How to foster a sense of community unlike anything else
New visitors always feel the tangible family atmosphere at Sodexo sites across Salisbury Plain, but why can so many family networks be found working at the Larkhill Garrison? In this case study, we spoke to mothers and daughters at the site to learn about the benefits of working alongside relatives.
Project Allenby Connaught is a scheme that has redeveloped military garrisons on the Aldershot and Salisbury Plain in the UK. Being one of Sodexo's largest UK defence contracts, we serve a staggering 3.4 million meals to soldiers in our dining facilities across these sites each year. This equates to some 9,500 meals every single day.
With over 40 years of experience supporting the Defence forces of the UK, the US and France, we work with military leaders to enhance personnel's physical and mental wellbeing across all military services.
One of the ways Sodexo supports the military is through employing families across sites from military backgrounds. We are honoured to support and provide employment opportunities at every level to those leaving the military, recognising the value, knowledge, and talent that ex-service personnel and their families can bring.
Extensive experience and industry knowledge lead to improved performance
Employing families across sites has been beneficial and has helped to build incredibly supportive staff networks quickly enabling staff to acclimatise to new working environments.
We spoke to Jenny Foster, a Cleaning Supervisor at Larkhill, about the importance of community within military bases:
"Working here has always meant support is around the corner, especially with the number of family units on-site. Everybody knows everybody. Having worked at Larkhill itself for over 32 years and Sodexo for the last 16, I have seen many friends and family join the company. Two of my grandchildren also came to work for Sodexo as they were leaving school and between college and university. The career possibilities are endless as long as you put the effort in and show dedication."
Lisa Allison, Jenny's daughter, and Deputy Service Manager at Larkhill, spoke of the opportunities for growth she has experienced throughout her career and how these possibilities often translate into staff motivation:
"I first looked at applying for Sodexo at my mother's (Jenny's) suggestion and have now worked at Larkhill for over 12 years. Beginning as a cleaner and then progressing to mess accountant and mess manager, I am now a deputy service manager.
The benefit of having family on-site is the extra level of support I feel it has given me, especially when new working systems have come in. Working at Larkhill is a family affair; everyone takes care of each other, and we have a wonderful sense of community as a site."
The value of having a close support system at work
At Sodexo, we take the wellbeing of our employees incredibly seriously. Kimberly Gray, PA to Contract Director for Allenby Connaught has stated:
"My daughter Mikayla and I are both employed at Larkhill. I have been working for Sodexo for the last 10 years, and my current job on the Garrison is Office Support and personal assistant to the Contract Director, James Nottage. One of the things I love about both of us working for Sodexo is the connection between workers and that we can get key holidays off together. Sodexo is a very diverse company to work for with plenty of opportunities to progress and have a fulfilling career."
Kimberly’s daughter, Mikayla Gray, who is a Site Administrator at Larkhill, also spoke about the benefits of working alongside family and how the seriousness with which the company treats employee safety has led her to recommend the company as a place to work:
"Sodexo has great company values, and I would say the main benefit of so many family networks is being able to share our knowledge and give each other insight into different sides of the business.
Some of the driving factors behind so many relatives wanting to work here are the support given to employees, the career progression available, and the many events that are held on-site. I also believe that because one of Sodexo's main priorities is its employee's safety, that makes employees feel at ease having their relatives work for them."
Why do so many family networks work at the site?
First started by Pierre Bellon in 1966 and now run by his daughter Sophie Bellon (CEO and Chairwoman of the Board of Directors), Sodexo has always been a family-run business. A reflection of this can be seen throughout the company, but especially across the Allenby Connaught sites.
Family networks are commonplace not only because of the job opportunities and rural location but because of the number of military families living in the area who want to work on sites—with their intimate understanding of military life and the locality acting as a draw. In fact, many people working on-site are themselves ex-military. At Sodexo, our support of ex-service members and forces families has always been a priority.
Being a spouse of a soldier shapes the way you and your children think, feel and behave. 70% of my team have a personal connection to the Garrison, this includes the partners of serving soldiers or their children.
Active recruitment of ex-military personnel
Only by gaining insight into individuals across the whole force can we design the most effective services. A thorough understanding of the military enables us to offer the best support possible.
We showcase our commitment to the UK's Armed Forces community by supporting several service charities, particularly SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity. Through SSAFA, Sodexo helps improve the wellbeing and quality of life of those who currently serve in the UK's Armed Forces, veterans, and their families.
As keen supporters of SSAFA's Friendly to Forces pledge, we aim to be the employer of choice for service leavers, implementing policies that help serving regular and reserve personnel, veterans, and their families to gain employment.
Sodexo employs over 4,000 people across 150 Defence sites within the UK, Cyprus and the Falkland Islands. Ex-forces personnel are well represented within our leadership and delivery teams across the portfolio. We are proud to serve over 50,000 troops and their families, as well as contractors, industry partners and civilians on-site.
Fostering a sense of community
Sodexo’s Allenby Connaught site has been able to reap the benefits of having several families work within the contract. With many of our staff coming primarily from military backgrounds, we are proud to provide an essential service to everyone living and working across the garrisons and offer a wide range of career development opportunities for our teams.