Running head: SODEXO INC.
Sodexo Inc.
Grand Canyon UniversitySodexo Inc.
Introduction:Sodexo Inc. is a member of the Sodexo Group which is an French multinational company begun in 1966 by Pierre Bellon with 355,000 employees in over 80 countries. In 1998 Sodexo merged with Marriot Management services making it the largest provider of integrated facilities management and food services in North America. Some of these services include laundry, food, catering, vending, custodial, grounds, maintenance, security and management.("Sodexo", n.d.) Sodexo Inc. provides these services at a variety of settings including hospitals, colleges, universities, private as well as public schools, military bases, retirement centers, corporate buildings and remote locations. Sodexo Inc. has over 120,000 employees in over 6000 locations serving more than ten million customers in North America every day. (Long, 2009)With a company such as Sodexo Inc. the number one product produced is service. This is all generated by its front line employees and management.
Margaret Henry
Centre College 2010 WEG Event - 11
Katie Stagliano - Summerville, SCAttracting, developing and maintaining its vast workforce is critical to its success. This paper will focus on how Sodexo Inc. performs in these three general areas.
\In a company with such a large workforce attracting quality employees is a constant battle. On any given day there are over a thousand employment opportunities available ranging from frontline employees to district managers. There are numerous ways these positions are recruited for.
Over the next five years the department of Labor estimates that over 20 million new entrants into the job market will not have the means for post high school education. (Sodexo, n.d.). One of the programs which Sodexo Inc. uses to tap into this potential labor pool is called School to Career program. The process is quite simple; partnerships are created by working closely with schools, youth groups and community organizations. These partnerships include teachers, parents, law enforcement and local business leaders. Regular contact with these community partners is kept up by organizing and coordinating events and activities for the students. By becoming a role model, recruiting and employing these students for seasonal or part time work will expose them to the company in a positive manner. (Sodexo Inc., n.d., p. 2) Upon their entrance into the workforce the company hopes to have an established relationship with the candidates. The candidates exposure to the company will hopefully be employees that stay for longer periods of time than those who begin employment with the company with no prior exposure.
The company also has programs to tap into the college and university graduate labor pool. The largest and most successful program is the Future Leaders Internship program. It is a three month paid program. Candidates are chosen from a vast pool of applicants. The candidate must submit an application, a letter of recommendation from a faculty member and a 250 word essay explaining why they are seeking the internship and what they hope to gain from the experience. Interns are paired up with a middle or senior level manager from a wide variety of culturally diverse backgrounds and career interests. This relationship is maintained throughout their college career. The intern will spend equal amounts of time with all of the managers and departments in the unit. On line, conference call and onsite training classes will also be part of the agenda. (Sodexo Inc., n.d.) Depending on the current manager openings candidates who successfully completed an internship program are given the opportunity to apply for these openings.
The last major recruitment program at the company is called Start Finder. It is an employee referral program. Current employees who refer a successfully hired candidate can earn as much as $2000. They are also recognized as Star Finder Champions and published in the company's national website.
Once these employees are hired it is critical to develop them. A great deal of energy is spent by the company and its managers in this field. Every employee hired is required to attend diversity awareness training in some form. Managers attend a more in depth 2 day class. By heightening the awareness of what diversity is and what it means, managers are able to take specific actions to create a diverse work place. This is critical with a company such as Sodexo Inc.. A company with such a vast workforce and clients in every region of North America diversity is a way of life. Fostering this environment also enhances the company's public image thus attracting and retaining diverse clients.
Sodexo Inc. has numerous training programs at every level. Front line employees are receive a vast amount of onsite training as well as access to Sodexo University. Sodexo University is a collection of on line training and development resources. (Sodexo, 2004, p. 2) The on line training consists of relevant work training as well as professional growth opportunities. Managers receive much more off site seminar type training as well as required on line training required annually including how to properly perform performance appraisals.
Sodexo Inc. invests a great deal of time and resources to train its employees. The cost of training a new employee exceeds $2,000. With a service based company such as Sodexo Inc. it is imperative to do everything within reason to retain its workforce. The company offers a wide range of benefits including an extensive retirement and savings program. The pay scale is very consistent with the industry average.
According to a Gallup poll, 75% of employees quit their job due to poor management relations. (Sodexo, 2004, p. 10) It is because of this information that the greatest emphasis of employee retention is placed on the manager's relationship and how he or she treats their employees. It is the company belief that satisfied employees provide a higher level of service to their clients. Managers are trained in several key areas such as coaching/mentoring relationships, proper performance appraisals with quality follow up, encouraging initiative, and providing positive feedback.
Summary:Although Sodexo Inc is an extremely large employer it has realized that all employees are an investment and should not be taken for granted. The company goes to great lengths to acquire, develop and retain their employees not because it good public relations but it makes good business sense and the company would not be as successful as it is with unmotivated and untrained employees. In a service based industry the employees are the face of the company which the client and or public sees.
ReferencesLong, D. (2009). Who is Sodexo?. Retrieved 19 Aug. 2009, from woodsnewspaper.comSodexo (2004). Employee retention manual. Retrieved from :Sodexo (n.d.). School to Career program. Retrieved 21 Aug 2009, from www.sodexo-infousa.comSodexo Inc. (n.d.). School to Career Managers Handbook. Retrieved 21 Aug 2009, from www.sodexo-info usa.comSodexo Inc. (n.d.). Sodexo Future Leaders Internship Program. Retrieved 21 Aug 09, from www.Sodexo-infousa .comSodexo. (n.d.). In (Ed.), Wikipedia. Retrieved 20 Aug. 2009, from wikipedia.org
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