Baking & Snack - June 2018 - 26

WORKPLACE CULTURE

"Honesty is the foundation for
a positive culture and strong
values at any company."
Allen Shiver, Flowers Foods

Flowers Foods has found, like many companies, that communication between
leadership and employees must go both ways to earn employees' buy-in.
Vito Palmisano Photography

is 100% voluntary, but as those who participate reach
higher levels of participation, they receive a bigger discount on their health insurance premium, up to 100%.
"We're asking you to go to the doctor or get your
teeth cleaned," Mrs. Quigg said, describing ways Family
Members can take advantage of the program. "We're
asking you to get a biometric screening - the finger
prick - to check all those levels like cholesterol and lipids. We're asking you to do a 15-minute online assessment. We ask you to have some health coaching and go
to a couple of seminars we bring here. It's not difficult to
do, but you do have to make a bit of an effort."
Workplace policies and programs can also encourage
employees to pursue a career with the bakery instead
of seeing their work as "just a job." When employees
see a path for professional development, they tend to
stick around. The Bakery Cos. has made this a priority
through its Pay for Skills program. For hourly employees, this program incentivizes them to learn new skills
and grow in their position by basing the pay scale on
professional growth, not just longevity.
"Previously, our compensation structure recognized
baseline employment expectations," Mr. Wilkinson said.
"Now, associates can work through five levels of skillsets
pertinent to their position. For example, a mixer operator will progress from knowing about absorption at level
on to teaching others the mixer at level four and preparing for a leadership role in that area by level five." The
next step in investing in their workforce includes plans
to start a Bakery University where its employees can
learn additional baking skills. The first class will start at
the end of this year.
"Our goal is to develop associates into leads and then
into supervisors through education, internal promotions
and career development," Mr. Wilkinson said. "We believe in investing our time and resources in our associates' professional growth by Creating opportunities,
Making a difference and Impacting lives."
And all these programs and buy-in are only sustainable through constant communication from the top
down and bottom up. "The key is the follow-up meetings so employees know that you heard them and what
you're going to do about it," Mr. Shiver said during the
BakingTech panel.
Culture unifies and guides. It shows what a company values and where it is headed. "Culture is a remarkable thing,"
Mr. Shiver said. "It is the core of any high-functioning team,
providing its members with respect, balance, direction, stability, confidence, mutual appreciation and a sense of value,
belonging and accomplishing something worthwhile."

26 Baking & Snack June 2018 / www.bakingandsnack.com

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Baking & Snack - June 2018

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