It's that time of year again... the time of year when you look to the year ahead as a clean slate and make resolutions to do better, to be better, to be happier, to make changes.
Unless you are perfect and live a perfect life in a perfect world there is probably room for change in your world. It's the New Year and what better time to take a look at your life and make a plan for where you want to be at the end of 2009.
Change could mean a new career, a new job, a new opportunity, or even just a new way of doing things. Maybe you'd like to spend more time with your family and finally get a hold on work-life balance? Maybe you'd like to advance your career by way of a promotion? Maybe you'd like to make a career change all together? What ever it is - now is the time for you to make changes - call it a New Year's Resolution, call it a goal, call it whatever you like just make some changes!
Last year I posted a list to help get started with your New Year's Resolution and this year I've switched it up a little...
1. Do you have a personal brand? Not sure what a personal brand is? Learn more about what it is and why you need one here.
2. Are you embracing Social Media? It's easy and free. Don't be afraid and start slowly but what ever you do put yourself out there and help recruiters find you!
3. Are you afraid of a risk? With the current state of our economy aren't we all a little scared? See what's available within the company that you are currently working for. You never know... you might be able to transfer within. Sodexo prides itself on providing growth opportunities for all of our employees.
4. Do you have a wish list with your top ten personal and professional priorities? Does your work fit into your home life? For some people, work is the top priority but for others it might be second or third. If spending more time with your family is top on your list - make it a priority on your wish list. Companies like Sodexo are embracing this concept with new programs. More on Sodexo's Flexible Work Arrangements initiative next week.
5. Are you networking? Join online networking communities (see #2 above Facebook or Linkedin would be a good start) and join your industry related associations or local business groups and attend the meetings. You never know what opportunity might be waiting for you with a friend or a colleague.
6. Do you have a plan? A career plan and/or personal plan? Clear concise goals and long term plans will help you focus. Make sure your plan is flexible and realistic. If your New Year's Resolution is to find a more rewarding career, Sodexo might be able to help you...click here to learn about career options at Sodexo.
We all have unsolicited advice we are dying to share... this is your opportunity.
What are your career and personal well being bits of wisdom?
Me? I am happy professionally but.... yesterday I had coffee for breakfast, chocolate covered pretzels (about 201 of them) and diet root beer for lunch, and a bowl of cereal for dinner. Does anyone want to take a guess at what my New Year's Resolution is going to be?
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12/30/08
12/24/08
Scholarships from Sodexo Foundation
$5,000 scholarships for college from Sodexo Foundation!
Did you know that the Sodexo Foundation provides $5,000 scholarships to students in K - grad school who are fighting hunger in America? In addition to the scholarships, the Sodexo Foundation will provide a matching $5,000 grant to the winners' designated charity. You can learn more about this great program at http://www.sodexofoundation.org/.
If you have kids, know kids or have heard of any kids anywhere in the US... who may be doing great things to fight hunger, encourage them to apply between January 1, 2009 and February 27, 2009. Last year our youngest recipient was nine years old, so don't let age be a barrier.
View two of the 2008 STOP Hunger Scholarship Recipient's stories:
Cassie Muller, Sophomore at Loudonville Christian School Loudonville, NY
Cassie first began helping fight hunger in Albany, seven years ago. For the past two years she has run a program that provides 1,000 lunches every day during weekends and school vacations-including summer break. Last year Cassie and her team prepared and served more than 50,000 healthy, nutritious meals to inner city children.
View her story below:
...
Did you know that the Sodexo Foundation provides $5,000 scholarships to students in K - grad school who are fighting hunger in America? In addition to the scholarships, the Sodexo Foundation will provide a matching $5,000 grant to the winners' designated charity. You can learn more about this great program at http://www.sodexofoundation.org/.
If you have kids, know kids or have heard of any kids anywhere in the US... who may be doing great things to fight hunger, encourage them to apply between January 1, 2009 and February 27, 2009. Last year our youngest recipient was nine years old, so don't let age be a barrier.
View two of the 2008 STOP Hunger Scholarship Recipient's stories:
Cassie Muller, Sophomore at Loudonville Christian School Loudonville, NY
Cassie first began helping fight hunger in Albany, seven years ago. For the past two years she has run a program that provides 1,000 lunches every day during weekends and school vacations-including summer break. Last year Cassie and her team prepared and served more than 50,000 healthy, nutritious meals to inner city children.
View her story below:
...
Hannah Yoxall, 3rd Grader at McSwain Elementary School Staunton, VA
Nine-year-old Hannah Yoxall has never forgotten what it was like to go to bed hungry. After being adopted and brought to America from her native China five years ago, Hannah was compelled by the empty shelves at her local food bank to raise awareness and collect food for the hungry in the Shenandoah Valley. Last year she collected 1,033 pounds of food-bringing her three-year total to more than 1,500 pounds for local needy families.
View her story below:
...
Eligibility: Any student – Kindergarten through graduate school – engaged in community service to fight hunger and poverty in the United States.
How to apply: information is at STOP Hunger Scholarships; access key SDXF (needed to submit an application)
Dates: Applications are open January 1, 2009 through February 27, 2009.
You can also visit the STOP Hunger Facebook Group.
STOP Hunger Where It Starts
Since 1999, the charitable arm of Sodexo , the Sodexo Foundation, has been committed to being a driving and creative force that contributes to a hunger-free nation. In order to eliminate hunger that affects 36.2 million people in the U.S., we must fight its root causes. The Sodexo Foundation supports innovative programs to help children and families in the United States who are battling problems like poverty, unemployment, lack of education, and food insecurity.
Visit our STOP Hunger web site for more information.
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Note: STOP Hunger Scholarship Award increased to $5000 - last year's award was $3000.
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12/22/08
Facebook Profile Etiquette...
...my two cents.
The other day I received a friend request on Facebook from a name I didn't recognize. When I looked at the photo of the person requesting my friendship I didn't recognize her because she had a Halloween costume on! I was able to view part of her profile but the information available did not reveal enough information about who she was. I could see her name was "Jane Doe" (which I didn't recognize) and I could see that she was from a city in Florida but, I couldn't see her education information or her work history and she didn't personalize her friend request.
So I did not accept her friendship.
I didn't decline the friend request... I sent her a message looking for more information. She did not respond to my message.
It was at that moment that I truly understood the importance of information sharing. If you are going to ask people to be your friend on Facebook or any other social networking site it would be best if you have a photo of yourself without the Halloween costume and at least include a little bit of information about who you are and where you've been so your "friends" can confidently welcome your friendship - especially if you are going to use these sites to help with your job search Add even more value to your friend request and Include a personal message. A simple "Hi my name Jane Doe and I am interested in a career with Sodexo" would be sufficient or "Hi Kerry, remember me? We went to college together in 1988."
What about you?
Do you accept all friend requests even if you don't know who they are?
The other day I received a friend request on Facebook from a name I didn't recognize. When I looked at the photo of the person requesting my friendship I didn't recognize her because she had a Halloween costume on! I was able to view part of her profile but the information available did not reveal enough information about who she was. I could see her name was "Jane Doe" (which I didn't recognize) and I could see that she was from a city in Florida but, I couldn't see her education information or her work history and she didn't personalize her friend request.
So I did not accept her friendship.
I didn't decline the friend request... I sent her a message looking for more information. She did not respond to my message.
It was at that moment that I truly understood the importance of information sharing. If you are going to ask people to be your friend on Facebook or any other social networking site it would be best if you have a photo of yourself without the Halloween costume and at least include a little bit of information about who you are and where you've been so your "friends" can confidently welcome your friendship - especially if you are going to use these sites to help with your job search Add even more value to your friend request and Include a personal message. A simple "Hi my name Jane Doe and I am interested in a career with Sodexo" would be sufficient or "Hi Kerry, remember me? We went to college together in 1988."
What about you?
Do you accept all friend requests even if you don't know who they are?
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12/17/08
More on Sodexo's IT needs
by Guest Blogger, Scott Sherman
A couple months ago I made a trek to Buffalo, NY to meet with several Sodexo IT professionals. Why Buffalo you might ask. That is where our North American IT organization is headquarted as well as a large majority of our Global Applications Architecture and Development team. In fact, our Buffalo offices are a thriving and booming global IT hub.
One thing that has always impressed me is the high caliber of individuals who work in IT at Sodexo and the type of projects they are implementing. Take for example our Business Intelligence Team. No . .. . business intelligence is not an oxymoron. Rather it involves sophisticated software systems Sodexo managers globally refer to for historical, current and predictive views of business operations. These high profile systems involve pulling information from our massive data warehouse in forms managers can use to make intelligent business decisions. The VP of Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence (BI) explained to me that since they first introduced BI to Sodexo, they have experienced a never ending demand of requests for new BI systems to implement. Not a bad problem to have.
Another example of the innovative high tech culture in action is our team that develops distributed business applications such as Food Management Systems, Labor Management, Customer Relationship Management and Unit Financial Systems. These are some of the core systems that Sodexo managers use every day to run the business. Members of these development teams often reference one of main reasons they work at Sodexo as the combination of the quality of people they work with and the progressive technologies being deployed. These teams work with some of the latest and greatest from Microsoft including Visual Studio.NET, Windows Workflow, Windows Communication Foundation and SQL Server 2005.
My job is to find more of those high quality individuals to join in the innovation and contribute to the next generation of Sodexo IT solutions. It is a constant search that I embrace with enthusiasm each day. If you are an IT individual reading this blog, what are you looking for in an IT opportunity? Innovative culture? Stability? Growth opportunities? All of the above? Other? Let me know your thoughts as I would love to read your comments.
The best way to search for career opportunities in Sodexo IS & T is to go to our career page, then click the search jobs option. Then search by discipline and select – IS & T.
A couple months ago I made a trek to Buffalo, NY to meet with several Sodexo IT professionals. Why Buffalo you might ask. That is where our North American IT organization is headquarted as well as a large majority of our Global Applications Architecture and Development team. In fact, our Buffalo offices are a thriving and booming global IT hub.
One thing that has always impressed me is the high caliber of individuals who work in IT at Sodexo and the type of projects they are implementing. Take for example our Business Intelligence Team. No . .. . business intelligence is not an oxymoron. Rather it involves sophisticated software systems Sodexo managers globally refer to for historical, current and predictive views of business operations. These high profile systems involve pulling information from our massive data warehouse in forms managers can use to make intelligent business decisions. The VP of Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence (BI) explained to me that since they first introduced BI to Sodexo, they have experienced a never ending demand of requests for new BI systems to implement. Not a bad problem to have.
Another example of the innovative high tech culture in action is our team that develops distributed business applications such as Food Management Systems, Labor Management, Customer Relationship Management and Unit Financial Systems. These are some of the core systems that Sodexo managers use every day to run the business. Members of these development teams often reference one of main reasons they work at Sodexo as the combination of the quality of people they work with and the progressive technologies being deployed. These teams work with some of the latest and greatest from Microsoft including Visual Studio.NET, Windows Workflow, Windows Communication Foundation and SQL Server 2005.
My job is to find more of those high quality individuals to join in the innovation and contribute to the next generation of Sodexo IT solutions. It is a constant search that I embrace with enthusiasm each day. If you are an IT individual reading this blog, what are you looking for in an IT opportunity? Innovative culture? Stability? Growth opportunities? All of the above? Other? Let me know your thoughts as I would love to read your comments.
The best way to search for career opportunities in Sodexo IS & T is to go to our career page, then click the search jobs option. Then search by discipline and select – IS & T.
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Scott is an Executive Recruiter with Sodexo supporting the Global Applications Architecture and Development and the IS & T NorAM groups in North America. Scott Invites you to connect with him on Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook and encourages to you contact him if you are interested in IT careers at Sodexo.
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12/14/08
Sodexo's Twitosphere
If you follow Sodexo Careers on Twitter you may notice our sudden friendapalooza. Our Twitosphere is growing and we think that is twittastic!
Yesterday on our team call we talked about Twitter and the value of this cool microblogging tool as well as tools like TweetDeck that make Twittering more efficient. You may see an increase in our twaffic as a result of all of Sodexo's neweeters. They may end up being occasioneeters , twitterholics, twittcrastinators or even twitterflies but, they certainly will not be egotwistical and they will do their best not to mistweet! Some may use a twavatar and some may use their photos. If you are not already one of our tweeps maybe you'd like to twad us to your friend's list to make it even easier to communicate with Sodexo's Talent Acquisition Team. Our recruiters will be tweeting about jobs they are recruiting for because even though the economy is slow right now, Sodexo is still hiring and our recruiters would like to tweetup with you - they may even request to twinkedIn with you.
Join Sodexo's twittercal mass and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SodexoCareers.
Arie Ball, Vice President Talent Acquisition
Amy Brooks, Environmental Services Recruitment Manager
Tami Carter, Senior Recruiter
Danielle Deluca, Senior Recruiter
Emily Feury, Senior Recruiter
Lisa Garden, Talent Acquisition Senior Director
Trisha Gary, Senior Recruiter (Environmental Services, Hospitals and Senior Services)
Angela Guidroz, Sodexo Recruitment Manager Military Sourcing
Dianne Harrison, Talent Acquisition Senior Director
Cathy Mannis, Senior Recruiter (Health Care Western Region)
Darla Mayse,Senior Recruiter
Myra Mendoza, Senior Recruiter
Debbi Oryzak, Senior Recruiter (Conference Centers Nationwide)
Michelle Thomas, Senior Manager, Diversity Recruiting
Suzanne Thompson, Senior Recruiter (Facilities Management)
Jennifer Tschilar, Senior Recruiter
Anthony Scarpino, Talent Acquisition Senior Director
Anne Scott,Training Program Developer
Scott Sherman, IT Executive Recruiter
Sherie Valderama, Talent Acquisition Senior Director
Celia Whitney, Senior Recruiter
Maisha Cannon, Senior Recruiter (Clinical Team)
SodexoNYU, Michelle Posehn, Senior Recruiter
Kathy Allen, Senior Recruiter (Northeast)
Colleen McKie, Senior Recruiter
Susan Laramee, Senior Recruiter
The Multiskilled, Senior Recruiter
Amy DavinCho, Senior Recruiter
Suzanne Davis, Executive Recruiter (Corporate)
Belan Deluca, Employment Specialist
Danielle Deluca, Senior Recruiter
Judy Doino, Senior Recruiter
Mindi Gale , Senior Recruiter (Clinical Team, New York)
Karen Graham, Senior Recruiter (Northeast, Campus and Senior Services)
Jennifer Heth, Senior Recruiter (Environmental Services)
Sarah Huff, Senior Recruiter (Facilities Management)
Jennifer Hurst, Senior Recruiter
Stephen Ivy, Career Center Administrator
Bud Mason, Executive Recruiter
Sharron McNealey, Senior Recruiter
Derren Thompson, Senior Recruiter
Mark Stewart, Executive Recruiter (Sales and Business Development)
Reggie Stewart, Talent Acquisition Senior Director
Valerie LeFevre, Senior Recruiter
Jerry Paulison, Talent Acquisition Senior Director
Susan Foreacre, Senior Recruiter
Rahel Hagos, Senior Recruiter
Helen Winter, Senior Recruiter
Jenn Finnegan, Senior Recruiter
Anna Hutchinson, Senior Recruiter
Yvonne Anderson, Senior Recruiter
Tweeting out... Sodexo Careers
Yesterday on our team call we talked about Twitter and the value of this cool microblogging tool as well as tools like TweetDeck that make Twittering more efficient. You may see an increase in our twaffic as a result of all of Sodexo's neweeters. They may end up being occasioneeters , twitterholics, twittcrastinators or even twitterflies but, they certainly will not be egotwistical and they will do their best not to mistweet! Some may use a twavatar and some may use their photos. If you are not already one of our tweeps maybe you'd like to twad us to your friend's list to make it even easier to communicate with Sodexo's Talent Acquisition Team. Our recruiters will be tweeting about jobs they are recruiting for because even though the economy is slow right now, Sodexo is still hiring and our recruiters would like to tweetup with you - they may even request to twinkedIn with you.
Join Sodexo's twittercal mass and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SodexoCareers.
Translation for the above can be found HERE.
Welcome Sodexo's neweeters:
Arie Ball, Vice President Talent Acquisition
Amy Brooks, Environmental Services Recruitment Manager
Tami Carter, Senior Recruiter
Danielle Deluca, Senior Recruiter
Emily Feury, Senior Recruiter
Lisa Garden, Talent Acquisition Senior Director
Trisha Gary, Senior Recruiter (Environmental Services, Hospitals and Senior Services)
Angela Guidroz, Sodexo Recruitment Manager Military Sourcing
Dianne Harrison, Talent Acquisition Senior Director
Cathy Mannis, Senior Recruiter (Health Care Western Region)
Darla Mayse,Senior Recruiter
Myra Mendoza, Senior Recruiter
Debbi Oryzak, Senior Recruiter (Conference Centers Nationwide)
Michelle Thomas, Senior Manager, Diversity Recruiting
Suzanne Thompson, Senior Recruiter (Facilities Management)
Jennifer Tschilar, Senior Recruiter
Anthony Scarpino, Talent Acquisition Senior Director
Anne Scott,Training Program Developer
Scott Sherman, IT Executive Recruiter
Sherie Valderama, Talent Acquisition Senior Director
Celia Whitney, Senior Recruiter
Maisha Cannon, Senior Recruiter (Clinical Team)
SodexoNYU, Michelle Posehn, Senior Recruiter
Kathy Allen, Senior Recruiter (Northeast)
Colleen McKie, Senior Recruiter
Susan Laramee, Senior Recruiter
The Multiskilled, Senior Recruiter
Amy DavinCho, Senior Recruiter
Suzanne Davis, Executive Recruiter (Corporate)
Belan Deluca, Employment Specialist
Danielle Deluca, Senior Recruiter
Judy Doino, Senior Recruiter
Mindi Gale , Senior Recruiter (Clinical Team, New York)
Karen Graham, Senior Recruiter (Northeast, Campus and Senior Services)
Jennifer Heth, Senior Recruiter (Environmental Services)
Sarah Huff, Senior Recruiter (Facilities Management)
Jennifer Hurst, Senior Recruiter
Stephen Ivy, Career Center Administrator
Bud Mason, Executive Recruiter
Sharron McNealey, Senior Recruiter
Derren Thompson, Senior Recruiter
Mark Stewart, Executive Recruiter (Sales and Business Development)
Reggie Stewart, Talent Acquisition Senior Director
Valerie LeFevre, Senior Recruiter
Jerry Paulison, Talent Acquisition Senior Director
Susan Foreacre, Senior Recruiter
Rahel Hagos, Senior Recruiter
Helen Winter, Senior Recruiter
Jenn Finnegan, Senior Recruiter
Anna Hutchinson, Senior Recruiter
Yvonne Anderson, Senior Recruiter
Tweeting out... Sodexo Careers
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12/10/08
What are your hot buttons?
I'm not a recruiter for Sodexo. In fact, before joining Sodexo's Talent Acquisition Team I didn't have HR recruiting experience. I've always been a marketer and a communicator and have worked in many different industries including non-profit membership organizations where I "recruited" new members and for engineering-type companies where I "recruited" new business opportunities. Yes, there is a difference between employment branding and consumer branding or business to business branding - but it's still marketing. I do, however, have the pleasure of working with Sodexo USA's team of talented recruiters who work hard to fill thousands of positions for more than 6,000 locations across the United States each year. Recruiting for a company as large as Sodexo requires more than a strong employment brand it requires talented, organized and efficient people... talented, organized and efficient recruiters.
Last week I posted about the top 10 personal qualities/skills employers seek, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers' Job Outlook 2008 Survey and now I want to know what recruiters seek.
We all have "hot buttons" and by hot buttons I mean something someone has said or done that will either work in their favor and "seal the deal" so to speak or just the opposite and become a deal breaker. The recruiter is the most important person in a candidate's job search experience. By knowing their hiring managers and the environments for which they hire well our recruiters are able to define a unique check list of hot buttons. What might be a deal breaker for one recruiter may not be for another.
Wouldn't it be nice to know what can make or break the deal for you before you go through the hiring process?
So this question is for all recruiters. Sodexo recruiters, independent recruiters, and recruiters who work for other companies.
What are your hot buttons?
Last week I posted about the top 10 personal qualities/skills employers seek, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers' Job Outlook 2008 Survey and now I want to know what recruiters seek.
We all have "hot buttons" and by hot buttons I mean something someone has said or done that will either work in their favor and "seal the deal" so to speak or just the opposite and become a deal breaker. The recruiter is the most important person in a candidate's job search experience. By knowing their hiring managers and the environments for which they hire well our recruiters are able to define a unique check list of hot buttons. What might be a deal breaker for one recruiter may not be for another.
Wouldn't it be nice to know what can make or break the deal for you before you go through the hiring process?
So this question is for all recruiters. Sodexo recruiters, independent recruiters, and recruiters who work for other companies.
What are your hot buttons?
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12/9/08
We welcome your comments!
Thank you for taking the time to view our Sodexo Careers Blog. The purpose of the Sodexo Careers Blog is to build personal relationships with potential candidates and current employees. Our goal is to give our visitors the opportunity to take a look inside Sodexo and to interact with us. While we welcome employment comments of all sorts, we have a strict policy to not comment on the operational issues of our business units, and we reserve the right to remove any post that we deem offensive, inappropriate, or irrelevant to the purpose of this site. Thank you!
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Work that makes a difference
by Guest Blogger Debbie Thomas
Do you ever feel like the proverbial rat on the never-ending wheel? Would you like to get up in the morning and look forward to starting your work day?
In my 25+ years with Sodexo, I have not always had the passion for my work that I have today. As the Human Resources Director leading a team of “like minded” volunteer managers, I often tell people that I have the best job in the company.
My epiphany of sorts began a few years ago when I was hospitalized for the first time ever. I have worked in hospitals since high school, all through college, and later as a registered dietitian and department director. I thought I knew what to expect.
What a “jaw dropping” experience it turned out to be. I had no idea what it was really like to be the person in the bed. I experienced first hand the loss of control from the “less than flattering” hospital gown to the total reliance on someone else for my most basic needs. It was not only a humbling experience, but also a frightening experience. After all, I knew the ropes; how did people who had never had any sort of hospital experience feel? I had many interactions with caregivers and service workers during my 5-day stay. But I never felt that they “saw” me as anyone more than a patient in a bed. During this time I had plenty of time to contemplate how I had treated my patients over the years. Did I focus on them as individuals or did I also fall into the trap of de-humanizing them? Did I see my work as a “calling” to help others during the most vulnerable times of their lives or was it just another day “at the office”?
During this time Sodexo Health Care was also reviewing our business model and discussing ways to differentiate ourselves in an ever competitive market. In response to this market research, the Patient and Resident Experience was launched with the tag line “Patients and Residents are the heart of everything we do.” That certainly resonated with me and I decided to see how I could become involved in this Journey. Journey is an accurate descriptor since we were looking at everything we do and determining the benefit to patients or residents or those people who care for them. I immediately volunteered to participate on the Patient Resident Experience Human Resources Task Force in addition to my already busy “day job”. Eventually I stepped out of that “safe” day job and took a temporary project position to lead the effort to design and implement HR tools to support the Journey.
As I looked back on my own hospital experience, I realized that I came into contact with many non-clinical staff members: food service employees, housekeepers, transporters, and maintenance employees. They seemed so unengaged in their jobs, but in truth, they can make a difference with their interactions with patients. With that dedicated team of “volunteer ” like-minded managers, we designed tools to support the entire life cycle of a frontline service employee working in a hospital or senior community. As the Journey caught on within our departments across the country, service employees have realized that their jobs have meaning and that they can make a positive impact in the lives of the patients, residents, and family members they interact with. Stories of how the housekeeper cuddled a baby with no family members or the maintenance employee who ensured that a child could watch movies and play video games, or the food service employee who identified a patient in distress have poured into our CARES (Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Enthusiasm, Service) internal web page.
Work doesn’t have to be a necessary “evil ;” it can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. Even though I no longer have direct patient or resident interaction, I feel that the work I do makes a difference to that patient who feels the fear of the unknown or that family member who is worried about their loved one. As many of us age, we can only hope that people who choose to work in hospitals or senior communities do so with the knowledge that they can make a difference each and every day. I’m really proud to work for a company that recognizes the deep need that we all feel—the need to make a difference in the lives of people as they experience the most trying times in their lives.
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Debbie Thomas' career with Sodexo has spanned 25 years in a variety of roles including General Manager-Food and Nutrition, Multi-Service District Manager, Area Support Manager-Service Redesign, and Human Resources. Her current role entails leading Sodexo Health Care’s National Human Resources Task Force focused on design and implementation of the Patient and Resident Experience cultural transformation process.
Do you ever feel like the proverbial rat on the never-ending wheel? Would you like to get up in the morning and look forward to starting your work day?
In my 25+ years with Sodexo, I have not always had the passion for my work that I have today. As the Human Resources Director leading a team of “like minded” volunteer managers, I often tell people that I have the best job in the company.
My epiphany of sorts began a few years ago when I was hospitalized for the first time ever. I have worked in hospitals since high school, all through college, and later as a registered dietitian and department director. I thought I knew what to expect.
What a “jaw dropping” experience it turned out to be. I had no idea what it was really like to be the person in the bed. I experienced first hand the loss of control from the “less than flattering” hospital gown to the total reliance on someone else for my most basic needs. It was not only a humbling experience, but also a frightening experience. After all, I knew the ropes; how did people who had never had any sort of hospital experience feel? I had many interactions with caregivers and service workers during my 5-day stay. But I never felt that they “saw” me as anyone more than a patient in a bed. During this time I had plenty of time to contemplate how I had treated my patients over the years. Did I focus on them as individuals or did I also fall into the trap of de-humanizing them? Did I see my work as a “calling” to help others during the most vulnerable times of their lives or was it just another day “at the office”?
During this time Sodexo Health Care was also reviewing our business model and discussing ways to differentiate ourselves in an ever competitive market. In response to this market research, the Patient and Resident Experience was launched with the tag line “Patients and Residents are the heart of everything we do.” That certainly resonated with me and I decided to see how I could become involved in this Journey. Journey is an accurate descriptor since we were looking at everything we do and determining the benefit to patients or residents or those people who care for them. I immediately volunteered to participate on the Patient Resident Experience Human Resources Task Force in addition to my already busy “day job”. Eventually I stepped out of that “safe” day job and took a temporary project position to lead the effort to design and implement HR tools to support the Journey.
As I looked back on my own hospital experience, I realized that I came into contact with many non-clinical staff members: food service employees, housekeepers, transporters, and maintenance employees. They seemed so unengaged in their jobs, but in truth, they can make a difference with their interactions with patients. With that dedicated team of “volunteer ” like-minded managers, we designed tools to support the entire life cycle of a frontline service employee working in a hospital or senior community. As the Journey caught on within our departments across the country, service employees have realized that their jobs have meaning and that they can make a positive impact in the lives of the patients, residents, and family members they interact with. Stories of how the housekeeper cuddled a baby with no family members or the maintenance employee who ensured that a child could watch movies and play video games, or the food service employee who identified a patient in distress have poured into our CARES (Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Enthusiasm, Service) internal web page.
Work doesn’t have to be a necessary “evil ;” it can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. Even though I no longer have direct patient or resident interaction, I feel that the work I do makes a difference to that patient who feels the fear of the unknown or that family member who is worried about their loved one. As many of us age, we can only hope that people who choose to work in hospitals or senior communities do so with the knowledge that they can make a difference each and every day. I’m really proud to work for a company that recognizes the deep need that we all feel—the need to make a difference in the lives of people as they experience the most trying times in their lives.
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Debbie Thomas' career with Sodexo has spanned 25 years in a variety of roles including General Manager-Food and Nutrition, Multi-Service District Manager, Area Support Manager-Service Redesign, and Human Resources. Her current role entails leading Sodexo Health Care’s National Human Resources Task Force focused on design and implementation of the Patient and Resident Experience cultural transformation process.
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12/4/08
Top Qualities Sought by Employers
Last night I read a list of the top 10 personal qualities/skills employers seek, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers' Job Outlook 2008 Survey and I thought the list was interesting...
Click on Sodexo's mentoring video below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO4MP7e8Wwo
I am curious.
What do you think?
Do you think being able to work well with others is as important as being computer and technically savvy? And are you prepared to talk about these skills in an interview?
- Communication skills (verbal and written)
- Strong work ethic and Honesty/Integrity
- Teamwork skills (works well with others)
- Motivation/Initiative
- Interpersonal skills (relates well to others)
- Problem-solving skills
- Analytical skills
- Flexibility/Adaptability/Self Confidence
- Computer skills
- Technical skills
Yes, computer and technical skills are on this list but many of the skills are commonly called "soft skills." We are not born with these skills but they can be taught through coaching and mentoring. I know from personal experience (we all make mistakes, right?) that at age 38 years old I (now) know what it takes to be a "team player" and the value of flexibility, tactfulness, and honesty. Communication skills and other "soft" skills are critical and the sooner you can develop these skills the more successful and fulfilled you will be in your career. It is kind of like that Kenny Roger's song...
You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em.
Know when to walk away, and know when to run.
You never count your money, when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin', when the dealin's done.
In most cases success is going to take hard work and experience. Trust me, you will need to know when to be persistent and when to go with the flow. I think it's safe to say we all know people who have not mastered these skills yet. Right? Knowing when to choose your battles is most certainly an important learned skill as are leadership, problem solving and communication skills. Sodexo's mentoring programs bring employees together to promote professional growth and success from within and help develop these skills and more.
Click on Sodexo's mentoring video below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO4MP7e8Wwo
I am curious.
What do you think?
Do you think being able to work well with others is as important as being computer and technically savvy? And are you prepared to talk about these skills in an interview?
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12/2/08
Backpacks Are Packing More than Just Books
by Guest Blogger, Mindi Gale
With school age children of my own, I was touched when I learned more about Sodexo's Backpack Food Program. Being a member of our Career Connections e-Newsletter I have an opportunity to write storied about projects and programs sponsored by Sodexo and I am always impressed with our goal to give back to the community we serve. This is just one of the hunger-related initiatives that the Sodexo Foundation supports.
The goal of the Backpack Food Program is to meet the needs of students who are at risk for hunger, providing them with nutritious and easy-to-prepare foods to take home on weekends and school vacations when other resources are minimal or not available.
This program is truly a grassroots effort, initiated by local Sodexo managers who get involved because they see a need in their local communities. Sodexo employees assist through picking up food from the local food bank partner, packing the backpacks and then delivering the backpacks to the schools. In addition, the Sodexo Foundation provides grants to local food banks to help offset the costs associated with Sodexo-supported Backpack Food Program.
How the program works….
A Sodexo manager works closely with the local food bank to secure the food. The backpacks are filled with nutritious breakfast, lunch, and dinner items that are easy-to-prepare or ready-to-eat, such as pasta, jarred sauce, beef stew, tuna, peanut butter, jelly, rice, beans, cereal, oatmeal, granola bars, and juice. The local school system identifies the students in need and distributes the backpacks directly to the students. Community resource information might also be included in the backpacks. Backpacks are discreetly distributed to participating students on the last school day prior to the weekend or a holiday vacation, and are returned on the next school day, usually a Monday. Any school personnel have the discretion to identify a child for the Backpack Program.
Providence, RI Sodexo manager, June Dilorenzo likes to put a special spin on their program. June puts together special backpacks for holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. She includes special holiday treats like candy corn for Halloween, turkey and the trimmings for Thanksgiving, and ham and pies at Christmas. The actual backpacks are purchased in different styles and colors in the spirit of keeping this program discrete and confidential.
Thanks to the generosity of Sodexo employees and the Sodexo Foundation, thousands of school children throughout the United States carry specially packed backpacks home and do not go hungry over the weekend or during holidays.
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Mindi is a Senior Recruiter for Sodexo's Talent Acquisition Group. She began her career with Sodexo18 years ago as a Clinical Nutrition Manager at Elmhurst Extended Care Facility in RI. Three years ago she moved to Sodexo’s Talent Acquisition Group recruiting for the Clinical team in the East. Mindi Invites you to connect with her on Facebook and Twitter and encourages you to contact her if you are interested in a career as a Dietitian at Sodexo.
With school age children of my own, I was touched when I learned more about Sodexo's Backpack Food Program. Being a member of our Career Connections e-Newsletter I have an opportunity to write storied about projects and programs sponsored by Sodexo and I am always impressed with our goal to give back to the community we serve. This is just one of the hunger-related initiatives that the Sodexo Foundation supports.
The goal of the Backpack Food Program is to meet the needs of students who are at risk for hunger, providing them with nutritious and easy-to-prepare foods to take home on weekends and school vacations when other resources are minimal or not available.
This program is truly a grassroots effort, initiated by local Sodexo managers who get involved because they see a need in their local communities. Sodexo employees assist through picking up food from the local food bank partner, packing the backpacks and then delivering the backpacks to the schools. In addition, the Sodexo Foundation provides grants to local food banks to help offset the costs associated with Sodexo-supported Backpack Food Program.
How the program works….
A Sodexo manager works closely with the local food bank to secure the food. The backpacks are filled with nutritious breakfast, lunch, and dinner items that are easy-to-prepare or ready-to-eat, such as pasta, jarred sauce, beef stew, tuna, peanut butter, jelly, rice, beans, cereal, oatmeal, granola bars, and juice. The local school system identifies the students in need and distributes the backpacks directly to the students. Community resource information might also be included in the backpacks. Backpacks are discreetly distributed to participating students on the last school day prior to the weekend or a holiday vacation, and are returned on the next school day, usually a Monday. Any school personnel have the discretion to identify a child for the Backpack Program.
Providence, RI Sodexo manager, June Dilorenzo likes to put a special spin on their program. June puts together special backpacks for holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. She includes special holiday treats like candy corn for Halloween, turkey and the trimmings for Thanksgiving, and ham and pies at Christmas. The actual backpacks are purchased in different styles and colors in the spirit of keeping this program discrete and confidential.
Thanks to the generosity of Sodexo employees and the Sodexo Foundation, thousands of school children throughout the United States carry specially packed backpacks home and do not go hungry over the weekend or during holidays.
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Mindi is a Senior Recruiter for Sodexo's Talent Acquisition Group. She began her career with Sodexo18 years ago as a Clinical Nutrition Manager at Elmhurst Extended Care Facility in RI. Three years ago she moved to Sodexo’s Talent Acquisition Group recruiting for the Clinical team in the East. Mindi Invites you to connect with her on Facebook and Twitter and encourages you to contact her if you are interested in a career as a Dietitian at Sodexo.
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