Human Rights Policy

Respect for human rights is a fundamental value of Continental Mills. We strive to respect and promote human rights in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in our relationships with our employees, suppliers, neighbors, potential employees and customers. Our aim is to help support the enjoyment of human rights within the communities in which we operate.

This Policy is guided by generally recognized international human rights principles and applies to the entities that we own and manage. Continental Mills also expects our suppliers to uphold these principles and urges them to adopt similar policies within their own businesses.

The Human Rights Policy is overseen by our Sr. Vice President of Human Resources.

We value the diversity and inclusion of the people with whom we work. We are committed to equal opportunity and are intolerant of discrimination and harassment. We work to maintain workplaces that are free from discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, sex, color, national or social origin, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification or expression, or any other status protected by applicable law. The basis for recruitment, hiring, placement, development, training, compensation and advancement at Continental Mills is qualifications, performance, skills and experience.

We do not tolerate disrespectful or inappropriate behavior, unfair treatment or retaliation of any kind. Harassment is not tolerated in the workplace or in any work-related circumstance outside the workplace.

We respect our employees’ right to associate freely with people of their own choosing and engage in collective bargaining without fear of reprisal, intimidation or harassment.

We also encourage our employees to use our Open Door Policy to access Company leaders when they have a work-related suggestion, complaint, concern, or problem.  Continental Mills has a long standing history of effectively addressing concerns through our Open Door policy to ensure employees can be heard in a respectful and dignified manner and we offer several avenues by which people can report concerns.  Our spirit of collaboration helps ensure that issues can be addressed and resolved promptly.

The safety and health of our employees is of paramount importance. Our policy is to provide a safe and healthy workplace and comply with applicable safety and health laws and regulations, as well as internal requirements. We work to provide and maintain a safe, healthy and productive workplace, in consultation with our employees, by addressing and remediating identified risks of accidents, injury and health impacts.

We are committed to maintaining a workplace that is free from violence, harassment, intimidation and other unsafe or disruptive conditions due to internal or external threats.

We prohibit the use of all forms of forced labor, including indentured labor, bonded labor, military labor, modern forms of slavery and any form of human trafficking.

We prohibit child labor and the hiring of individuals that are under 18 years of age for positions in which hazardous work is required.

We compensate employees competitively relative to the industry and local labor market. We work to ensure full compliance with applicable wage, work hours, overtime and benefits laws.

We are committed to providing transparent nutrition information to enable consumers to make informed choices consistent with a healthy lifestyle.

We strive to create workplaces in which open and honest communications among all employees are valued and respected. Continental Mills is committed to complying with applicable labor and employment laws wherever we operate. We also ensure employees are aware of the Human Rights Policy through training and orientation.

Anyone who believes a conflict arises between the language of the policy and the laws, customs and practices of the place where he or she works or does business with Continental Mills, or who has questions about this policy or would like to confidentially report a potential violation of this policy, should raise those questions and concerns with local management or Human Resources. No reprisal or retaliatory action will be taken against any employee for raising bona fide concerns under this policy. Continental Mills will investigate, address and respond to the concerns of employees and other stakeholders and will take appropriate corrective action in response to any violation.