code of Conduct, any Plexus policy or the law, we encourage reporting it immediately to their manager, Human Resources, Company legal counsel or our confidential Ethics Hotline. Anyone, including employees, employees of Plexus’ suppliers and other external stakeholders, is able to report human rights concerns through our third-party-operated Ethics Hotline, located on plexus.com.

Plexus treats all reports seriously and fairly, and promptly investigates all reports. Plexus does not tolerate retaliation against anyone who in good faith reports possible violations of law, the Plexus Code of Conduct, other company policies or procedures, or participates in an investigation.