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Our People
Hormel Foods strives to be a company where people aspire to work and never want to leave. We have a tradition of fostering long-term careers that starts with promoting from within and is supported by competitive compensation, benefits, training and a safe work environment.
Topics in this section include:
Through Our Way, we promote an engaging work environment where:
- Continuous improvement and innovation are a way of life;
- Employees trust and respect one another;
- Employees can flourish with fair compensation, equal opportunity, a safe work environment and balance between work and personal life;
- Teamwork and positive attitudes are the norm; and
- Everyone maintains a focus on customer and consumer satisfaction.
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Employees by Job Type
In fiscal year 2009, we had 18,606 employees at 44 U.S. facilities.
Our team consists of full-time and part-time hourly and salaried employees. In fiscal year 2009, hourly employees made up 85 percent of our team, and salaried employees were 15 percent of our team. Among all U.S. employees, 33 percent were covered by collective bargaining agreements. Throughout the year, we supplement our workforce with temporary employees, which in 2009 averaged 3 percent. Please see the related graph depicting the demographics of our team.
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Employee Tenure
As a company, we measure part of our success based on the tenure of our employees. We are honored to report that 60 percent of all employees had five years or more of service at Hormel Foods in fiscal year 2009. Within this group, 15 percent had 20 years of service and 4 percent had 30 or more years of service. This success is also shown in our 31-person officer team where the members have an average of 26 years of service.
We also monitor and analyze turnover to identify concerns and have action plans to address this area as necessary.
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Workplace Conduct
We value the individual at Hormel Foods. Our policies protect each employee's right to a workplace where laws are followed, discriminatory practices are avoided and respect is shown. If for any reason an employee feels he or she has not been treated to his or her expectation, a third-party anonymous hotline is available. A team is assigned to review each issue and find a resolution. This supports an environment where people want to work and do not want to leave.
Human Rights Statement
Hormel Foods conducts business responsibly and ethically. Workforce posters at all locations publically endorse and acknowledge adherence to the Equal Employment Opportunity, Fair Labor Standards Act (WH Pub. 1088 10/96), Family and Medical Leave Act (WH Pub. 1420 8/01), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (dependent on state requirements), Employee Polygraph Protection Act (WH Pub. 1462 9/88), the Federal WARN Act and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994. In addition, we respect international human rights principles aimed at promoting and protecting human rights, including the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Fair Employment Practices
Hormel Foods complies with the age limits set forth by local, state and federal laws. We look to hire the best talent and do this through local talent recruitment. For example, when we built our new Dubuque (IA) Plant, we actively recruited local residents for hourly and salaried positions. We also promoted from within the company.
We do not hire anyone working at our processing facilities under the age of 18 in compliance with employment laws of the United States. Our policies do not tolerate child labor or forced labor at our facilities, which includes the use of forced prison labor.
Thirty-three percent of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements. We adhere to the National Labor Relations Act and respect the right of employees to choose whether they want to organize a collective bargaining unit or not.
Hormel Foods employs an independent third party analysis to statistically review pay differences by gender, minority and age to ensure non-discriminatory pay practices, of which none were found.
Immigration
Hormel Foods has voluntarily used the E-Verify system since its inception in 1997. This program verifies the eligibility of an employee to work in the United States and is administered by the Department of Homeland Security in partnership with the Social Security Administration.
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Employee Engagement
Our company believes engaged employees are more productive and committed. They draw more satisfaction from their job, which results in a higher level of customer satisfaction. Employee engagement is achieved in part through communication and collaborative problem solving.
Survey and Results
In order to measure and improve employee engagement, Hormel Foods uses a well-defined employee engagement improvement process. The process is currently in its sixth year. The new engagement-improvement cycle begins with an employee survey conducted every two years. This process includes an employee survey, group feedback meetings and the development of action plans. The main benefit of this process is identification of changes needed to maintain a highly engaged work force.
The third cycle of the survey for Hormel Foods parent-company employees ended April 2009. Jennie-O Turkey Store and Diamond Crystal Brands continued their independent engagement improvement processes.
In the biannual survey, two key goals are measured:
For our 2009 survey, 89 percent of employees participated, (19 percentage points above the average for this type of survey).
One sample statistic from the survey showed that 72 percent of employees agreed with the statement, “Hormel Foods values my contribution” – 16 percent above the industry average.
Overall, the company’s scores were significantly higher than the previous survey. We are proud of the improved results, but we realize that the survey is only the first step. It is the beginning of a process to help leaders measure how we are doing, identify areas for improvement and implement action plans to get there.
To help drive change through the company, leaders are designated as “survey champions” and are charged with explaining and sharing the information with their direct reports. Survey meetings are conducted across the company to identify key opportunities for improvement. Subsequent work sessions generate and use employee feedback and ideas to develop action plans to improve each department. These action plans can take the form of workgroup or company-wide initiatives.
As a result of the engagement improvement process, leaders are developing a greater appreciation of candid feedback and discussions. We believe this process helps us drive change in the company and equips leaders with a tool to identify opportunities for improvement.
Since our 2006 survey, we have seen many measured gains on scores. We believe this can be attributed to contributions from employees and leadership around the company. Examples of programs that were developed based on the 2006 survey feedback are below. A similar approach is underway using the 2009 survey results.
| Opportunity Identified |
New Program/Initiative Implemented |
| Recognition and rewards |
- Service-recognition program
- Above and Beyond recognition program
- Adoption Benefits
|
| Growth and development |
- Expanded training for hourly employees
|
| Work/Life balance |
- Increased staffing to reduce hours and days worked by production supervisors
- Telecommuting policy
- Phase-back to work for new parents
|
| Diversity and inclusion |
- Diversity Council
- Inclusion training for more than 600 managers
- Diversity and Inclusion Scorecards
|
Information Sharing
Ongoing communication with employees and retirees is a fundamental component of the company’s culture. To this end, Hormel Foods uses a variety of vehicles for communication — “Xchange,” the company intranet; Inside Hormel Foods, the company magazine; plant newsletters and company Road Shows.
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