Sodexo Recognized as Top Company in Diversity for Pioneering Efforts in Cross-Cultural Mentoring
DiversityInc honors companies at special awards banquet for going above and beyond in diversity management
GAITHERSBURG, Md., October, 22, 2014 /3BL Media/ - DiversityInc announced yesterday that Sodexo has earned its 2014 Mentoring award. The honor was presented at a conference and special awards dinner at the New York City Marriott Marquis on October 21st. George Chavel, Sodexo president and CEO, accepted the award before an audience of top executives from some of the largest and most successful companies operating in the United States.
“There is no question as to the value of corporate mentoring programs. 71 percent of Fortune 500 companies are using them to increase employee retention and workplace productivity,” said George Chavel, president and CEO, Sodexo. “Diversity mentoring in particular creates an environment of trust like no other, where employees are equally empowered to voice concerns and contribute breakthrough ideas.”
According to DiversityInc, Sodexo earned this honor by being a pioneer of formal, cross-cultural mentoring, with its Impact program demonstrating effective implementation, metrics and results that are often models for other companies. Top executives are required to be mentors as part of their compensation-based performance reviews, and more than 60 percent of mentoring pairs are cross-cultural. Mentors receive cultural-awareness training, including LGBT, disability and veterans’ issues.
The mentoring programs last for a year and are fully assessed. Sodexo also has peer-to-peer mentoring managed directly by its employee resource groups. In addition, Sodexo’s Spirit of Mentoring Bridge Programs pair newly hired and frontline managers in further efforts to expand professional development.
The full list of this year’s award recipients by category include:
- Diversity-Management Progress: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
- Inclusive Culture: MasterCard Worldwide
- Mentoring: Sodexo
- Diversity Councils: EY
- Supplier Diversity: Wyndham Worldwide
- Employee Resource Groups: Merck & Co.
- Global Diversity: Accenture
To learn more about Sodexo’s leadership in diversity and inclusion visit www.sodexousa.com.
About DiversityInc
DiversityInc’s mission is to bring education and clarity to the business benefits of diversity. The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list began in 2001; at the same time many corporations were beginning to understand the business value of diversity-management initiatives. The 2014 Top 50 Companies for Diversity results were announced on April 22nd and are featured at http://www.diversityinc.com/top50 and in DiversityInc magazine. For more information, log on to www.diversityinc.com, https://www.facebook.com/DiversityInc, https://twitter.com/DiversityInc, or http://www.linkedin.com/company/26561.
Sodexo in North America
Sodexo, Inc. (www.sodexoUSA.com), leading Quality of Life Services company in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, delivers On-site Services in Corporate, Education, Health Care, Government, and Remote Site segments, as well as Benefits and Rewards Services and Personal and Home Services. Sodexo, Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., funds all administrative costs for the Sodexo Foundation (www.SodexoFoundation.org), an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $22 million in grants to end childhood hunger in America. Visit the corporate blog at SodexoInsights.com. Visit Sodexo on Facebook and follow on Twitter @SodexoUSA.
