Sodexo UK & Ireland has been recognised for the second consecutive year for its commitment to creating an inclusive workplace as one of The Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality 2025, announced today by Business in the Community (BITC), The King’s Responsible Business Network.
The Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality has been running for 15 years and is the UK’s most high profile and well-established listing of employers taking action to create workplaces where everyone can thrive. The list recognises and celebrates organisations that demonstrate progress towards creating more fair and inclusive workplaces.
To be included in the Top 50, organisations must show that they are taking action by:
- Embedding flexible working – proven to lead to a more inclusive working world
- Ensuring equitable support for parents and carers in the workplace, regardless of gender or for whom they provide care
- Taking active, dedicated efforts to surface and address the ongoing issue of sexual harassment
- Ensuring an intersectional approach, collecting data and addressing barriers faced by different groups in the workforce
Jean Renton COO, Sodexo UK & Ireland said: “Sodexo’s commitment to creating an inclusive and equitable workplace for our 30,000 colleagues is a key pillar of our Social Impact Pledge 2030. I am proud of the work we have done to create a working environment where our colleagues feel like they belong to a team and can thrive in their own way. We know there is always more progress to be made but being featured in The Times Top 50 again, our ninth listing since 2014, is testament to our ongoing work and demonstrates that we are moving in the right direction.”
Sodexo’s initiatives include:
- support for colleagues experiencing domestic abuse. Together with EIDA (Employer’s Initiative on Domestic Abuse) and BITC (Business in the Community), Sodexo has supported the formation of a domestic abuse working group which will help further inform its approach. Globally, Sodexo was the first company in its sector to sign a joint intent with the International Union Federation (IUF) declaring support to prevent domestic abuse worldwide.
- a programme of support and awareness of menopause and endometriosis through the creation of working groups, appointment of champions and internal events such as virtual menopause cafes. The company is an accredited menopause friendly employer and a member of the endometriosis friendly employer scheme.
- a global benefits programme, Vita, sets minimum standards for benefits in all the countries where Sodexo operates. It focuses on three benefits: life insurance, an assistance phone line and parental and care leave, demonstrating Sodexo’s commitment to contribute to the personal, financial, and family wellbeing of all its employees, regardless of the country in which they work.
- we continue to work towards fostering balanced teams across the business, currently 46% of our leadership team are female and 38% of colleagues in operational leadership roles are women. Our pay gap data, combined with our workforce diversity statistics, are helping us build a picture of where our colleagues are facing barriers and how we can unlock these.
Kieran Harding, Acting Chief Executive of Business in the Community, added: “While there is still much work to be done, the progress being made to ensure equal pay, career progression and offering enhanced flexible working and family friendly policies shows that we’re on the right path.”
Delivering services at some 2,000 sites across the UK and Ireland, Sodexo is firmly committed to supporting the communities in which it operates and, through the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, it champions initiatives that address the root causes of food insecurity including skills development, resource accessibility and community empowerment.
This year is the 20th anniversary of the Foundation in the UK & Ireland and in January it announced Asma Khan as its first patron. Owner of the Darjeeling Express restaurant in London, Asma is also the chef advocate for the UN World Food Programme. As patron, Asma brings valuable support and inspiration to the Foundation’s work.
