It's that time of year again, when a holiday is just what's required - as the new budget is just around the corner.
Within Sodexho as a whole, and in my district of Devon and Cornwall, the focus is on compliance. This has involved completing audits on all of my units to ensure that they are operating to the high standards the company sets.
This process has the dual purpose of ensuring that Sodexho operates more profitably and also that it provides the client with a consistent level of service.
Worldwide, Sodexho operates a fast-track management programme for recent graduates - or executive trainees, as they are referred to in the UK. As Sodexho is such a diverse company, this year-long programme is designed to allow them to experience all the different business sectors in which we operate.
This month, I am fortunate to have Edward Smith, one of the current executive trainees, assisting me with the auditing process. He has also been helping me produce a staff questionnaire designed to assess staff morale, and also find out how company information is communicated to them.
This is an area I have highlighted before, because with a UK staff level of some 55,000 people it is extremely difficult for the company to ensure that all the relevant information reaches the desired recipients at the right time.
Sodexho strives to ensure that all its employees receive the information they need and that they feel very much part of the organisation. So far, response to the questionnaire has been positive.
The nature of our business means that our people are our biggest asset, and therefore one of the company's key focus areas. As a result, Sodexho has been, for a number of years, a recipient of the Investors in People award.
While many companies see this as a one-off award which gains short-term recognition and praise, at Sodexho it is in an ongoing investment, encouraged by our chief executive, Mark Shipman.
Multiskilling is particularly important at Sodexho, and an aspect I find instrumental in developing and retaining my staff. Working for Sodexho, I have found that developing our people is more than just a company passion, it's a way of life.
Finally, I was asked at a recent district managers' meeting what I have found to be key in retaining this contract. As I enter my fifth year in charge, I put it down to the need to continually challenge any complacency I find, and that is something which has kept my staff challenged and motivated and the client satisfied.
Sara Carless is Sodexho's district manager for the Devon &Cornwall Constabulary