Sodexo releases first annual Diversity Report
12/5/2009
Sodexo, a world leader in food and facilities management services, has published its first annual Diversity Report, joining a select group of companies that publish a report dedicated to diversity.
The report, available online at www.sodexo.com, reviews performance measures on commitments and innovative initiatives undertaken in 80 countries where the company operates, focusing on four priority areas defined in 2005: gender representation, generational opportunities in the workplace, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.
"For Sodexo, diversity is more than a moral obligation or a societal goal: it is an economic imperative," said Sodexo CEO Michel Landel. "Diversity is a source of competitive advantage and a key element of our long-term growth strategy. Diversity is engrained in all aspects of our business - our work environment, our markets and our communities - because it allows us to differentiate, to innovate and to grow."
In 2005, Sodexo formalised its diversity commitment at a global level, appointing as Group Chief Diversity Officer, Rohini Anand, who reports directly to Sodexo's CEO. Diversity performance is tracked in order to measure progress towards identified objectives, including increasing the representation of women in leadership positions to 25% by 2012. Today, 18% of the company's top 250 executives (compared with 16% in 2007) and 23% of its senior managers are women (22% in 2007).
Working with a 40-person task force, Rohini Anand and her team support local and global initiatives, providing information and training and working to increase awareness and promote sharing of best practices.
An example of Sodexo's innovative approach to promoting diversity is a May 12 "Virtual Global Inclusion Summit" at which the company's Executive Committee and female managers from both Sodexo and Microsoft will meet for panel discussions and awareness programmes. "This is the first time that virtual meeting technology is being used for a global event on diversity," said Rohini Anand. "We are bringing together hundreds of people from around the world for two hours without any travel, enabling us to significantly reduce not only the meeting's carbon footprint but also the organisational costs. Another innovation: Sodexo decided to organize the Global Inclusion Summit in partnership with Microsoft. Five hundred employees from each company will have the opportunity to follow the event on-line, offering opportunities for increased sharing and networking."
