Sodexo’s Actions to Mitigate Impacts of Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Our Actions

As the world’s 19th largest employer, operating in 53 countries, Sodexo has been on the frontlines since day one in Wuhan, China alongside our clients. Our global, boots-on-ground perspective meant that we were ready and prepared to face the pandemic head-on as it began affecting Europe and the rest of the world. Our expert and engaged teams backed by Sodexo's 54 years of experience, particularly in areas of healthcare, seniors, government, and supply chain, have never been more critical.  And, the connections we have been consciously building year after year with our team, local suppliers, and clients have proven their strength, making us faster and more agile as we pull together - and fight together - for everyone’s safety.

Sodexo’s response has been multi-fold, considering the thousands of constituents we work with, and our deeply held core values to keep people safe and build long-lasting mutually supportive relationships, even in - especially in - times of crisis.

We are on the front lines across the world

• The 95,000 Sodexo employees working in hospitals, senior residences and in areas of public administration under strain, are fully mobilized.
• Employees from temporarily closed facilities have been redeployed to high intensity areas with customized training as needed.
• Established local response teams who coordinate with our global COVID-19 response team that spans our 56 countries. We are working non-stop to ensure that our teams have the right tools and information to reduce transmission risk.
   

We are modifying services to ensure safety and support our many different client needs

• Enhancing cleaning measures and building on our existing and rigorous studies, by including new training, increasing cleaning frequency, and using greater protective gear. We are proud to share that not a single Sodexo safety worker contracted the virus in Wuhan province in China to date.
• Modification of restaurant operations, payment, guest flow, and even how supplies are received to enforce requirements of social distancing and reduce exposure.
• Creation of specific shortened menus to take into account the exceptional organization of the sites and increase grab-and-go options
   

*Stop the Spread! Use these resources to protect yourself and your team members.
COVID-19 Prevention infographic - Download the accessible version

We are providing continuity for our clients adjusting to new situations and closures

• For example, despite many schools and universities closing, our teams continue to provide students with access to food by distributing 300,000 meals a day from their regular kitchens, in the US.  

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We are supporting our suppliers with measures that reinforce our values around supporting local communities

• Taking into account the needs and constraints of suppliers as close as possible to the field: payment deadlines, logistics chain support, adaptation of our orders (volumes, consumption dates, etc.)
• Implementation of agile financing solutions, in particular for SMEs and local suppliers
• Early redemption of vouchers to support restaurants affiliated in France

We are supporting our employees

We are EXTREMELY proud of our team, who do a great job in often tough circumstances. They are dedicated and professional and we extend our heartfelt thanks. Sodexo immediately responded to the pandemic’s economic impact by adapting its operational management. This included closing down sites, lowering service frequency and cancelling or postponing some services.

• Whenever possible, we have reassigned our people whose workplaces have closed to other sites urgently requiring additional team members. To date, almost 4,000 employees, primarily in North America and in Europe, have been reassigned to hospitals and retirement homes, which urgently required additional staff. For example, 40 employees, who normally work in New York airline lounges, have acted as reinforcements for our people working at the Maimonides Medical Center.
• Sodexo is working proactively with other business sectors like grocers, e-commerce and manufacturing firms to find jobs for our employees hit by the COVID-19 economic fallout, who cannot be placed with other clients.