Team

We have a demonstrated history of investing in our workforce by providing competitive pay and benefits. Our benefits package includes:

• Comprehensive health insurance coverage to employees working 30 hours or more each week;
• Parental leave to new parents for birth, adoption or foster placement;
• Short-term disability to provide wage protection for up to six months;
• A tuition reimbursement program; and
• A 401(k) plan* with generous company contribution.

*Some union-affiliated employees participate in a company-sponsored pension plan or multi-employer plan.

FLOcoach, our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), provides free, confidential assistance to help with life’s challenges, including personal, legal, financial, and dependent care needs. Through FLOcoach, team members and their dependents receive dedicated, no cost 24/7 access to an extensive network of licensed professionals. Employees do not need to be enrolled in our medical benefits to be eligible; this program is open to all employees and their family members at no cost.

Following major weather events, the Flowers Foods Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) stands ready to assist employees, contract and leased labor, independent distributor partners, and recent retirees if their primary homes are damaged. DRF was established in 2004 to express the compassion and caring of the Flowers team to fellow team members affected by catastrophic, large-scale, natural disasters. Funds donated by team members throughout the year are matched by the company when disaster strikes.

In 2021, DRF assisted nearly 140 team members affiliated with six bakeries. Disasters included a winter storm, flooding, and a hurricane that caused catastrophic damage for more than 20 team members.

March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) a global pandemic and recommended containment and mitigation measures worldwide.

Our main focus throughout the pandemic centered on the health and safety of our team members and independent distributor partners. From the start of the pandemic, we followed the guidance of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), taking a number of recommended steps to safeguard those in our facilities, including:

• Monitoring the symptoms of everyone entering our facilities
• Requiring face coverings
• Maintaining (where possible) social distancing of six feet
• Conducting enhanced cleaning and sanitizing of common areas and frequently touched surfaces
• Performing decontamination of work areas and equipment following a confirmed or presumptive case of COVID-19 at a facility
• Conducting contact tracing

Companywide bans on non-essential travel and non-essential visitors at all locations were put into place, corporate offices were closed, and office staff were directed to work remotely. In addition, the company issued regular communications about COVID-19 prevention steps. When COVID-19 vaccinations became available, we shared educational information with our team members and encouraged vaccination for those eligible.

In recognition and support of our frontline workers, we paid a total of $5.2 million and $12.3 million in appreciation bonuses to eligible hourly and non-exempt employees, leased labor, and contract workers in Fiscal 2021 and 2020, respectively. These appreciation bonuses are in addition to the company’s annual performance-based cash incentive plan, in which all Flowers employees participate.

At the original Dave’s Killer Bread bakery in Milwaukie, Oregon, Second Chance hiring is deeply ingrained in their culture. At any given time, approximately 30-40% of bakery employees are formerly incarcerated.

We are committed to giving second chances to those with criminal backgrounds who are looking for employment. We encourage our bakeries to work with local agencies to find qualified individuals within this candidate pool. Our bakeries are known as places that provide employment opportunities for those eager to get back on their feet and change their lives, regardless of one’s past.

We are a long-time supporter of causes that aid U.S. veterans and their families. We recruit U.S. military veterans, and actively employed more than 550 veterans as of year-end 2021. Since 2018, our Wonder and Tastykake brands have proudly supported the USO as “A Force Behind the Forces,” pledging to donate up to $1.8 million to the organization by 2022.