Angela Halliday, Director of Social Impact, Sodexo UK&I
What do you do?
Sodexo is a global organisation offering quality of life services, including catering, facilities management, employee benefits and personal and home services. Working alongside our CEOs, I’m responsible for ensuring we embed our values and purpose across the business and that our mission translates into reality and genuine social impact.
What does ‘social value’ mean to Sodexo?
Sodexo was born with a social purpose. We were founded in the 60s as a family-owned business long before anyone else talked about ESG, CSR or social value. It’s always been our mission to improve the quality of life services for our colleagues and communities. Our whole philosophy is built on going beyond service delivery to consider the wider socio-economic benefits of what we do. It’s about that lasting legacy. What are we doing that will ultimately benefit our people, places, partners and the planet?
“The trick is to pull these together and take a less is more approach. Do fewer things but do them better, so we have more impact because the impact is what we’re trying to achieve here. Social value is what we do, but social impact is the outcome of what we do. I am always asking people within the business, “so what?” If you are doing great stuff, then “so what? “What impacts people, places, partners and the planet?”
Sodexo is a global organisation offering lots of different services. Where do you start?
Sodexo has just under 40,000 employees in the UK & Ireland and 420,000 worldwide. It’s a complex organisation functionally, and when I first started, I thought I’d never be able to join the dots. However, when you ask a couple of questions: What are you doing? Why are you doing it? You start to see the synergies across the different business sectors.
The trick is to pull these together and take a less is more approach. Do fewer things but do them better, so we have more impact because the impact is what we’re trying to achieve here. Social value is what we do, but social impact is the outcome of what we do. I am always asking people within the business, “so what?” If you are doing great stuff, then “so what? “What impacts people, places, partners and the planet?
What is the biggest challenge for Sodexo?
Because we’re such a big organisation, we have lots of people delivering services, but we also need to make sure we are giving these people the autonomy and the tools to drive things forward. So do we need to ask Who owns it? How can we enable these people and make them feel and be empowered? What processes or policies need to change to make that happen? What systems or new technologies do we need for them to thrive and do business in a good way?
It’s also imperative that any corporate strategy translates at a grassroots level. What does it mean to our front-line employees and their families? Do they understand the difference they are making to the environment, society and the local economy? Do they see the value in their contribution? Because if it doesn’t translate at a grassroots level, then it isn’t social value. Go to any of our sites across the country, approach any staff member, and ask them what Sodexo does in creating value and impact for communities, society, and our planet. They will be able to tell you.
You work with the public sector a lot. Is there a negative perception of you as a private sector organisation in some sectors you work in?
Yes, there can be, and it’s probably one of the biggest challenges. It doesn’t sit comfortably with some people, who see making a profit as greed, but of course, we re-invest a proportion of our profits back into our business to deliver socially responsible activities.
Take our work in the justice system as an example. We know that ex-offenders and people who have been in touch with the criminal justice system can struggle to gain employment. So as part of our commitment to improving quality of life services, we are committed to recruiting ex-offenders because we know that it has a positive impact. Not just on the individual but on their families, local communities, and economies. As Sodexo is the 19th largest recruiter in the world, we can do this on a much bigger scale and have a much more significant impact. And as we also have a role in managing some prisons, it’s great to see people go full circle, as we take a whole system view to their success and wellbeing.
Of course, not all companies have the same moral compass, and bad practices can cast a dark shadow over the whole sector.
Do you think ‘doing the right thing’ gives you a competitive advantage?
Yes, but only because we can evidence it. So many businesses talk about it, but we can show the social return on investment. In terms of the tangible impact on communities, our people, our places and the planet and how that, in turn, has a direct, positive impact on the business.
Can you explain more about how you measure impact?
Firstly, we don’t just chase numbers. Reporting isn’t all about data. Doing stuff for the right reason is the most important way organisations can truly embed and demonstrate their social value commitments. The measurement and reporting then come naturally.
The most valuable and engaging way to report on social impact is through people’s stories. For instance, take an ex-offender that we recently employed. Yes, we gave her a job, but it comes back to that question – so what? What has that job done for that specific individual, her health, her family, her wider community and the local economy? By bringing that story to life, you can evidence the personal impact of our commitment to recruiting ex-offenders.
ESG is a hot topic, and many big organisations are recruiting teams to manage it, but that isn’t the approach at Sodexo. Can you tell us more?
When I look at some of our competitors, they’ve got a team of people like me, whereas, at Sodexo, it’s just me focusing on this full-time. Some people may think Sodexo doesn’t take social value seriously, but it’s the opposite. At Sodexo, social value is not a department – it’s in our DNA. It’s part of everyone’s role and responsibility across the business; we embed it operationally into everything we do. So if you start bringing in a team and begin to commoditise social value, ESG or whatever you may call it, then you are not doing it right.
How we can help
At Samtaler, we understand the importance of your social value commitment. You’re here because you care about the impact your business has on society and want to be better. We want you to succeed, and we know from experience that achieving social value requires skill, strategy, and support.
To find out how we can help send an email to hello@samtaler.co.uk
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