Sodexo awarded gold from Ministry of Defence

Sodexo has been given the highest badge of honour from the Ministry of Defence for its commitment and support to the UK armed forces community.

Sodexo is among a number of organisations named by the MoD today (8 August) who will receive the Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award, which recognises employers who actively support the armed forces community in their workplace and also encourage others to follow their lead.

The ERS Gold Award acknowledges Sodexo, an early signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, for actively encouraging other organisations to support the armed forces community, supporting and recognising reservists and also commitment to service welfare for services leavers.

Sodexo UK and Ireland’s work to support the armed forces community includes raising awareness of the armed forces community at Sodexo events and commitment to the employment of service leavers, reservists and military spouses, partners and families.

The Ministry of Defence will formally present Sodexo with gold status later this year.

Rachel James, human resources director for Sodexo Defence and Government Services UK and Ireland, said: “As a leading supplier of services to the Ministry of Defence, we believe we are ideally placed to support regular and reserve forces, veterans and their families, not just in our catering, retail and leisure facilities, but through every aspect of our business.

"This includes our positive recruitment of service leavers, spouses and our policies to support reservists; we are committed to supporting every one of our employees who is a reservist or who is interested in becoming a reservist and this is a key element of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant.

“We are delighted that our approach to defending the welfare of our armed forces has been recognised with an Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award and look forward to further strengthening our support to the armed forces community.”

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said: “These companies have shown the gold standard of commitment to supporting members of the armed forces, veterans, and their families. They have taken meaningful steps to ensure the Defence community is not disadvantaged by the sacrifice they make in helping keep this country safe. The actions of these employers make it crystal clear that regardless of size, location, or sector, employing people with military skills is good for business.”