We strive to recruit, engage, develop and make adjustments in the way we work and our workplaces so we can attract talent and support our employees with disabilities, helping them to reach their full potential.
 

Our objective

We want 100% of our workforce to have access to initiatives supporting the inclusion of people with disabilities by 2025. This means that each country where Sodexo operates will have: 

Our global approach to disability inclusion is driven by a global Disability Voice Taskforce comprised of employees from around the world and sponsored by two Comex members.

 

Invisible disability: making mental health and well-being a priority

One in seven people are impacted by a disability, and of those impacted, 70% have non-apparent or invisible disabilities. Since 2017, we’ve broadened the awareness of persons with disabilities to include “invisible disabilities” as part of our commitment to zero harm in the workplace.

Specifically:

 

Recruiting, Hiring, and Accommodating People with Disabilities

Sodexo Canada works with organizations such as the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW) and Ready, Willing and Able to create an inclusive and accessible workplace and to ensure that the needs of our employees with disabilities are met. The CCRW assists Sodexo in managing accommodation and inclusion and provides us with customized solutions to improve our hiring and retention practices that will be more responsive to the future of work in Canada.

 

ADEPT – (All Disabled Employees Possess Talent)

To foster a better culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the company and to meet the needs of all employees, Sodexo Canada has created six employee business resource groups (EBRG) designed to increase employee engagement by providing a forum for discussion and development for its members. One of these resource groups, ADEPT, has a mission to increase awareness and acceptance of people with disabilities through education and promotion of their talents in the workplace and our community.

 

DuoEmploi

DuoEmploi program is an initiative implemented by the Conseil du Patronat du Québec (CPQ) and an association of specialized organisms for the employment of disabled persons that aim to foster a better integration in employment for people with disabilities. The initiative has allowed interns with disabilities to be welcomed and to experience an immersion in a company, including Sodexo.

 

Learn more about the experience of one of our managers during the first edition in 2021!

 

Sodexo, an active partner:

Project SEARCH

Project SEARCH is a school-to-work transition program for youth with developmental or intellectual disabilities. Students are immersed in a host business and get over 700 hours of hands-on work experience geared to in-demand roles in the local labour market. 
Sodexo actively supports multiple Project SEARCH partnerships around the world, including Project SEARCH Toronto.

Since the Toronto chapter launch in 2019, Sodexo Canada has welcomed and trained several students for placement at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. In addition, we collaborated with Project SEARCH Toronto educators and clinicians to develop an Environmental and Food Services training module that breaks down the essential skills needed to prepare for entry-level employment.

ILO Global Business and Disability Network

Sodexo originally signed the International Labour Organization Business Charter on Disability Inclusion on June 29, 2016. We are an active member of the International Labor Organization’s Global Business and Disability Network for promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities in workplaces around the world.

“The Valuable 500” Initiative 

Sodexo is a member of “The Valuable 500”, an international initiative that strives to put disability on the business leadership agenda in order to unlock the business, social and economic value of people living with disabilities around the world.