Posts Tagged ‘opportunity’

Celebrating Ten Years of a Remarkable Diversity Journey

Thursday, April 18th, 2013

George Chavel

Where does the time go? It’s hard to believe we at Sodexo just “gaveled out” of our 10th Diversity Business Leadership Summit, also known as the DBLS. Our goal in the beginning was to foster a better understanding of an inclusive environment and how it could benefit us as a workforce, community members, as well as a business.

Ten years later, the facts and statistics reiterate what we already knew: Diverse organizations are enjoying measurable bottom-line contributions as a result of inclusiveness.

A recent study commissioned by CalPERS, for example, found that companies with diverse boards exceeded Dow Jones and NASDAQ average returns on five years, and companies that did not have diverse boards were at a competitive disadvantage. In 2010 Calvert issued a study and found that companies demonstrating a robust commitment to diversity, in addition to competitive financial performance, are better positioned to generate long-term value for their shareholders.

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Our chief diversity officer, Rohini Anand described a “cultural competence” which enhances relationships with our employees, customers and clients. Simply put, leading businesses spark greater innovation by creating a climate where individuals are engaged, feel valued, are fully included in key decisions and processes and are comfortable contributing ideas.

Click on the photograph of Earvin "Magic" Johnson to see our Flickr set from the 10th Sodexo DBLS.

We were given specific examples of this practice by my friend, business partner and mentor, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, who gave the keynote at our summit. Magic, the head of SodexoMAGIC reminisced passionately about having to differentiate with dedicated employees who over-serviced to prove that business could be profitable and successful in under-developed urban areas, while at the same time, benefiting the community with jobs, tax revenue and overall longer-term opportunities. Magic said simply, “doing business with minorities makes good business sense.”

He also talked passionately about his son, Earvin Johnson III, also known as E.J., recently coming out and his unwavering public support of E.J.’s decision. Magic eloquently compared his own son’s lifestyle and the need for inclusive work environments which not only welcomes a diverse workforce, but supports one as well.

I want to thank the city of Chicago for a beautiful backdrop to our milestone meeting and all of our hardworking Sodexo colleagues at Northwestern University who made this most memorable event possible.

George Chavel is president & CEO of Sodexo North America.

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Working Moms Make History

Tuesday, March 26th, 2013

Carol Evans

During this Women’s History Month I am struck by just how much history is being made for working moms right now. In fact, it’s hard to remember when, in my lifetime, we have been the subjects of so much attention.

First there is Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo. At first, working moms of all stripes were excited last summer when Yahoo! named Marissa Mayer CEO, even as her maternity leave loomed just a few months away. But soon she began concerning us–first with her two-week maternity leave and most recently with her ban on work-from-home policies across the company. Was she discounting all the progress made by corporate America and documented by the Working Mother 100 Best Companies over the past 27 years?  Doesn’t she realize that flexibility is an incredibly powerful benefit that can boost employee engagement and loyalty, while lowering absenteeism and ‘presenteeism’…not to mention being a boon to the bottom line?

On a brighter note, there’s Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook. Last year I wrote a blog post about how Sandberg is living the working mother’s dream. She set a great example of how flex can work even at the highest levels of the corporate world when she announced that she would be leaving work at 5:30 pm each day so that she could have dinner with her family. And now, with her new book, Lean In, she tells women not to doubt their ability to combine work and family. She believes women who “lean in” and believe in themselves succeed professionally, and that they are in better position to ask for what they need and make changes that can benefit others.  It is especially telling that the book was reviewed by Anne Marie Slaughter, who made her own headlines by quitting a high-profile government job after only two years because she hadn’t taken steps to ensure work life balance in her own life, and she needed it back.

Now, a new study by the Pew Research Center shows that the number of moms who prefer to work full-time has risen to 32 percent from just 20 percent five years ago, according to a report released on March 14. Additionally, the study shows that moms and dads increasingly share not only the duties of earning money and taking care of kids, but also the emotional burdens associated with each. The new data showing that dads want to spend more time at home and moms are pursuing substantial careers illustrate the cultural shift we’ve all been living, and that the Working Mother Research Institute has been tracking.

What can we take away from all this? I believe that If both parents –those at all levels, not just the high-profile ones in the C-suite—had the option to work flexible hours we’d all feel more positive about our kids, our families, and ourselves, and more hopeful about our careers and companies. Working Mother supports companies like Sodexo that are openly committed to flex, making it a true business focus. Sodexo’s Flexibility Implementation Team continues to work to embed flex into the complete Sodexo culture. Sodexo understands that flex is not only the right thing to do; it’s also good for business. As more companies follow Sodexo’s lead, they will all fare the better for it, as will our families. And working moms will continue to make history.

Carol Evans is president of Working Mother Media. You can also find both her and her company on Twitter.

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Women’s History Month. . .Where to begin?

Thursday, March 14th, 2013

Ann Oka

Suffrage, Friedan, Steinem, Thatcher?  Since I’m not a historian, I’ll pick much closer to home.

As I reflect on this topic, I recall an interview from very early in my career, almost 30 years ago.  I was being interviewed as one of the first women in manufacturing management for a multinational consumer products company. A chemical engineer managing a vegetable oil refinery was not my mother’s idea of a glamorous career choice, but in some respects, it was an opportunity to be a trailblazer.

What I recall telling the writer was that there was additional pressure on early women in these positions to do well, as we were setting out to break stereotypes. I recall inspecting tanks from the inside, wading through sludge up to my knees, and working with hazardous materials. There was no way that I would flinch from a tough job. It got to the point that my crew would delight in calling me out to face off with some of our toughest vendors, just to see the reaction. And yet, when I interviewed at another company, dressed in my requisite blue suit and white shirt, the engineering manager still had to let me know that the job would be in environments where I couldn’t wear “that!”  But still, in my early naivete, when I was asked the mandatory question about what I wanted my future to be, I said, “Someday, I want to be King!”

It was much later, during my MBA studies that I took a class on business ethics. The professor graphically depicted the impact that unequal gender representation can have on a company. If you believe as I do that talent and intelligence are evenly distributed without regard to gender or race, and you also believe that having our best and our brightest at every level is critical to a company’s success, then this example may also resonate for you.

Picture a pyramid, with four levels. At the bottom, men and women are equally represented as they enter the workplace. In the second level, middle management, depending on what study you look at, the distribution of men to women is something more like 60/40. Theoretically, there are women left in the bottom level who are the talent equivalent, (or better) than 20% of the second tier. As you progress up to the third level, or senior management, the ratio of men to women is something more like 75/25; and at the upper most levels, 90/10. Imagine the talented women who are stuck lower in the pyramid, and ask yourself whether it is the best and the brightest running the firm.  Compounding this waste, how many of those “stuck” end up disengaged, or leaving? As responsible business people, can we afford for this to happen?

My point is, while we’ve come a long way, we still have room to improve. In most professions, women don’t have quite the overt stereotypes to break, although I’m sure Hillary Clinton was tested in many ways in her last job.  I know that I no longer think that success is defined in male terms, (I no longer want to be King – Empress is quite fine).  Women are now an accepted and expected part of the workforce, and if we can solve the disparities in representation at all levels, we can fully capitalize on the potential of women in the workforce, and create our own history.

Ann Oka is senior vice president of Sodexo Supply Management.

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Hurricane Sandy: Not Just Another Day at the Office

Monday, November 19th, 2012

Tony Mastellone

Imagine losing everything. No power, no heat, no running water, no house – nowhere to go. I am not describing devastation in a third world country. What I am describing is the destruction and loss in and around one of the world’s most populous cities, New York.

When Super storm Sandy barreled into the northeast, millions prepared, but all you could do is wait to see path of her wrath; I am sure no one on Staten Island felt it would bear down so violently on them. Following the storm, several of us on the Sodexo NY Team coordinated production on 5,000 meals with our vendor partner,  Lorenzo Food Group. Though the road trip was a few short miles, it was an emotional journey none of us will soon forget.

The expedition began with a trip to two homeless shelters in the Richmond Terrace and Stapleton neighborhoods – these shelters are extremely taxed at this time with people looking for a meal.

Loading up the truck with supplies and food. For additional pictures of the Sodexo team’s journey following Hurricane Sandy, click on any of the pictures within this blog.

With the support of the Red Cross and a federal agent escort, we arrived safely and began to distribute as much as we could. Our donations were greatly appreciated by leaders of these shelters where many more people have begun showing up for a well-deserved meal.

We then made our way to two emergency stations – one on Father Capodanno Blvd, and another on Guyon Avenue.  Father Cap is the road which suffered a direct hit of the storm and what looks to be all but destroyed.  As a former Staten Island resident, even though I was seeing it with my own eyes, I could not grasp the devastation which had taken place – it looked more like a Tsunami had washed over the entire area.

The community is riddled with destruction — homes have been leveled, personal belongings are on every sidewalk, and to make matters worse, there is no sign of electricity being restored any time soon.  In speaking with police, several residents are afraid to leave their homes as desperation has caused a good deal of looting.

The emergency station on Guyon Avenue.

Our trip continued to the emergency station on Guyon Avenue. This was a life altering experience for many of us.  The station is actually a home in the neighborhood with a simple generator gassed up and humming away. Here, we witnessed remarkable teamwork by ordinary residents. They were collecting and organizing whatever they could get their hands on – things like cleaning supplies, clothing, baby formula, diapers, food, water and blankets.

We witnessed so many good people….good neighbors who were now hungry, cold, and certainly looking desperate. That said, whether it was neighborhood leaders, elderly or small children, there was no sign of “quit” in these people – they are tough!

Special thanks to an incredibly special team of volunteers.

Our day began before sunrise and ended well after sunset, but it didn’t matter – the Sodexo team was honored to play a part in assisting our neighbors; after we were just doing what we do every day. You could say it was just another day providing meals to those in need, but it wasn’t; we will be forever blessed with the smiles, handshakes and hugs we received in return.

Sodexo gives special thanks to the following team members:  Joanne Martino, Mahlet Tesfatsion, Diane Salamone, Susan Long, Nelson Morales, Joe & Tara Boljonis, Tim Leonard, Lou Dovidio

Tony Mastellone is vice president of operations Sodexo Business & Industry.

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National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Friday, October 26th, 2012

Carol Glazer

Founded in 1982, the National Organization on Disability (NOD) is one of the oldest cross-disability organizations in the country and remains one of the few organizations committed to representing all Americans with disabilities, regardless of their particular condition or circumstances. NOD is celebrating 30 years of work, and it is due to the wonderful support from our friends, corporate partners and CEO Council members. Among them, Sodexo has consistently served as a remarkable and willing partner in our journey to increase employment opportunities for the 79% of working-age Americans with disabilities who are not employed.

With programs on the ground, NOD is demonstrating new employment practices and models of service delivery, evaluating results and sharing successful approaches for widespread replication. Our current employment programs are benefiting high school students with disabilities transitioning into the workforce, seriously injured service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, and employers seeking to become more disability friendly and diversify their workforce by recruiting and hiring people with disabilities To achieve our goals, we work in partnership with employers, schools, the military, service providers, researchers, and disability advocates.

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As president of NOD, it has been encouraging to see the progress made so far. But, I also realize that we have a long way to go. There continues to be a “tyranny of low expectations” surrounding people with disabilities and employment. We have to change these low expectations in order to see an increased number of people with disabilities earning a paycheck. I ask that you read my editorial on the NOD website, during this National Disability Employment Month, to gather a broader sense of how our society’s unexamined assumptions contribute to the barriers facing those with disabilities.  

Each day, I am privileged to work with a dedicated staff and a talented and committed board of directors. In the course of our daily activities to push our mission forward, I hear success stories about businesses working with local disability agencies to provide work opportunities, about wounded veterans returning to productive civilian lives, and about young adults with disabilities accomplishing more than their peers in preceding generations could. I invite you to share your stories and successes regarding employment for people with disabilities in this forum.

Carol Glazer is president of the National Organization on Disability (NOD).

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Diversity through the eyes of an Employee Network Group

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

Mohamood Bhatia

What does every successful organization want to do today?  Attract the best and brightest talent within their industry.  This also means there has to be diversity of thought, culture and ideas.

This month, Sodexo received the Asia Society’s “Honor for Distinguished Practice” for 2012 Best Company in Promoting Asian Pacific Americans into Senior Leadership Positions.  I am especially proud since 80% of the award was determined by the responses provided by Sodexo’s Asian American employees.

I have been so fortunate to have worked for the same company for many years; this has given me the advantage of building a large network and knowing the business from a variety of aspects.  Over time I have connected with many colleagues that have not been born and raised in the United States, who have sought out opportunities to connect through common work/projects and social events.

Through these common connections we helped set up a network group within Sodexo called PANG (Pan Asian Network Group).  The idea being, we share a common culture or heritage and there are others that want to know more about it.  As we networked and thought about the many ways we hoped to interact, we discovered we wanted to learn from each other’s experience, to share, as well as to give back to our great organization and we also wanted to have fun together as a group.

We began hosting an annual event to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which initially started as a  social activity where we shared our common cultures.. But we quickly realized it was also a great opportunity for us to provide a value to the membership in ways which help them be successful overall.  There is no doubt that we have evolved through many years of celebrations. This month is celebrated with career enriching workshops, guest speakers that share their journeys to success, cultural sharing of food, fun and more.

With many of us being first generation immigrants, our community is important to us. We believe in hard work and making progress, and we feel strongly about giving back – both to our company and to our communities. PANG has been one of those many opportunities where we take from it what we put in.  It helps us continue the dialogue around diversity and inclusion; it allows us to support workshops that are geared to improving the areas that we may not be comfortable. Above all, PANG assists in sharing who we are, where we have come from and what we bring to the table, which adds value to our communities and the organizations in which we work..

Mohamood Bhatia is a senior vice president of finance for Sodexo and a member of PANG.

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Honoring International Women’s Day Through Mentoring

Thursday, March 8th, 2012

It has been more than one hundred years since the first International Women’s Day was honored and observed through marches that sought to highlight the issues of women’s rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and to end discrimination.   And while progress has been made as the century passed, women continue to face many challenges both in society and the workplace.  While cracked, the proverbial glass ceiling is still there and prevents a talented group from making a full contribution to the success of companies.

For women like me who have advanced to a position of leadership and influence, there have typically been a few mentors or influencing figures who have helped navigate and guide us during key parts of our own leadership journeys.  Their advice and support often pushed us to reach further and provided the encouragement needed to achieve our goals.  Unfortunately, many women climbing the corporate ladder do not actively seek out mentoring relationships because they see it as a sign of weakness, but there is great strength in the humility of asking for help.  And for those that have succeeded, it is important that they reach out to other women and share their experience and pay it forward.

So as we celebrate International Women’s Day, I encourage other women in business to seek out mentoring relationships.  For emerging leaders, this is an opportunity to learn from women that have already overcome some of the obstacles you currently face and for my fellow executives, mentoring presents a great opportunity to use your unique and hard-earned wisdom to contribute to even more women flourishing in the boardroom.  It is really amazing to see the progress women have made in business, but it is even more exciting to think about what the future holds, especially when we leverage our strengths through mentoring.

Lorna Donatone is COO and president of Sodexo Education

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