Company: SOJE
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form Type: PRE 14A
Source: 0000092122-25-000032
Chunk: 43

Company: SOUTHERN CO
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form: PRE 14A
Chunk 43
---
 up a small portion of total compensation             
 Change-in-control severance payouts require double-trigger of change in control and termination of employment 
 Strong stock ownership requirements for executive officers                                                    |     | Annual compensation risk assessment undertaken with input from an independent consultant                                                                         
 Clawback provisions apply to all incentive compensation awards with enhanced Clawback Policy provisions for key executives, including in the event of misconduct 
 90% of CEO target pay is at risk based on achievement of performance goals                                                                                       
 Evaluate stockholder feedback through year-round engagement and results of prior years' Say on Pay votes                                                         
 Dividends on stock awards received only if underlying award is earned                                                                                            
 Annual compensation review conducted to help ensure fair and equitable pay                                                                                       |     | No tax gross ups on executive perquisites for executive officers (except on certain relocation-related expenses) 
 No employment agreements with our executive officers                                                             
 No excise tax gross-ups on change-in control severance arrangement                                               
 No additional service granted under supplemental retirement plans since 2014                                     |

#### 44Southern Company2025 Proxy Statement

#### Stockholder Outreach and Say on Pay Response
We are committed to year-round engagement with our stockholders. Feedback from our stockholders has resulted in changes to our executive compensation program and enhancements to our disclosures over time. Through 2024 and early 2025, we continued our stockholder outreach efforts, directly engaging with stockholders representing approximately 40% of our stock. Independent Directors participated directly in engagements with our largest stockholders. An overview of what we heard from engagements over the past several years with respect to executive compensation matters and how we have responded is described below.

| At our 2024 annual meeting, we received 95% support of the votes cast on the Say on Pay vote, consistent with the high level of stockholder support we have received for many years. |

| What we heard                                                                                                       |     |                                                     |     | What we did                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|                                                                                                                     |     | Alignment between CEO pay and financial performance |     | The Committee evaluated plan design to help ensure our programs produce results that are aligned with stockholders’ interests and overall Company performance; we continued the overall plan design given stockholders’ year-over-year support for the program 
 The Committee continued to review all adjustments to earnings, whether positive or negative, to determine their appropriateness based on management control, materiality and overall impact to investors                                                       |
| Consistent with the 95% support for the 2024 Say on Pay vote, stockholders expressed the following: