Business Sodexo UK & Ireland promotes wellbeing with YuLife


Sodexo employs 35,000 people in the UK and Ireland, and client contract agreements mean that around 43% of employees are either on the National Living Wage or the Real Living Wage. Although Mark Goodyer, HR director at Sodexo UK & Ireland, acknowledges that many of his colleagues continue to face challenges during the cost of living crisis, internal surveys show an increase in job satisfaction and staff engagement over the past few years. How has Sodexo achieved this?


Through extra effort to make employees feel valued, says Goodyer: “Our role is to understand what makes individuals feel truly valued at work, so they can deliver value for the business but also for themselves.” To help in this respect, Sodexo is offering tangible benefits to employees. YuLife is a health and wellbeing app that encourages daily wellbeing activities, such as walks, meditation, and physical and mental exercises. In return, users accrue Yucoins, which can be exchanged for rewards with a range of retailers including Amazon, Aldi, Tesco and Argos. The app also includes access to a 24/7 GP and the ability to book up to three days paid volunteering. In addition, Sodexo has implemented a


discount scheme that allows employees and their friends and families to save on their shopping, delivered via Perks at Work. Goodyer says: “We’ve deployed a discount programme not only for our employees but


“Now employees can digitally access learning programmes from the same place they go for their payslips” Mark Goodyer,


Sodexo UK & Ireland


More online www.thecaterer.com


also for up to 10 of their family and friends. We’ve just ticked


over £5m saved through that


programme, and it means we can impact communities, not just our employees.” To create a further measure to alleviate financial stress, Sodexo teamed up with Salary Finance, a new financial wellbeing online platform that provides free financial education, including videos, life guides and webinars, as well as tips and tools, such as savings calculators, budgeting tools and access to credit scores. No account is needed to access the platform and Sodexo employees can also apply for affordable loans that are repaid through their salary. The loans are aimed at helping people to


Josie’s organises staff shifts and what to prep with Nory


Josie’s is a family-run group of independent coffee shops in Hampshire. The chain has five locations – with plans for more in the future – and employs more than 130 staff. Each coffee shop is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and coffee. Josie’s was struggling to have true visibility on its


business performance. Its operations systems were split between software for workforce management and inventory management. Using two separate systems made it difficult to match rostering and inventory to meet fluctuating demand. Addressing these concerns, Josie’s


switched to Nory for both workforce and inventory management in 2023. Since then, operations have been streamlined and business performance has improved. Previously, Josie’s used a templated


roster for each of its venues, which led to inefficiencies that the team were keen to address. Since implementing Nory’s integrated workforce solution, Josie’s has been able to drive improvements in efficiency, reducing cost of labour by 23% in just four months. Coupled with a rise in sales, Josie’s has seen an increase in productivity, with sales per labour hour increasing by 20.5% in a short space of time. Nory transforms data insights into performance recommendations, such


30 | The Caterer | 26 January 2024


as what to order and prep or who to schedule and when, to make sure each location is performing at its best. Overall, Josie’s has seen impressive net


profit increases using Nory. The inventory management system has also helped manage stock efficiently and reduce waste and time spent dealing with suppliers through the system’s in-built ordering tool. Access to a dedicated customer success


manager within Nory also allows Josie’s to stay in the loop on all new product developments and keep a finger on the pulse of ever- changing industry trends. All in all, embracing Nory has been


transformative for the team at Josie’s, with a dedicated implementation plan and team making the transition from previous tools seamless. Josie’s management team now has real-time insight into labour efficiency metrics and the ability to engage staff en masse through Nory’s messaging tools, alongside better visibility on inventory performance across all locations. And the Josie’s management team has regained free time to focus on the bigger picture: growing the business.


www.thecaterer.com


consolidate debt through affordable lending as an alternative to credit cards, payday loans and overdrafts. Most of Sodexo’s learning and development can be carried out online via a platform delivered in partnership with Ingenium. “At Sodexo, 80% of our managers are


promoted internally, and this is because we are passionate about supporting career development and facilitating talent deployment,” says Goodyer. “Whereas previously there was a lot of manual learning, now employees can digitally access learning programmes from the same place they go for their payslips, their benefits, and their recognition. We’re seeing 80% usage of that programme.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48