Southern Company earns top spot on Military Times’ 2021 list of Best Employers for Veterans

Southern Company ranked No. 1 overall in the 2021 Best for Vets: Employers rankings released this month by Military Times. Southern Company has been recognized for its efforts to connect and provide veterans with a platform for success for each of the 12 years the list has been published.

The company's partnership with organizations like the Department of Defense (DoD) SkillBridge program provide opportunities for service members to transfer their military skills and training into careers in the energy sector through on-site job training, creating a pipeline for the company to recruit them once their training is complete.

“On behalf of the entire Southern Company system, I am so proud that the Military Times is recognizing Southern Company as the number one place for veterans to work. We are very fortunate to have thousands of veterans be part of our team,” said Tom Fanning, chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company.  “For years, Southern Company has cultivated a work environment that is welcoming for veterans. We continuously evaluate our recruiting efforts, retention practices and support programs to ensure we are providing the assistance and flexibility veterans and those in the reserves require to be successful.”

Southern Company focuses on veteran retention through employee resource groups like Military Veterans in Power that provide career development, networking and mentorship opportunities.  In 2020, 11% of the Southern Company system's new hires were veterans with veterans accounting for 10% of the system's total employee population.

“We make it a point to provide opportunities for service members to transfer their military skills and training into careers in the energy sector,” Fanning added. “As a company, we know that the lessons regarding discipline, commitment and leadership service members receive during their enlistment instills in them qualities and values that perfectly align with who we are as a company.”

This year, Military Times collaborated with Fors Marsh Group (FMG) to update the research methodology and analysis from previous years to provide a streamlined, user-friendly survey experience for participants. All survey changes were made based on subject matter expert reviews of the survey and rigorous qualitative research, including focus groups and in-depth interviews with Military Times subscribers. FMG designed, deployed, analyzed, and wrote the report for this year’s survey.

The updated survey captured the areas of greatest importance to transitioning service members, veterans, and their families when looking for an employer. Recruitment and employment practices, as well as retention and support programs, were given the most weight and importance in scoring and final rankings.

“Military Times continues to set the standard for employer rankings for transitioning service members and veterans. Although often imitated, there is no other list that comes close to Best for Vets: Employers,” says Mort Greenberg, SVP of media solutions at Military Times. “We stand by the rigor and soundness of this survey, which spotlights companies’ employment programs that help transitioning service members excel in their post-military careers.”

The full rankings can be found here: bestforvets2021.militarytimes.com.