In 2010, Sodexo was ranked first on DiversityInc’s “Top 50 Companies for Diversity” list. Over 440 companies were considered by DiversityInc for potential inclusion in the list. Sodexo is a major facilities and food management company that serves millions of customers each day in businesses, schools and universities, and government agencies. All Sodexo employees receive extensive diversity training and Sodexo encourages managers to interact with diverse groups so as to better understand and appreciate their experiences. Ron Bond, a manager in his late 50s, joined some of his female coworkers for a meeting of the Women’s Food Service Forum. With around 1,500 women in attendance, Bond stood out as one of the very few men who were present. This experience caused him to reflect on his own experiences. For example, he recalled that when he started his career, there were very few women managers. More generally, he gained an appreciation of how it feels and what it means to be different from others in a group or organization. As he put it, “That’s a profound experience . . . I can begin to feel what it must have felt like to be different.” Sodexo encourages managers to mentor employees different from themselves and provides training to promote effective mentoring as well as ways to assess how a mentoring relationship is going and the extent to which goals are being achieved. Twenty-five percent of top managers’ bonuses are based on how well they do on diversity initiatives such as the hiring and training of diverse employees. Managers are also urged to sponsor affinity groups for employees who are different from themselves. The women’s affinity group provides an opportunity for female employees to make contact with each other and address some of the mutual concerns they might have such as a lactation room for new nursing mothers to pump breast milk. Ron Bond sponsored this group which helped make him aware of issues and concerns that he might never have thought of otherwise. With regards to the lactation room, Bond indicated that it was “ . . . just one of those things I’d never thought about.” Of Swedish and German descent and raised in Nebraska, Longa Donatone manages a unit at Sodexo that provides food services for cruise lines. Donatone sponsored Sodexo’s Latino affinity group and that experience helped her find ways to improve the quality of the service her unit provides to customers. For example, she now uses more bilingual materials to promote Sodexho’s services to cruise lines and their customers. Dr. Rohini Anand, Sodexo’s Senior Vice President and Global Chief Diversity Officer suggests that “To really engage people, you have to create a series of epiphanies and take leaders through those epiphanies.” Operating in the financial products, services, and insurance industry, Principal Financial Group also has a history of being recognized for the effective management of diversity. For example, in 2010, Principle was awarded the second-highest rating in the Human Rights Campaign’s 2010 Corporate Equality Index. In fact, long before many other companies adopted flexible work schedule to provide opportunities for diverse employees, Principal started providing its employees with the option of flexible work schedules in 1974. Importantly, employees who opt for flexible work schedules and take advantage of other benefits such as 12 weeks off after the birth of a child do not have their career progress slowed as sometimes occurs at other companies. Valarie Vest, a regional client service director at Principal, was on her second maternity leave when she was offered a promotion because managers at Principal thought she was the best person for the open position. The job entailed relocation to another city, more travel, and more responsibility than her current position. Vest was happy to accept the promotion and new position and was glad that her managers let her decide if she wanted to take it. Managers at Principal strive to hire diverse employees and given them the resources and opportunities to be successful and help Principal achieve its goals. Mentoring programs, on-site childcare, development programs, multicultural celebrations, and domestic partner benefits are just a few of the resources and opportunities Principal provides to its employees. Principal also has a number of different employee resource groups that are open to all employees for networking, career development, and community involvement. The effective management of diversity is a win-win situation at Sodexo and Principal Financial Group as diverse employees receive the opportunities they deserve and are treated fairly and the companies benefit from the valuable contributions of diverse employees.

1. What are some of the ways that Sodexo effectively manages diversity?

2. Why is it important for managers and all employees to interact with people who are different from themselves?

3. What are some of the ways that Principal Financial Group effectively manages diversity?

4. Why, at some companies, do employees find that their career progress is hampered if they take advantage of benefits such as flexible work schedules?