Sodexo Receives a 100% Rating From Human Rights Campaign on their 2013 Corporate Equality Index

Sodexo is recognized for its policies and practices related to LGBT employees and their families.
Nov 16, 2012 11:25 AM ET

Gaithersburg, Md. November 16, 2012 /3BL Media/ – The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has announced that Sodexo received a 100% rating on the annual 2013 HRC Corporate Equality Index (CEI) and will be profiled in the HRC Best Places to Work list. This marks the 6th consecutive year Sodexo has received a 100% rating on the prestigious CEI.

Sodexo is the leader in Quality of Life services, interacting with more than 10 million customers every day in North America in corporations, health care, long-term care and retirement centers, schools, college campuses, government, and remote sites. Sodexo’s strategy includes a keen focus on providing clients with services that add value to the overall experience of their customers. Sodexo leverages expertise in talent acquisition and human resources to hire, retain and develop strong employees, embracing inclusion of people and diversity of thought as a competitive advantage, and acting as a socially responsible corporation that is committed to improving the communities they serve.  

In awarding Sodexo a rating of 100%, HRC called out several actions Sodexo has taken to be a more inclusive organization including: sponsoring a LGBT network group, providing equivalent spousal and same-sex partner benefits, providing medical coverage for sex reassignment surgery, recognizing sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in our Equal Employment Opportunity Policy and actively engaging LGBT-certified vendors in our supplier diversity program.

“Receiving a 100% on the CEI is a true reflection of the progress Sodexo continues to make in creating an inclusive environment for all of our employees including our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and Ally team members,” explained George Chavel, president and CEO for Sodexo, Inc. “Thanks to the contributions and leadership of the Sodexo PRIDE employee network group and the implementation of key inclusion policies, we were able to achieve this important accomplishment.”

Over the past 11 years, the CEI has become the gold standard for corporate policies and practices related to LGBT employees and their families.  The CEI rates companies on 40 such policies and practices.  A total of 889 businesses have been rated in the 2013 CEI, including the entire Fortune 500. This year a record 293 of the Fortune 500-ranked businesses have an official CEI rating, with the other 201 rated based upon publicly-available data. With more than one million members and supporters, HRC is the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for LGBT Americans nationwide. 

Visit Sodexo Diversity and Inclusion on Facebook and follow on https://twitter.com/SodexoDiversity

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About Sodexo

Sodexo is the global leader in services that improve Quality of Life, an essential factor in individual and organizational performance. Operating in 80 countries, Sodexo serves 75 million consumers each day through its unique combination of On-site Services, Benefits and Rewards Services and Personal and Home Services. Through its more than 100 services, Sodexo provides clients an integrated offering developed over more than 45 years of experience: from reception, safety, maintenance and cleaning, to foodservices and facilities and equipment management; from Meal Pass, Gift Pass and Mobility Pass benefits for employees to in-home assistance and concierge services. Sodexo’s success and performance are founded on its independence, its sustainable business model and its ability to continuously develop and engage its 420,000 employees throughout the world.

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 $17 million in grants to end childhood hunger in America. Visit the corporate blog at www.sodexoUSA.com/blog.

Contact

Enrico Dinges

301-987-4393

Enrico.dinges@sodexo.com