Aflac

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F500-2021-131-Aflac

The insurance company is the largest provider of supplemental insurance in the U.S. and is best known for its payroll deduction coverage.

For an astounding 13th straight year, Apple claims the top spot in Fortune’s annual ranking of corporate reputation, based on a survey of almost 3,800 executives, directors, and analysts.

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F500-2020-146-Aflac

The supplemental health and life insurance provider is based in Columbus, Ga., and has a large business segment in Japan.

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We surveyed tens of thousands of young employees to create this list of millennials’ favorite workplaces.

best workplaces for millennials 2017 Aflac

Employees say: 
 
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"One of the best things about this company is the culture of honesty and transparency. If things are trending badly, we know about it and we know the plans that are in place to correct course. Everyone buys into the plan and executes together, as a team. When things are going great, we celebrate wins as a team. It's a great atmosphere—a competitive, winning atmosphere that I'm proud to be a part of." 
 
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"I feel that this is a great place to work mainly because this company gives me opportunities to make a difference while at work. I have gotten the opportunity to be part of the Aflac cancer committee and raise money for Aflac's cancer center in Atlanta. The trip to Atlanta was one of the most meaningful things I have done at work. It is nice to put in everyday work for a company that cares, and it is even better to get to directly contribute and be supported by management." 
 
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100 Best Large Workplaces for Millennials

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Google/Alphabet is the No. 1 place to work for the seventh time in 10 years. Six newcomers include Veterans United at No. 30, Hilton Hotels at No. 56, and Slalom Consulting at No. 100. IKEA’s U.S. arm returns to the list, along with GoDaddy and Sheetz.

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Fortune’s second annual list of the 100 Best Workplaces for Women highlights companies with generous benefits, flexible schedules, and an emphasis on balancing work and life. 

100 best workplaces for women 2016- aflac

Employees say: 
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"Aflac actually makes exceptions to our processes based on specific situations. The work environment is friendly and flexible. There is always something to do. I can go to management if my situation is not being addressed as I feel it should. I am treated as an individual when needed. The teams function as a family. We all work together to support the Aflac brand!! We are family!" 
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"[I appreciate] the encouragement of work/life balance,and that family and personal health is allowed to come first. Also, the ability of management to see their employees' skill sets and to develop them in the professional direction they would fit best, even if it means going outside their current department." 
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Read the Great Place to Work review .

100 Best Large Workplaces for Women

The second annual ranking of the best employers for workers 35 and under.

best workplaces for millennials 2016- Aflac

"I love how management is very approachable and attentive to what suggestions you may have. They try to implement them as best they can. I love how the company gives incentives just for being an Aflac employee, such as getting movies tickets at a discount, having valet dry cleaning services, etc. I love how when you go the extra mile you are noticed for it. I just love feeling appreciated and valued. I love Aflac!" says one millennial worker. 
 
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According to another millennial: "Aflac is an amazing place to work. The culture here is like no other. Leadership truly cares about the people, and in turn the people take care of the business." 
 
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Read the .

Business insiders have spoken: Asked which companies they most admire, more than 4,100 executives, directors, and analysts chose these top 50 All-Stars.

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The inaugural list of the 100 Best Workplaces for Millennials from our partners at Great Place to Work includes surprising newcomer Power Home Remodeling, making an impressive debut at No. 1. Other standouts include Chili’s Grill and Bar (no. 11), Elevation Church (No. 34), and Yelp (No. 41).

BEST COMPANIES 2015  Aflac

Occupying slot number 132 on the Fortune 500 list, Aflac spreads its wings far and wide as one of the nation’s largest insurers. But that doesn’t keep the company from feeling intimate. In addition to a “spot awards” program that recognizes outstanding employee achievements with instant cash, company stock and swag, the company holds a weeklong celebration for its staff every year. The event has included ice skating, mini-golfing, family outings, and more. That’s not all—those who volunteer at or help plan the affair also get invited to a party at CEO Dan Amos’ country farm. As one worker gushes, “We are made to feel special and appreciated.” <a style="color:#ff0000;" href="http://us.greatrated.com/aflac-inc" target="_blank">Read the Great Place to Work review.</a>

Google tops the list once again, marking its eighth appearance and fifth time as No. 1.

Global business is back. After limping through a worldwide financial crisis and economic slowdown, the 500 largest companies ranked by revenues shattered all sorts of performance records in 2013: They racked up combined revenues of $31.1 trillion, up 2.5% from 2012, and profits soared 27% to nearly $2 trillion. China’s 95 companies (up from 89 last year) posted $5.8 trillion in revenues. The U.S. has four fewer companies on the list than last year but remains (for now) the country leader, with 128 corporations on the list—including No. 1 Wal-Mart Stores—reporting $8.6 trillion in revenues. 

Wal-Mart stayed on top as its sales crept closer to half-a-trillion dollars. Apple moved into the top five. And UnitedHealth Group continued its steady climb. 

Key Financials (last Fiscal Year)

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100% health coverage

Unlimited sick days

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Q2 2025

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Get insights into Aflac including business profile, stock information, news, and rankings from Fortune.

Aflac (AFL): Company Profile, Stock Price, News, Rankings

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Aflac | Fortune

Aflac (AFL): Company Profile, Stock Price, News, Rankings | Fortune

Lily Mae Lazarus

How this CEO built a 35-year reign at Aflac without burning out

/2025/06/30/aflac-ceo-dan-amos-tenure-corner-office/

Sheryl Estrada

Cyberattacks on insurers put CFOs on high alert

/2025/06/24/cyberattacks-insurers-aflac-cfo-high-alert/

Michelle Chapman

The Associated Press

Aflac says hackers may have stolen customers’ Social Security numbers and health information

/2025/06/20/aflac-hack-social-security-customer-data/

John Kell

Why Aflac’s CIO won’t ever be first to market with generative AI—but is still finding ways to adopt the technology

/2024/10/02/aflac-cio-conservative-approach-to-generative-ai/

Diane Brady

Joey Abrams

‘Woke’ Harley-Davidson ditches DEI, folding to right-wing pressure

/2024/08/20/harley-davidson-dei-woke-ceos/

Sydney Lake

How a park bench meeting led to Aflac’s $200 million mascot idea

https://fortune.com/2024/03/26/aflac-duck-dan-amos-park-bench-mascot-idea-commercial-success/?itm_source=parsely-api

https://fortune.com/2025/06/24/cyberattacks-insurers-aflac-cfo-high-alert/?itm_source=parsely-api

The Aflac duck doesn’t have a salary but is "king of the place," Amos says.

Aflac CEO Dan Amos explains why he bet the company on a duck

Photograph by Kendrick Brinson for Fortune

Leadership

Much too much. Well, our advertising agency was in Central Park just sitting on the bench and they heard ducks and they noticed that it sounded like a light. And so the quack quack like a became the idea and that's how we got in it. The survey showed us that he was wonderful and people enjoyed him and he continued to, he's king of the place, but he doesn't have a salary. He really doesn't do anything but he'll send you the bills. Ok. Warren Buffett would be a Fortune 500 CEO that I look up to. He's the most tenured CEO and he's given fabulous returns to the shareholders. It's been a lot of fun. Uh, goal setting is what A CEO has to do. And achieving those goals is a lot of fun. So I've enjoyed it. Well, I've been CEO for 34 years and I've seen a lot and I think when you work with a good organization, you have to stay with them. And Aflac has been a great place to work.

Dan Amos shares his wisdom on A.I., ESG, why he’s lasted in the CEO job for 33 years, and one thing people don’t know about the Aflac duck.

Aflac CEO Talks Up A.I.: “It’s the next wave. We like it. We’re impressed”

Aflac CEO On A.I.: “It’s the next wave."

Dan. So good to see you again to talk about Aflac, you know, it's remarkable that you've been running the company for 33 years and you've had a great track record all along the way of introducing new services for your customers and staying up to date. And I understand now now that you're using more technology in your business, ai artificial intelligence, tell us how is ai impacting your business today? Well, I think things are changing faster today than ever. For example, we have just this is futuristic, but there's this company that we've invested in that will take a photograph of you and with that they can tell your health hard to believe hadn't been all worked out. But it looks like the future. We can process business much faster uh to the degree that we used to take two weeks to process the claim. We have the ability in certain cases to process it in that. So it changes every day. And so I think you have to invest in the future. Well, it's interesting that you talk about all the change in the industry because when you started at aflac, you started out in the field, you're a salesman and you were going door to door selling insurance and of course, so much as since then how do these new technologies, not just Ai but also things like social media, help your aflac agents to do more marketing or to bring in new customers. We've had the aflac duck for 23 years. And I can remember when we first did the aflac Duck commercial, we didn't have a flight dot com. So just go back that many years and we really didn't know what to do. And so now with different ways we can send people different directions, we can send you, if you see the commercial to recruit you, we can send you to handle the claim, we can send you to buy our stock. We we've got the ability to move you throughout the system to anything that might uh be a benefit to you are of interest to you as a consumer. And I know insurance companies like Affleck also like to get those younger customers gen Z's and millennials and you have to reach them digitally. Not in person necessarily right to the contrary. They don't want to be reached in person a lot of times. So, absolutely, that's the case and how we get to them and they don't cut on the tv set every day and watch it. So how we get to them is hard. That's why it's wonderful to have a good brand. If they know your name already, you can go to the internet, you can go to social media and they, you don't have to explain who they are because they know the Aflac duck. Well, I've been told that you live by three principles of risk management and you rely on these principles for many of your key decisions here. They are. Don't risk a lot for a little, don't risk more than you can afford and always consider the odds. How has a flex investments in Ai so far measured up against these principles, I would say from an Ai perspective, we it is a good decision on our part. And what I always say is I like evolution, not revolution. So a consistent pattern of investing in ai like we do with our investments to look for things that are gonna be changing. You've got to do that. If you just sit back, you'll miss everything, we weigh what the benefit is and what the potential is into the future. But you have to be moving to a i in some shape form or fashion. And each company will have to decide what that is. And can you see doing more investments in ai looking ahead. Oh yeah, no question. Yeah, I can see and not only that, I think everybody will be doing. I imagine if you were in the internet, he said, oh I don't need the internet and you know, a lot of companies probably thought that when they first came out and now look today. So absolutely, it's it's the next way how big it's gonna be, what it's gonna be. None of us know, but we do know that we like it, we're impressed with it. And so I think we're going to see more of it. Let's switch gears and talk a little bit about the economy and its impact on your customers, You've been concerned about this and you've said that inflation is terrible for the average consumer. We've seen that it's been true for food prices and gas prices. But what about for insurance benefits? One of the last things people drop is their insurance because uh it would be terrible at a time of need. We know statistically That about 57% of the consumers in America don't have $1,000 in cash that they can get hold of. So that would be for any reason whatsoever. So If you're buying insurance and you're paying for it weekly, monthly, quarterly, whatever it is, the odds are that you will need it during these inflationary periods of time. I saw that we're running about 6%. Now inflation, it was as high as 10. It's been lower, but it's running about six. And so it's it's it's a, it's a real challenge. So if inflation stays high and interest rates continue to go up, what can Affleck do, do you have pricing power? Can you raise prices? We can, we've never had rate increases on our basic supplemental health insurance products once you buy, we've we've been able to hold our our prices at the same rate. So how much of a headwind is this for your business? I've been through the cycles And they affect us, they affect the customer and they affect uh in every way. But we've been able to to make it by having as little of increases as we could have. Uh we've worked through those processes and we just have to take it on. But generally there, that cycle does break. We, you know, we're hoping that it will be in 2023, but we'll have to watch it and see dan. As we said at the beginning of our conversation, you've been running a flak for more than three decades. You're one of the longest serving Ceo on the Fortune 500 Affleck is also ranked on our fortune list of the 100 best companies to work for 20 years. Now. What's the secret to your success remembering that a company is made up of people and taking care of the people is important, taking care of the customers which are people. But as much as we talk about technology, it's still a people business. And so I think that is vitally important and to be forthright and let people know where they stand and what they need to do to achieve the objectives. Um makes a real difference. Well, Ceo, 10 years these days are shorter than ever. I mean, what can other Ceo learn from what you've been doing at Affleck all these years and especially your leadership. I would say that I'm very focused. I don't try to do too many things. I say, okay, we're gonna come out with a new product. I don't let people pull me different directions. I stay on the product or if it's technology, we stay on the technology. But every, but I always call it a shotgun approach versus a rifle approach. I like to be the rifle approach that stays on it and not try to hit 10 things. I want to do one well and then I'll move to the next one. So I think that's one of the things I would say make a difference of your leadership is that you have been a big believer in corporate social responsibility. What we all call today? S g long before other people saw the importance of it. Why was so obvious to you? And it's still such a controversial topic these days. I've always said pride of something makes a difference and I'm very proud of being socially responsible and that we've chosen something to do now. I think it's a good business decision. We've got a brand that's important. And especially with the younger generation, it's more than just dollars. It's more of what are they doing? And I think it helps us in recruiting. So I get smarter people that come to work. I think that helps it. And I think if I asked somebody on the street have you brother by this policy from company X or if you'd rather buy it from Aflac and by the way, Aflac helps Children with cancer And have done all of these things. Most people are gonna go with the Aflac for that reason. So I think it's a good business decision. You have also made a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. Something that everybody's talking about these days. The numbers are very good. Almost 50% of a flax employees are female or people of color. More than 60% of the board members that Affleck are female or people of color. What more do you want to do and then how are you going to get there? I think it's our responsibility to make sure that everyone is treated equal. You know, one of the things that everybody kids me about is I have a saying that at my meeting that I have my staff meeting that I don't need to know what 60 year old plus white men are thinking, I'm one, what I want to know is what the young person of color, what the middle aged female, whatever the combination is, that happens. What are they thinking? And that's a good business decision. It's not just, it's the right thing to do. Yes, but it's also a good business decision. And I feel like it's one of the things that made me successful. So we can't end our conversation without talking about the aflac duck. We tried to get him to come here in the studio, It didn't work out, but you know, it's a household name, it's a pop icon. Tell us something about the aflac duck that we just don't know. Probably you don't know that over 70% of our business comes from Japan and Aflac. The name through the Aflac Duck has about 95% name recognition in Japan. Because of that, in the us, the duck has much higher or stronger voice. They have to be calm and quieter in Japan, but it is a slam dunk in Japan and what it's done.

[ MUSIC ] Dan, just about everybody knows Aflac thanks to that famous Aflac duck. What does the duck do for your sales? It's changed everything. We're a household name. So, by doing that, we don't have to explain that we're in the insurance business. And people in your household name they know you're big financially. You don't. You don't have a name this in 90 % of the marketplace without them, not knowing that So it opens the door for everything in terms of sales. The pace of growth obviously has slowed and you recently said that sales could be off for a while. What's changed? When you build a block of business X amount laughs every year, and you've got to replace that and then grow in addition to that So as the block becomes bigger of the sales, then it's just harder to move the needle. So that's part of the reason for it with a lower interest, right? You've got lower revenues if we were getting 5 % return and now we're down to 2 % return, that also affects. We've seen some news about improper sales practices in Japan of Aflac insurance policies. What can you tell us about this whole situation? Well, that's really dealing with Japan post and they're selling our products. And their issue. They also sell for us. And so while they were looking at their issue, we reviewed the 1. 2 million policies that they have enforced with us. And we only found 70 policies that were any issue. So it's basically we've taken care of that. And we're moving on, but it has affected our new sales. In terms of they're focusing on that, so they're not selling for us as much. But I think by the end of the year, it will pick right back up. What is it gonna take to get Aflac back to double- digit growth? Our company is a total return company, dividend in terms of earnings growth. So I think it'll be the combination of the two. And I think we're seeing that shift with shareholders as we're moving more toward that. But the sheer size makes double digit, much harder to do. What's going to generate growth at Aflac? We have recently bought a dental company, and we believe that's going to broaden our base in the United States. So I think that's going to grow our business. In Japan, we're looking at other products and services. So I think we're gonna continue to see growth, and hopefully it will be at the top end of the range. To what extent would a real recession impact adversely your company? Well, again, remember 75 % of our business is in Japan. So you're talking about the US. So, in terms of making our objectives at the corporations level, we ought to be okay. It worries us a little bit, we've been through recessions before. In 30 years I've seen several, so I know what to do when that takes place. But it will have some negative impact, but not to the degree, it [ UNKNOWN ] retail or other things. All right, so you've gone through. Are recessions before >> Right >> And as you make plans for the rest of this year, and going into 2020, what are you doing to prepare for a possible recession ?>> Well the only thing that we are doing differently is something that we have been working on for several years and it's really not major, but it's the thing here to look for technology to lower the operating cost, i have always said. The person that has the lowest operating expense ratio wins, and that in a recession that's even more important given the big sell offs and the volatility that we've seen in the stock market. How are you changing your investment strategy in this climate, we continue to stay on the same path cuz When we sell a policy we expect it to stay on the books for about 13 years. So, we need long- term securities. And so, our strategy has never changed when the environment's strong or weak. We're still moving in that direction. And it's been very positive for us over 30 years. Let's wrap up by talking a little bit about the presidential race and all the debates about health care. Candidates are talking about a lot of proposals as you know, Medicare for all The public option, Obama care basically. Which of these proposals if adopted would have the most opportunities for athletics core business. Medicare for all, is the same in that it's national health care for all in Japan. So we do very well in that environment. So, whatever happens over here for all, we will do well in that environment as well. So fast forward to after the 2020 presidential elections and whether there's a Republican in the White House or a Democrat. Do you expect that there will be during that term, some kind of an overhaul of the American healthcare system, it'll be very difficult. Because you're gonna have to have the president, the Senate, and the House all agree. And any time you do that, you've seen it happen so few times over the history of the nation, it's a difficult time. As someone who's been in this healthcare and insurance business For your lifetime, do you think it's time to bring some kind of new innovation to the US healthcare system? Is this the right time? Any time they can find a solution to this problem, we need to do it because we want everybody insure, we still know they're gonna be gaps and co pays and deductibles and we'll be there to fill those But we absolutely want that to happen. [ BLANK_AUDIO ]

Aflac CEO Doesn't Duck Recession Risks: "We Ought To Be OK"

Aflac's Japanese unit could be the insurance protection it needs if the U.S. slips into recession, as many economists are predicting.

[ MUSIC ] Dan, you've been CEO of Aflac for almost 30 years. This is unheard of for a fortune 500 CEO to stay in charge that long. Usually, it's something like five years, So How did you make that last so long? How did you do it? Well my family started the company and although we don't own it, it's a publically traded company, there's the pride of that element that I know makes a difference. I care more and want it to be. So I'm not interested in this quarter's earnings. I'm interested in what the future will hold. And I think that's part of it and I truly love it. I mean, I would work for nothing. I like it that much. And it's been fun to me and I love setting goals and achieving them. But as you said, Said your uncles and your father founded AFLAC more than sixty years ago Right. We knew you were a young man in your twenties you joined the company I did. as an insurance salesman so you really saw how they were running the The business. What was as you reflect on it the most important leadership lesson that you learned from them? They had a saying that I really like and I use it today and that is, if you take care of your people, they'll take care of the business. And it really applies, and I've tried to do that and making sure that we have Diversity, equality. When the employees are happy, everything else works better. Well, it seems like they were big believers in the importance of things like social responsibility, which is something that only recently now business leaders are talking about. They were ahead of their time. Well, I think they were, and even my first year CEO I sent a survey out to the employees and said what's important to you? And the thing that came back was put in a daycare center. Well, none of the lawyers want us to so you got liability you've got I said, Look, that's what they want. That's what I want to do. Why would have survey I'm not gonna do what they want. So we put in the first on site daycare center for a corporation in Georgia. If you're really doing the social responsibility the correct way it improves the image or the brand of the company. And in addition to that it ultimately helps the bottom line. Because it's a good financial decision as well. Well, there's a debate as you know now about the business roundtables decision recently to change its definition on what is the mission and purpose of American corporations is now is gone is that long held view that the one and only responsibility of a business is to make money for shareholders. Now, The commitment is to serve all stakeholders and by this means employees and customers, your communities and and the shareholders too. So about 200 prominent business leaders signed the new mission statement. You were one of them. Why do you think that this is such a significant development? I see it is a good business decision to me building the brand of an image That we care about people. We care about all of these aspects. To me, ultimately is what makes the shareholder return better. So they go hand in hand, to me. And I don't see how you can separate them. If all you're talking about is making money Then I don't think long term, you'll succeed as a company. So what do you say to the critics who say, this is just window dressing and that there's a risk that it could backfire and lead to worse returns for shareholders. What do you say to that? I say that you'll wait and see But it hasn't been in our case, and I think ultimately it's gonna work. And those that don't take it on and really do what they're saying they're gonna do, then they're gonna be in trouble. Let's turn now to another important topic. All right. The Aflac duck, you came up with the idea of a duck. Why a duck? Well why a duck was because we Did some surveys and found that quack quack Aflac, they sense that they can remember that. So that's how the duck ended up coming into play. And from there, we ended up making a commercial and the commercial tested through the roof. And so the scared part was We were kinda making fun of our name and back then no one was using humor so we didn't know what would happen. Well the answer was after one week, we got more hits on the Internet than we did the entire year before. It was a huge success. Huge. And you did turn the AFLAC name into a household name, and the duck became A rock star, but was there any business lesson or leadership insight here from what you did? You've gotta broaden your perspective and take chances. That's the real issue here is you were having Prudential and the rock, you were having all these things about financial security. And here we were making fun of ourselves. But it was that is what catapulted us. We only had 5 % name recognition. We jumped all the way to 90 in three years and our sales doubled. So taking risk. Is worth it. Part of being a great leader is also having a great succession plan. And you're obviously young and energetic and you wanna keep on working. But what is your timeline for choosing the next CEO for Afflack .>> Well, what I'd state is, I would stay until atleast I'm 70. I've now felt that I'm not going to make a very good retiree and I want to stay a little longer. But I'm preparing now to have succession. I annually meet with the board of directors and go through. All the key positions in the company and who is the heir apparent for that particular position? It changes. But that's very important and I'm planning on doing that with me as well. What are the qualities, leadership qualities that you think the next CEO has to have? We've been very family oriented, and so a great personality of leadership is very important. The next thing is understanding the financials, understanding that we're now very investment- driven, and so I need someone that truly understands investments in the financial And then the third, you've got to understand Japan. 75 % of our businesses, Japan, you have to truly understand the culture, what's going on there and how it's developing. And so, and then have a strategic vision for the future to continue to grow. So Dan, how about you? What do you want people to say about your legacy? I want him to say that he was a good businessman, and a good person. I want to be more than just business, but that I cared about people and if they think I cared about him, that's pretty good way to go out

Aflac CEO On Leadership: Take Care of Your People.. They'll Take Care of Business

It also helps that the popular duck made Aflac a household name and boosted sales. 

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