General Mills supports employees, community during COVID-19

General Mills has announced a series of actions to support its employees and communities in response to the impact of COVID-19, including the following:

An opportunity for corporate employees to work at manufacturing plants. To ensure the company continues to manufacture food to service consumer demand safely, General Mills has offered healthy office employees the opportunity to provide temporary help in manufacturing facilities and support them in a variety of ways.

Enhanced benefits for plant employees, including a daily bonus. To support employees who are working at manufacturing plants during this time, the company has created several additional benefits to support them and their families:

• A daily bonus will be provided to production-essential plant employees who are working on-site. This will be in effect for a minimum of four weeks and will continue to be evaluated as the situation evolves.
• Employees will receive two weeks of paid leave under conditions that include voluntary or mandated quarantine, school closure for a child, medical risk, and suspended work as a result of COVID-19.
• In several locations, the company will provide childcare consultations with employees to address childcare concerns, including flexible work schedules.

The General Mills Foundation will offer $5 million in charitable grants to support food access in key global markets and support for its manufacturing communities around the world. Additionally, the General Mills Foundation will support strategic community partners near its manufacturing plants to ensure they are better equipped to face the challenging demands of today and the days ahead. These gifts include the foundation’s previous philanthropic grants spanning Asia, Europe, Australia, Latin America, and North America to increase food bank capacity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and supplement the $20 million in cash given by General Mills and its foundation last year and more than $40 million worth of food product donations provided by General Mills to food bank partners to help ensure food security across global communities.

 “Our company’s purpose is to make food the world loves. But the unique circumstances of today call on General Mills to make food the world needs,” said Jeff Harmening, chairman and CEO of General Mills, in the press release. “Our most important objectives are the continued health and safety of our employees and our ongoing ability to serve our consumers around the world. We see it as imperative that we help ensure a steady and reliable food supply for people and pets.”