The unranked list is published in partnership with Business in the Community, part of the Prince’s Responsible Business Network.
Sean Haley, regional chair, Sodexo UK & Ireland said: “We are proud to be listed as one of the Top 50 employers for the sixth year. Both globally and in the UK and Ireland, Sodexo promotes visible role models in senior positions and non-traditional roles, sharing their career path with the next generation of leaders.
“The business case for gender equality remains crystal clear to us, it is not only the right thing to do, it helps drive our business performance too. We believe that progress on gender equality will only happen when your workplace culture is truly inclusive and we will continue to work towards building a workplace where everyone can flourish.”
The Times Top 50 list recognises employers who make gender equality part of their business strategy at all levels and have committed to creating inclusive workplace cultures and women’s career progression.
The employers underwent an assessment process managed by Business in the Community’s gender equality campaign. The assessment focused on transparency, the causes behind gaps, what companies are doing to address these issues and the impact of their actions.
Sodexo seeks to achieve gender-balanced teams wherever possible. The company’s own Gender Balance Study showed that management teams with a 40-60 per cent gender split in either direction were more effective across a number of areas. Specifically, they demonstrated improved performance in terms of profit, employee engagement, health & safety and client retention.
It also has an active gender employee network made up of men and women who champion gender balance and organises development and networking opportunities such as access to senior leaders and skills workshops with industry experts.
As part of this year’s International Women’s Day campaign, the network launched a FM Hub, a global initiative with a mission to increase gender diversity in facilities management roles at Sodexo, an industry where women have traditionally been under-represented in senior positions.
Chloe Chambraud, director of gender equality at Business in the Community added: “Congratulations to all of the organisations who have been named as Times Top 50 Employer for Women this year. Your relentless work to make your workplace more diverse and more inclusive deserves to be recognised and celebrated. We are delighted to see a growing number of employers supporting men to take on more caring responsibilities and tackling the root causes of gender inequality.
“Historically companies focused on policies and processes to address the inequality and bias that employees face on a daily basis. But this is not enough. It is only by changing the culture and promoting positive behaviours from the top that employers will see real change, and we look forward to supporting them on this journey.”