Veterans Annual Report

Transcription

1 Veterans Annual Report Page 1

2 General Mills recognizes the value of employing the servicemen and women who have proudly served their country as enlisted members or commissioned officers of the Armed Forces. The veteran brings special training and experience along with strong organizational skills that translates well to the corporate environment. We have multiple initiatives to support our veterans, both here at General Mills and in the community, including the Veterans Network and Club, and specific recruiting, supplier diversity and HR initiatives. We believe that we can strengthen our company and community by attracting and retaining talented veterans and the valuable skills and experiences they offer. Additionally, we re proud to support our employees who are actively serving our country, and their families. Ken Powell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Page 2

3 My husband deployed to Afghanistan in August. As a spouse, the most important and stressful times are before and after the deployment. General Mills has been very supportive in providing me extra time off, affording me to spend time with my husband before he left as well as preparing my children and life for his absence Tracy D Product Sales Manager General Mills employs over 600 veterans 72% located in hourly production roles in our manufacturing plants, and the remaining in salaried positions throughout our headquarters and field locations 3% of our total hires are veterans Salaried Veterans Locations of Employment 28.4% 14.2% Field Sales Locations 57.4% Manufacturing Plants World Headquarter Facilities Page 3

4 GENERAL MILLS Veterans Network The Veterans Network Our Veterans Network was officially launched on Veterans Day, 2012 in conjunction with Gov. Mark Dayton s proclamation of General Mills as a Yellow Ribbon Company. Its mission is to strengthen our company by creating opportunities for employees to support, attract and retain the unique skills and experiences of America s veterans. In the past year, the Veterans Network has elected officers and engaged senior leaders in the Veterans Network Advisory Board. Activities are planned around three strategic pillars: Recruiting, Service, and Leadership. Recruiting The mission of this pillar is to recruit, retain and position veterans for success at General Mills. Bringing awareness, internally and externally, that General Mills is a veteran-friendly workplace, has been a main focus, including launching, in partnership with Diversity & Inclusion and Recruiting, a dedicated landing page for veterans on the external careers website and an additional veterans informational page under our main external website responsibility section. Additionally, General Mills attended two events in Chicago with the Lucas Group, resulting in six hires! Page 4

5 Service Our service pillar s mission is to lead in the community by serving transitioning veterans. We continued our successful partnership with American Corporate Partners (ACP) Mentoring Program. We also partnered with the Black Champions Network during Black History Month to bring in an original Tuskegee Airman, Lt. Col. Hiram Mann, drawing over 100 participants to the event. The pioneering African American military aviator spoke on the importance of leveraging our history to shape our future, and provided context to the story of his unit helping pave the way for the integration of the military following World War II. Leadership The Veterans Network exists in part to build awareness and nurture leadership behaviors that enable General Mills employees to fulfill the company s mission. Veterans Network Leadership Executive Sponsor: Myer Joy Operations Leader: Jeff Marone Recruiting: Tracy Dufault, Rich Doyle Service: Jeff Marone, Joel Stamp, Brad Gregory Network Development: Karly Mangen, Ken Titcomb, Matt Beliveau, Jake Yuchasz Family and Troop Support: Sarah Breit, Debbie Golden Veterans Network Advisory Board Bruce Allen Ken Charles Tom Forsythe Myer Joy Stephanie Lilak Ellen Luger Jon Nudi John Russett David Wagner Page 5

6 The Veterans Club The Veterans Club is comprised of employees who provide outreach and support to veterans and their families through community service projects. It also serves as a source of camaraderie and an information and resource center for benefits and educational opportunities. This past years service and outreach included: A spring and fall package drive for the troops, sending 47 packages! 47 Supporting Scoops for Troops 5k run/walk by donating food and volunteers for the event We also partnered with the Knitting Club, who provided more than 400 helmet liners to date and the Stampin & Scrappin Club, who created cards for care packages Yearly unserviceable flag collection, accumulating 37 flags to date for ceremonial disposal Page 6

7 Supplier Diversity Our journey with veteran-owned business enterprises (VBE) is just beginning. In fiscal year 2013, we spent $20.3MM with VBEs, up 8.5% from fiscal year 2012, representing 3% of our overall supplier diversity spend. Register your veteran-owned, certified diverse business for contracting opportunities to provide goods or services to General Mills. The Supplier Database link is located on the General Mills website under Suppler Diversity. General Mills has taken great care of me over the past six years. They provide benefits above and beyond what is required by USERRA. They are very supportive of military employees while at training and on deployments. Joel S, Procurement Analyst Human Resources Our HR function is dedicated to serving all employees, including veterans. This is why the Veterans Employee Guide was created. This guide helps managers of veterans and Human Resources professionals aid employees who are veterans with the transition of being newly hired, going on leave or returning from a military leave. The guide includes policy information and legal requirements, checklists for smooth transitions and tips for being a great manager to veterans. Each year, a few dedicated employees gather together for the Operation Soldier Phone Home campaign (OSPH). OSPH is dedicated to bringing holiday spirit to our troops oversees. Since 2006 over 140,000 greeting cards and over $38,000 in phone cards have been donated. Page 7

8 mentoring Jeff Marone won a Champions Award in 2012 for his work in bringing the American Corporate Partners (ACP) veterans mentoring program to General Mills. To help post-9/11 military veterans make the transition to careers in business, more than 60 General Mills employees are volunteering as mentors. The mentoring program is run by American Corporate Partners (ACP), an organization General Mills began partnering with around Veterans Day, ACP provides free career counseling and mentoring to recently returned veterans by professionals from corporations and universities across the U.S. In addition to partnering with ACP s mentoring program, we hosted Sid Goodfriend, Founder and Chairman of ACP. In his visit, Sid highlighted the growing need to support transitioning service members (an estimated 200,000 this year and a million over the next five years) and, most importantly, he commended those mentors at General Mills on the difference they are making in the lives of their protégés. During the visit, we were able to connect Mr. Goodfriend with other executives from Twin Cities companies, expanding ACP s exposure to corporations in the area. Page 8

9 Here is what some General Mills mentors in the ACP program have to say about the program: I started volunteering with the Mentor a Veteran program because the sacrifice these men and women have made for this country is almost unfathomable. If these people are fighting for me, the very least I can do is to try and give back even if it s just one soldier at a time. Brent K Even though I am by far one of the older, if not the oldest, and the only retired General Mills mentor with ACP, it has been a most rewarding experience for me... For that opportunity I will be forever grateful to ACP and General Mills! Thank you. - George G Timothy and I are in regular communication. We just wrapped up our series on Coaching and will transition to Communication during our next call. I have enjoyed my interaction with Timothy as well. He is open, engaged, and cares about his development and career progression. I learn a lot from his experiences and perspective as well. - Eric A Page 9

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11 Awards & Recognition 2013: G.I. Jobs Top 100 Military-Friendly Employers 2012: Yellow Ribbon Company Designation 2011: U.S. Department of Defense Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve award for commitment to employees who serve in the military 2010: National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard Patriot Award Page 11

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