In the run up to our annual First Women Awards, were once again opening up the vote for Business of the Year to the readership. The 2016 shortlist consists of five companies Sodexo, A.T. Kearney, Dell, SkyAnd Unilever which have been put under the microscope to unveil how each went beyond statutory requirements to develop a female workforce.
To make the ultimate decision easier, Real Business interviewed a senior decision maker at each company.
Employing 420,000 workers across 32,000 sites and 80 countries, it comes as no surprise that Sodexo is considered to be the 19th largest employer worldwide. However, as is often the case when it comes to larger firms, criticism on how leaders are handling modern day issues comes in abundance. But one things for sure, diversity isnt on the list for Sodexo.
In 2015, its CEO, Michel Landel explained the companys determination to foster diversity and promote gender equality. He said: Greater diversity and inclusiveness are part of a cultural transformation that requires time and humility. It needs a set of clear, measurable, and attainable long-term objectives for management. Teams must be held accountable and accountability cascaded through the organisation. We all know that without targets, nothing gets measured and nothing changes.
Read our other four Business of the Year profiles:
Ill be honest with you: this cultural transformation is not easy. It takes rigour and determination. It takes time to convince all those, including some women, who do not understand why this issue is a strategic one. As a company, we have to help teams alter their perceptions so as to build an organisation in which each of our employees can build a better future.
Its certainly made the business case for women, according to Meg Horsburgh, head of diversity, who claimed Sodexos own company-wide study found that where there was gender balance in the management population, there were positive outcomes in terms of employee engagement, brand awareness, client retention, organic growth, revenue growth and gross profit.
The study, she said, had been created off the back of a McKinsey report, claiming that by 2025, nearly half of all Fortune 500 companies would come from emerging markets, with 40 per cent located in China and India.
Businesses can only reach full potential when the leadership team reflects the diversity of their customers, more than half of which are women,” she said. To better understand and leverage this trend, Sodexo initiated an internal study to explore and understand the correlation between gender-balanced teams and performance.
Have a look at the full First Women Awards 2016 shortlist
It essentially reinforced the conviction that gender balance is a significant driver of performance and only delivers results if it is embedded in global strategy and is systematically addressed at all levels of a business.
Also, Horsburgh revealed that Sodexo had increased representation of women on the board of directors from 31 per cent in 2009 to 38 per cent in 2015, increased representation of women on the executive committee from 25 per cent in 2009 to 43 per cent in 2015 and managed to boost its representation of women among senior leaders from 17 per cent to 31 per cent.
Indeed, Horsburgh has seen Sodexo come a long way, with recognition of the companys Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) success coming earlier in 2016 when it was included in Fortunes list of Worlds Most Admired Companies in 2016?.
Sodexos diversity strategy was further highlighted when, for the third year running, it featured in the Times 50 Top Employers for Women. And since its inclusion in the 2014 list, the company has announced a public pledge to undertake regular pay audits of its staff in the UK and Ireland. Why diversity is important
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Read on to find out how Sodexo is promoting women into management and leadership positions.
THE POLL IS NOW CLOSED RESULTS WILL BE REVEALED AT THE FIRST WOMEN AWARDS ON 22 JUNE.
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The biggest challenge, Horsburgh said, was to promote talented women to management and leadership positions. The cornerstone of that strategy is SWIFt the Sodexo Womens International Forum for talent. Launched seven years ago, the forum brings together senior female leaders and aims to identify and put in place the right strategy and actions to promote the advancement of women.
SWIFt has been instrumental in helping more than 2,000 women find mentors, she explained.
But more has been needed to further push the female agenda. Sodexo runs numerous employee networks, which are designed to be inclusive and open to all employees Generations, Origins and Pride to name a few. But Horsburgh brought our attention to Women Work.
Launched in 2011, the Women Work network focuses on the progression of women within Sodexo. Over 300 members joined within two months of its launch. There is a well established programme of events including an annual conference and mentoring scheme as well as initiatives to mark International Womens Day,” said Horsburgh. The network is not exclusively for women, men are also encouraged to join.
Since the networks launch the engagement of female employees has improved and feedback about interaction throughout the organisation has been extremely positive,” she explained. And to ensure staff at managerial level are fully informed about Sodexo policies and equipped to deliver those messages throughout the company, they undergo something called Spirit of Inclusion training. This is a one-day face-to-face programme which aims to raise awareness of D&I as well as providing the legal context and business case for commitment to the strategy.
Sodexos approach to D&I also extends into Sodexos relationship with its clients the company hosts workshops with them and other stakeholders to engage in discussion about gender diversity, for example. Its an ideal opportunity to share best practice and learn from each others experiences,” added Horsburgh.
Moving forward, Sodexo plans to make its D&I commitment even more visible and more front-of-mind among its workforce and clients. We are continuously working closely with our employees to build the sense that Sodexo is a good company and a good place to work which they would recommend to their friends,” concluded Horsburgh.
We leave you with these parting words from Landel in his 2015 article on gender equality: While acknowledging that we still have a long way to go, I am proud of our progress, and the hard work and commitment of teams around the world.
THE POLL IS NOW CLOSED RESULTS WILL BE REVEALED AT THE FIRST WOMEN AWARDS ON 22 JUNE.
