Recognizing Those Who Serve with Heart

What does service with heart truly mean? When you’re in the dining services industry, it means keeping people at the heart of everything you do. And Sodexo demonstrates our people-centered culture each day in a variety of ways. 

However, one of our core mantras is the most obvious: happy people serve happy people. 

And perhaps nowhere is that mantra more important than in today’s higher education space, where research has shown that today’s college students view food as much more than simply obtaining sustenance. They see it as an opportunity to experience a meaningful moment and connect with others. 

Sodexo’s inspired team members make those meaningful connections every day with warm smiles, daily chats, and personal touches that help students feel a sense of belonging. Our teams deliver on Sodexo’s promise to provide service with heart by happily welcoming students into warm, clean, and inviting spaces that put them at ease and make them eager to gather around the table with friends. They introduce them to new flavors that offer a taste of the excitingly foreign and comfortingly familiar. 

Our frontline employees are integral members of the campus community and are deeply committed to students’ success and well-being — and they’re the most important element of our business. 

Celebrating Our Campus Smile-Makers 

As a leader I love visiting campuses and learning about some of the incredible employees who work each day to support students and create positive experiences for everyone they encounter. 

For example, I had the opportunity to visit Joseph Burdi and his team at North Carolina A&T before the winter holidays. I spoke with more than 30 employees and witnessed many more who were laser-focused on carrying out their respective duties serving our students, faculty, and staff. The teamwork atmosphere and genuine caring attitude really stood out. 

Another highlight was learning how Brynne Stanley, a supervisor at the Minnesota State University Mankato campus, was recently celebrated by his team for exemplifying what it means to provide service with heart. His bright personality and enthusiasm consistently help bring a positive spin to moments with customers and colleagues alike. One of his co-workers remarked that Brynne’s “hard work, resilience, and the commitment to safety — and the customer experience guarantee — do not go unnoticed!” 

And one student was so appreciative of the Bentley University Dining staff that he requested time to meet with the entire team so he could personally thank them, take a photograph, and celebrate his upcoming graduation with the people who have come to mean so much to him during his student journey. “You know how important the cafeteria and its people are to me, and I wanted to take a picture with everybody to always remember them and keep them close to me…I would love to have as many people as possible in the picture as everybody has played such an important part in my life.”  

Sodexo’s frontline employees are clearly the heart of everything we do on campus, and these are just a few examples of the thousands of frontline team members who make a meaningful impact on the lives of students, faculty, and staff each day.  

Serving Up Appreciation 

Sodexo is proud to have so many dedicated, passionate employees on our teams, and we enjoy finding opportunities to recognize the vital work they do to engage our guests and enhance their dining experience.  

One great opportunity to recognize service with heart is with National Employee Appreciation Day celebrations. This year, we were able to make the day special for more than 18,000 Sodexo employees at over 260 campuses across North America with exciting on-site events, prizes, food and drinks, and more.  

Many supervisors recognized staff members with handwritten notes, individual conversations, and fun team activities. Leaders at all levels of Sodexo shared personal messages of gratitude for our employees, letting them know how much we value them and the work they do. 

People + Appreciation = A Recipe for Success 

While celebrating National Employee Appreciation Day is important, we know that Sodexo employees deserve to be supported and appreciated every day.  

So, Sodexo fosters a culture of respect and kindness in everything we do, including during daily staff huddles, so that our team members feel seen, heard, and valued. We empower and uplift them by offering culinary training, career development opportunities, and robust support for their individual needs, as well as for their families. And our dedicated human resources staff enlists marketing resource support to implement rewarding events and programs that consistently recognize and show appreciation for those team members who truly embody service excellence. Our THX:) For Making My Day and newly branded KUDOS employee recognition programs help us — and the students we serve — celebrate any employee who embodies Sodexo’s 10-Step Customer Service guarantee, regardless of their role. In fact, customer-driven nominations through our THX:) For Making My Day program have increased 9% year-over-year, highlighting the profound impact of these efforts on customer perceptions. 

While it’s thrilling to have our employee recognition programs recognized with a 2024 Gold Stevie Award, their real value is proven with the measurable increases in employee and guest satisfaction, employee and guest engagement, employee retention, and overall sales totals. Notably, our team’s emphasis on warm, personal, and friendly service continues to set the industry standard with guest satisfaction scores consistently surpassing previous benchmarks by 40 basis points.  

By continuing to recognize the achievements of our dedicated employees, and by investing in their development and well-being, Sodexo ensures that “Service with Heart” is not just a slogan but a guiding principle that drives every customer interaction and ultimately fuels our collective success.