Sodexo Named by Seramount as One of the 2024 Best Companies for Multicultural Women

Belonging and Inclusion
Aug. 23, 2024

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BETHESDA, Md., (June 18, 2024) — Sodexo, world leader in foodservice and facilities management has been named one of the 2024 Best Companies for Multicultural Women by Seramount. This honor recognizes the top 80 companies that create and use best practices in hiring, retaining, and promoting multicultural women in the United States. The complete list can be found here.

For more than 20 years, Seramount’s Best Companies for Multicultural Women has tracked corporations’ progress in creating cultures that encourage multicultural women to join and rise through the ranks. This year’s survey continued to assess progress for women by specific racial/ethnic groups as well as factors influencing that progress, including mental health, anti-racism progress, and participation in mentoring and sponsorship programs.

“At Sodexo, we believe that diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our success as an organization,” said Charlene Thomas, Sodexo Chief Human Resources Officer. “Being recognized by Seramount as one of the Best Companies for Multicultural Women is a testament to our ongoing commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace where all employees feel valued and empowered. This honor reflects our employee value proposition: We are dedicated to equitable opportunities and strategic efforts to support the career advancement of multicultural women within our company.”

“Companies continue to recognize the importance of recruiting and retaining multicultural women,” said Subha V. Barry, President of Seramount. “While there is still work to be done to increase representation, we celebrate the efforts of these 80 companies in fostering inclusive workplace environments with strong career development strategies and comprehensive DEI programs to support this critical talent pool.”

Key findings from Seramount’s 2024 Best Companies for Multicultural Women Survey:

Twenty-six percent of Best Companies’ workforce are women of color, up from 25 percent last year. This includes:
Nine percent Black/African American women, same as last year
Ten percent Hispanic/Latina women, up from 8 percent last year
Five percent Asian women, down from 6 percent last year
Two percent women who are two or more races, same as last year
Increases in women of color representation was seen at the higher employee levels. Eleven percent of corporate executives (top two levels below CEO) are women of color, up from 10 percent last year. Among corporate executives who report directly to the CEO, 14 percent are women of color, up from 11 percent last year.
Twenty-eight percent of employees promoted are women of color, up from 25 percent last year, and 35 percent of new hires are women of color (new question this year).
Participation by women of color in Best Companies’ advancement programs is strong:
Twenty-nine percent of mentees are women of color, up from 28 percent last year.
Thirty-four percent of protégés (in formal sponsorship programs) are women of color, up from 32 percent last year.
Twenty-eight percent of leadership development program participants are women of color, up from 24 percent last year.
Eighty-five percent offer specific programs to address racial trauma, up from 80 percent last year.
Ninety-six percent of Best Companies regularly audit human resource/people processes to address bias, same as last year.
Ninety-nine percent of Best Companies conduct pay-equity analyses (same as last year). Among these companies, 95 percent base the analysis on both gender and race/ethnicity, up from 90 percent last year.

Best Companies Workforce Composition

The 2024 Best Companies for Multicultural Women employ about 2.3 million people at 30,833 work sites in every state across 18 industries: chemical, consumer products, education, financial or property and casualty insurance, financial services, health insurance, hospitality, hospitals/health care, legal, manufacturing, media, Internet, advertising, nonprofit/not-for-profit, pharmaceuticals, professional services/management consulting/accounting, retail and apparel, science/technology/engineering/aerospace/medical devices, telecommunications, and utilities.

Methodology

The Best Companies for Multicultural Women application includes 545 questions on representation; hiring, attrition, and promotion rates; recruitment, retention, and advancement programs; and company culture. Our scoring algorithm is based on the previous year’s benchmark results, which then determine the winners.

About Sodexo North America

Sodexo North America is part of a global Fortune 500 company with a presence in 45 countries. Sodexo specializes in sustainable food service and valued experiences, in all 50 U.S. states, Canada, Puerto Rico and Guam, at every moment in life: learn, work, heal and play. Additionally, the company indirectly supports additional jobs through its annual purchases of goods and services from small to large businesses. Sodexo North America is committed to meeting the challenges of everyday life with a dual goal: to improve the quality of life of our employees and those we serve, and contribute to the economic, social, and environmental progress in the communities where we operate. Our purpose is to create a better everyday for everyone to build a better life for all.

About Seramount

Seramount is a strategic professional services and research firm dedicated to supporting high-performing, inclusive workplaces. Over four decades, we’ve established a strong, data-driven understanding of the employee experience, which lays the groundwork for everything we do. Seramount partners with over 450 of the world’s most influential companies, large and small, to offer pragmatic solutions including best practice DEI research, workplace assessment, employee learning and development, and talent sourcing. These offerings empower companies to navigate a dynamic corporate environment and to cultivate a resilient, connected workforce that achieves extraordinary outcomes.

PRESS CONTACT

Sodexo
Heidi Bullman, heidi.bullman@sodexo.com

Seramount
Stefanie McNamara, Seramount, stefanie.mcnamara@seramount.com
Ashleigh Murray, Seramount, ashleigh.murray@seramount.com

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Key findings from Seramount’s 2024 Best Companies for Multicultural Women Survey:

Twenty-six percent of Best Companies’ workforce are women of color, up from 25 percent last year. This includes:

Nine percent Black/African American women, same as last year

Ten percent Hispanic/Latina women, up from 8 percent last year

Five percent Asian women, down from 6 percent last year

Two percent women who are two or more races, same as last year

Increases in women of color representation was seen at the higher employee levels. Eleven percent of corporate executives (top two levels below CEO) are women of color, up from 10 percent last year. Among corporate executives who report directly to the CEO, 14 percent are women of color, up from 11 percent last year.

Twenty-eight percent of employees promoted are women of color, up from 25 percent last year, and 35 percent of new hires are women of color (new question this year).

Participation by women of color in Best Companies’ advancement programs is strong:

Twenty-nine percent of mentees are women of color, up from 28 percent last year.

Thirty-four percent of protégés (in formal sponsorship programs) are women of color, up from 32 percent last year.

Twenty-eight percent of leadership development program participants are women of color, up from 24 percent last year.

Eighty-five percent offer specific programs to address racial trauma, up from 80 percent last year.

Ninety-six percent of Best Companies regularly audit human resource/people processes to address bias, same as last year.

Ninety-nine percent of Best Companies conduct pay-equity analyses (same as last year). Among these companies, 95 percent base the analysis on both gender and race/ethnicity, up from 90 percent last year.

Best Companies Workforce Composition

Methodology

About Sodexo North America

About Seramount