FaB Wisconsin's 2026 Total Rewards Survey

Wisconsin remains a hub for food and beverage innovation, yet employers across the industry continue to face workforce challenges. Ongoing pressures such as inflation, high turnover, a competitive talent market, and a smaller labor pool make it difficult for companies to meet demand and scale operations effectively.

To help address these challenges, FaB Wisconsin has worked with our members to developed a statewide industry total rewards and wage survey. This survey aims to better understand attraction and retention efforts, as well as compensation for high-demand roles within Wisconsin’s food and beverage manufacturing sector. Participating FaB members will receive survey results that can be used to benchmark and strengthen their own talent strategies, ensuring they remain competitive in Wisconsin’s labor market.

All responses will remain confidential. A final report will be available in September 2026, along with a member briefing on September 24 to share survey results and talent best practices for the food and beverage industry. Questions? Please contact Gina Balke, Executive Director of FaB Wisconsin, at gbalke@fabwisconsin.com.

We appreciate your participation to help Wisconsin's food and beverage industry!

Your Information

All submitted information will remain confidential.
Name

First NameLast Name
Job Title
Email
example@example.com
Company Name
Company Address

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code

Please select the general food and beverage business sector that best describes your company:

Other, please specify

Currently, how many full-time employees are employed by your company in Wisconsin?

What are your most effective recruiting channels? Please rank the below list, with 1 being your most effective channel. (Drag and drop to move each option.)
What other recruiting channels do you find success with?

What are your most difficult roles to fill? Please rank the list below, with 1 being your most difficult role to fill. (Drag and drop to move each option.)

Have you modified any of the below policies or procedures to help recruit and retain employees? If so, please indicate how you changed the policy in the applicable textbox.

Which career-based learning opportunities does your company offer for your community? Select all that apply.

Other, please specify

What is your projected average percentage pay increase for hourly employees in 2026-2027?

What is your projected average percentage pay increase for salaried employees in 2026-2027?

What short-term incentive variable pay programs do you plan to offer in 2026-2027? Select all that apply and please provide details where applicable.

Rows	Will You Offer This Pay Program?	Please Provide Details
Retention Bonus: Rewards employees who remain with the company for a predetermined period of time. Please provide amount and frequency (for example we offer X amount after employment for X days).
Annual Incentive Bonus (company or individual-based)
Spot Bonus/Award: Rewards on the spot for achievements that deserve special recognition.
Company Profit Sharing: Predetermined bonus on top of an employee’s base salary that depends on company profits. This excludes deferred profit sharing such as profit sharing in 401(k) plans.
Holiday Bonus: Year‐end incentive ranging from small gifts to cash. Please provide most recent bonus.
Non‐Cash Bonus: Reward of goods or services such as a company paid trip, gift certificate, bonus day off, heated/underground parking, etc. Please list all that you offer.
Attendance Bonus: Please provide amount & how often you pay out, weekly, monthly, annually.
Referral Bonus: Please provide when you pay a referral bonus (for example if employee stays X days, referral bonus paid out to employee who made the referral) & amount given to employee who made the referral.
Annual or Quarterly Incentive Bonus

Please provide the following information for each position that your company employees in the following categories. Leave all other categories blank. If you'd prefer to complete this information in an Excel spreadsheet, please contact Gina at gbalke@fabwisconsin.com.

Rows	Current Hourly Wage or Annual Salary	Sign-On Bonus Amount	Vacation Offered at Hire Date	Maximum Amount of Vacation Offered
Accountant (Finance)
Account Manager
Automation Technician
Buyer/Purchasing Agent
CDL Driver
Continuous Improvement Manager
Controller/Director of Finance
Customer Service/Sales Specialist
eCommerce Specialist
Engineering Manager
Environmental Compliance
Filler/Compounder (Bulk and/or Liquid Materials)
Food Production Worker
Food Scientist
Food Scientist Manager
Forklift Driver/Material Handler
Human Resources Coordinator
Human Resources Director
Human Resources Generalist/Business Partner
Human Resource Manager
Industrial Electrician
Inventory Control Manager
Inventory Control Specialist
Maintenance Manager
Maintenance Mechanic
Maintenance Supervisor
Marketing Associate
Marketing Manager
Mixing Operator/Blender Operator
Operations Manager
Outside Sales
Packaging Operator
Payroll Manager
Picker/Sorter Operator
Plant Manager
PLC Programmer
Processing Operator
Production Lead (Hourly)
Production Manager
Production Supervisor
Project Manager
Quality Director
Quality Manager
Quality Technician
Quality Regulatory/Compliance
Research & Development
R & D Manager
Safety Coordinator
Safety Manager
Sales Director
Sanitation Manager
Sanitation Supervisor
Sanitation Worker
Scheduler/Planner
Shipping & Receiving Operator
Supply Chain Manager
Supply Chain Supervisor
SQF/Audit Practitioner
Talent Acquisition Specialist
Training Manager
Warehouse Supervisor
Warehouse Worker

How often should FaB conduct this total rewards survey, specific to the food and beverage industry within Wisconsin?

Other, please specify

Please use the space below to add any questions/best practices/specific positions not addressed in this survey, or anything else you would like to see added to a future survey.
Should be Empty:

Rows	Have You Used This Practice?	Provide an Example
Allow flexible work location/schedule options (work/life balance) for office staff
Allow flexible work location/schedule options (work/life balance) for production staff
Increased compensation & benefits
Reward and recognize employees
Shift differentials
Conduct employee engagement surveys
Conduct more frequent performance reviews
Culture change
Enhance employee development
Improve orientation and on-boarding
Increase diversity initiatives
Supervisory/leadership training
Career growth opportunities

Your Information