Sodexo joins “The Valuable 500” initiative to place disability on the business agenda, reinforcing its commitment to disability inclusion
"We are convinced that by mobilizing our employees towards a more inclusive growth, we can eliminate misconceptions and biases that hold people with mental or physical disabilities back to make sure everyone can reach their full potential."
"We hope many other companies will join the Valuable 500 initiative to make our collective efforts part of the usual way of doing business going forward."
With this announcement, Sodexo affirms its ongoing commitment that by 2025, 100% of its workforce will have access to initiatives supporting the inclusion of people with disabilities. Concretely this means that each country where Sodexo operates will have:
- A non-discrimination policy about people with disabilities
- Communications to support the inclusion of people with disabilities
- A disability champion amongst our employees to pursue our disability commitment.
Sodexo has partnered with the International Labor Organizations Global Business and Disability Network. This partnership supports Sodexo’s disability inclusion efforts by facilitating the opportunity to learn from and share experiences with other global leaders and providing access to country specific information.
According to The World Bank, more than 1.3 billion people around the world live with some form of disability. To address this, The Valuable 500 was launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2019. Their goal has been to sign 500 national and multinational, private sector corporations and unite them to serve as role models for change on this vital issue. To date, more than 200 global businesses have signed up.
"It is extremely promising to see global companies like Sodexo, from all four corners of the globe and across a vast array of sectors, continuing to pledge to join our disability inclusion movement nearly twelve months on from its launch."
"As The Valuable 500’s historic return to Davos fast approaches, it throws into sharp relief our progress in tackling ‘diversish’ attitudes in the workplace over the past year. We gladly welcome these new members – I am certain they will be instrumental in ensuring disability inclusion becomes the norm in working life globally."