Springboard's Awards for Excellence celebrate what a great place the hospitality industry is to work. The 2009 awards, held at the Guoman Tower Hotel, London, saw Sodexo win the Corporate Citizenship Award, sponsored by BII.
The judges were looking for a winner who demonstrated a real commitment to social responsibility at a strategic and at an operational level.
WHO ARE THEY?
Sodexo has an unrivalled reputation for building lasting partnerships with clients through open relationships based on trust and exceptional performance. In the UK and Ireland, more than 43,000 people are striving to improve the quality of daily life at more than 2,300 client locations across all market sectors. Sodexo provides food services that are specifically tailored to its customers, whether they are in schools, hospitals, garrisons, offices, factories or at special events.
WHAT DID THEY DO?
Sodexo's entry represented a holistic approach to the Corporate Citizenship Award, with strong evidence demonstrating that objectives were effectively communicated.
The development of the Sodexo foundation, focusing specifically on tackling poor nutrition in local communities, clearly links Sodexo's core business expertise to social responsibility; and the development of "Citizen" - a global corporate citizenship monitoring software tool which allows the sharing of best practice and global internal access to citizenship key performance indicators.
WHY DID THE JUDGES CHOOSE THEM?
Springboard chief executive Anne Pierce said: "At a time when business is beginning to get really tough, we believe that recognising achievement is critical to motivation and morale. The enthusiasm, excitement and commitment demonstrated by our award winners set a wonderful example for others in the industry to follow".
Martin Gould of sponsors BII commented: "BII is delighted to sponsor the Springboard Corporate Citizenship Award for Excellence. As the professional body for licensed retail, BII recognises Sodexo's outstanding achievements in corporate social responsibility.
HOW DO I FIND OUT MORE?
For more about Springboard and its Into Work programme, helping people into the tourism and hospitality industry, visit www.springboarduk.net or call 020 7497 8645. Springboard has produced an employers' guide to providing work experience, called Inspire. Call Holly Rawlings on 020 7395 9484 or e‑mail hollyr@springboarduk.org.uk.