Providing opportunities for people with disabilities

Our objective

As part of our Better Tomorrow commitments, we want 100% of our workforce to have access to initiatives supporting the inclusion of people with disabilities by 2025. This means that each country where Sodexo operates will have: 

• A non-discrimination policy regarding people with disabilities (PWD)
• Communications to support the inclusion of PWD 
• An established disability champion responsible for the roll-out of initiatives

Our global approach to disability inclusion is driven by a global Disability Voice Taskforce comprised of employees from around the world and sponsored by two Comex members.

An active partner:

ILO Global Business and Disability Network
Sodexo originally signed the International Labour Organization Business Charter on Disability Inclusion on June 29, 2016. We are an active member of the International Labor Organization’s Global Business and Disability Network for promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities in workplaces around the world.

“The Valuable 500” Initiative 
Sodexo is a member of “The Valuable 500”, an international initiative that strives to put disability on the business leadership agenda in order to unlock the business, social and economic value of people living with disabilities around the world.

Invisible disability: making mental health and well-being a priority

One in seven people are impacted by a disability, and of those impacted, 70% have non-apparent or invisible disabilities. Since 2017, we’ve broadened the awareness of persons with disabilities to include “invisible disabilities” as part of our commitment to zero harm in the workplace.

Specifically:

• We launched a specific e-learning module to understand how to better respond to signs of illness, given that mental health conditions are the leading cause of absenteeism in the workplace.
• We created Mental Healthy Safety Moments, available to our managers to start meeting in order to pursue this commitment of raising awareness in our daily lives.

Unearthing new talents

One of the first students to have experienced Sodexo’s environment firsthand is 19-year-old Ivan Gomez.

Since joining the team in January 2019, the teen with autism has found himself a second home. He works as a part-time catering assistant with the Sodexo food services team at one of the sites we serve, and has since equipped himself with new skills such as café cleaning, food preparations and other operational tasks.

To help ease Ivan into the workflow, he was paired with a work buddy Lanie Malit, the café manager, for three months. Lanie had earlier attended an Introduction to Disability Management course by SG Enable to boost her ability to support Ivan at work. His enjoyment and enthusiasm at work is clear to his co-workers and family.

Says Ivan’s mother, “The team has truly become Ivan’s family, and that is more than anything we would have expected. They have been patient and kind, and are accepting of his disabilities and quirks. We really want to thank the whole company and the wonderful team for your wonderful steps towards realistic inclusion.”

Learn more about Ivan's story and his journey of inclusion at Sodexo

Providing PwDs with training and opportunities

In 2019, Sodexo Singapore collaborated with Samsui Supplies Pte Ltd to provide PwDs with training in culinary skills and knowledge, so that they can start a career in the food and beverage industry. Learn more about the programme in the video below.