Company: SOJE
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form Type: PRE 14A
Source: 0000092122-25-000032
Chunk: 64

Company: SOUTHERN CO
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form: PRE 14A
Chunk 64
---

 4Approve base pay merit budget for following year                                                              
 4Monitor variable pay payout projections                                                                       
 4Review reports on human capital management matters, including employee engagement and leadership development  
 4Review reports on risks to workforce, including job market trends, external pressures and economic conditions |

#### Role of the CEO
4 The CEO makes recommendations to the Compensation Committee regarding other executive officers with respect to base salary adjustments, PPP targets and individual performance achievement payouts and LTI targets. These recommendations are based upon market data provided by the independent compensation consultant, the CEO’s assessment of each executive officer’s performance, the performance of the individual’s respective business or function and employee retention considerations.

4 The Compensation Committee considers the CEO’s recommendations in approving the compensation for the other executive officers. However, the Compensation Committee makes the final decisions with respect to compensation decisions for the executive officers.

4 The CEO does not play any role with respect to decisions impacting his own compensation.

#### Role of the Independent Compensation Consultant
4 The Compensation Committee has retained Pay Governance LLC as its independent executive compensation consultant. Pay Governance reports directly to the Compensation Committee. A representative of Pay Governance attends meetings of the Compensation Committee, as requested, and communicates with the Compensation Committee Chair between meetings.

4 Pay Governance provides various executive compensation services to the Compensation Committee pursuant to a written consulting agreement with the Compensation Committee. Generally, these services include advising the Compensation Committee on the principal aspects of our executive compensation program and evolving industry practices and providing market information and analysis regarding the competitiveness of our program design and our award values in relation to the executives’ performance.

4 In 2024, Pay Governance provided an annual competitive evaluation of target total compensation for the NEOs. Additionally, the Compensation Committee relies on Pay Governance to provide information and advice on executive compensation and related corporate governance trends throughout the year. Pay Governance provided no services to Company management during 2024.

4 The Compensation Committee retains authority to hire Pay Governance directly, approve its compensation, determine the nature and scope of its services, evaluate its performance and terminate its engagement. The Compensation Committee has assessed the independence of Pay Governance pursuant to the listing standards of the NYSE and SEC rules and concluded that Pay Governance is independent and that no conflict of interest exists that would prevent Pay Governance from serving as an independent consultant to the Compensation Committee.

#### 62Southern Company2025 Proxy Statement
Prohibition on Hedging and Pledging of Common Stock

Our insider trading policyincludes an “anti-hedging” provision that prohibits Directors and employees (including officers)