Human Resources Report

UNDERSTANDING ASPIRATIONS
Recruitment, job transfers and internal promotion call for
ongoing dialogue. The better we are at identifying what our
employees want, the better we can place them in opportunities
within the Group.
NETHERLANDS
“The right man/woman in the right place” is the objective of the “Career
Aspiration Registration program”, which offers each employee career
opportunities. Employees are asked to complete a questionnaire about their
career aspirations, and can ask for an interview with the project manager or
head of Human Resources. The information is evaluated and loaded into a
database, where it is used to facilitate job transfers and internal recruitment.
In the fi scal year 2005, more than 850 employees completed this process,
and 71% of job vacancies were fi lled in this way.
LISTENING TO CONCERNS
At Sodexho, we are expanding opportunities to listen to our
employees. Their views and ideas are building blocks, helping
to construct a business of progress. Their complaints are
handled fairly and with respect.
AUSTRALIA
Employees can use a free hotline
to express their opinions or make
requests relating to any aspect of
the company.
CANADA
A “Network Complaint Line” logs
criticisms and comments, which
may be made anonymously.
COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OTHER
12-13 / HUMAN RESOURCES REPORT 2005 / SODEXHO ALLIANCE
UNITED STATES
A comprehensive system is in place
to ensure all employees are treated
fairly and with respect. Part of
this system is Sodexho’s Offi ce of
Employment Rights, which opened
in 2003 and has authority to handle
complaints from eligible employees
relating to discrimination,
harassment and/or retaliation in the
workplace.
We believe in communicating with each other and breaking
down barriers. We encourage our people to meet and interact,
in a spirit of openness.
FRANCE
On-site discussion forums are
held regularly, giving everyone an
opportunity to raise issues such as
working conditions, site and task
management, or scheduling.
NORTH AMERICA
Two initiatives illustrate management’s
commitment to dialogue.
First, we hold “Open Forums”
approximately eight times a year
in major metropolitan areas.
All managers from the region
attend, as do the Chief Executive
Offi cer and other senior
executives. A presentation of the
company’s performance
is immediately followed by
an open Q&A session, which is
Meet...
Tilo Blomberg, Site Manager,
European Central Bank, Frankfurt.
A recent survey in Germany proved
our employees had high expectations
in terms of training. The system that
we developed in response means that
we can now train our employees ourselves,
on site. The survey served its purpose:
it helped us progress!
Gerhard Schmid-Degen,
Regional Director,
Business and Industry,
Western Germany.
Completing a survey takes just a few
minutes, but it can make all the difference!
The last opinion survey highlighted some
communication problems, so we set up an
annual meeting for site managers so that we
could share management’s vision with them.
Now, we all speak the same language.
Following the 2003 Sodexho Employee
Engagement Survey, the German subsidiary
identifi ed priority areas for progress and
implemented action plans. These proved a
success: in 2005, the employee engagement
rating reached 71%, on a par with the average
for Europe’s best employers identifi ed
by Hewitt Associates in their survey Best
Employers, Best Results 2004.