Our People
At Sodexo we believe that the best people can only be recruited and retained by encouraging, supporting and investing in them to realise their potential. We strive to create a work environment based on mutual respect for all individuals which recognises the unique contribution of each person.
Diversity and inclusion management
We believe that a proactive approach to diversity and inclusion fosters a happy workforce that provides Sodexo with a variety of different skills and strengths. We plan ongoing diversity and inclusion briefings and training for employees at all levels. The variety of positions at Sodexo suits a diverse workforce, including older employees. The company supports a wide range of flexible working arrangements which help employees to balance their work and home commitments.
The new diversity and inclusion council aims to ensure that best practice is shared across the business and formulate strategy for the UK and Ireland.
We collect and analyse data to monitor employee diversity and during 2007 this was expanded to include ethnicity data for the first time.
Sodexo is a member of 'Race for Opportunity', a network of organisations working to promote the business case for race and diversity, and Organisational Resources Counsellors Worldwide (ORC). We are also an active participant in other diversity forums such as the 'Employers' Forum on Disability' and the 'Employers' Forum on Age'.
A new diversity policy and charter of inclusion was launched in 2008 and all employees will be made aware of it on induction.
Our long term plan is to ensure diversity is truly embedded into all aspects of the business, and that Sodexo is recognised for its best practice in this area.
Training and development
Training programmes amounting to over 5,000 days per year help Sodexo employees fulfil their potential. They include:
- legislative training, such as health and safety
- IT and business processes skills
training in management skills, such as conducting performance reviews
In 2007, we launched 'Aspire', a talent development and internal promotion programme. 'Aspire' is part of a new talent and leadership framework to provide a consistent approach to identifying talent and developing our managers' capabilities.
Sodexo employees can take a wide range of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) for formal UK recognition of their skills development. In 2007, Sodexo's NVQ programme had 450 registered candidates.
We are proud to have been an Investor in People (IIP) for over 6 years. IIP is a comprehensive standard that recognises improving business performance through clear direction, effective communication, involving staff in decision making, continuous review and strategy adjustment, effective learning and development.
For more information please view our latest Corporate Citizenship Report.