ASK US
You Asked. We Answer.

Thanks for your Ask Us questions. After a backlog, we are back with a slightly new format. Some of the questions we receive can be grouped together with a single response.

We also encourage you to pose questions first to your supervisors, when possible. They have more understanding of specifics within your department.

Q: It was announced at the All Hands that raises would include a 1% cost of living increase. It seems that is a low amount when compared to inflation. What is the reason for only a 1% cost of living increase?

A: Thanks for asking! Over the past five years, we have made consistent efforts to ensure our compensation remains competitive. Since July 2020, we have implemented seven compensation adjustments, including two market adjustments. In 2021, we made a significant increase to wages of 21.4%, followed by a wage increase of 17.6% in 2022. Additionally, we introduced a cost-of-living adjustment of 3% in 2021 and 2.5% in 2022. We knew these increases would not be sustainable over time. This has all been possible because of the T. Denny Sanford workforce donation of $44M in 2019 which has been fully invested for the required time period and is producing the needed funds to sustain the previous increases and enhancements to our benefits.

The Midwest region, the region which we benchmark, is averaging a 4% increase for fiscal year 2025.

CHS has proposed a pay increase of up to 4% for next year (FT/PT), aligning with trends in the Midwest. Since 2022, we have conducted annual compensation reviews each year. In 2024, we engaged HUB to perform a comprehensive salary survey, revealing that 90% of our employees are within their market-based pay range. More details are to come soon.

Q: Are the Surveys that are posted mandatory? Our manager emails our supervisor and tells him he wants 100 percent participation.

Thanks for your question. Surveys give employees an opportunity to be heard—and give executive leaders the opportunity to understand how employees feel about a wide range of topics.

We use this feedback to create the best workplace possible. Many employees are more comfortable being honest when their comments are anonymous.

It's important to understand that unless employees tell us about their experiences, we have no way of knowing how they feel.

Filling out the survey is not mandatory. We asked managers to shoot for 100% participation because the results will give us a more complete picture of what employees experience. Unless employees don't care about their work environment, it is in everyone's best interest to participate.

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