Company: Sodexo
Innovation: The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Conversation Guide
Date Introduced: 2012
Award Recognition: Top Ten (#10)
Sodexo’s Resource Group People Respecting Individuality, Diversity and Equality (PRIDE) and the Global Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Task Force created a resource to help managers be inclusive leaders and learn to cultivate an environment where everyone can succeed. Called the LGBT Conversation Guide, it features a collection of information on challenges, culture cues, and Sodexo’s policies and benefits for LGBT employees.
This toolkit provides tools, information, and resources required to have meaningful conversations with others, bridge communication gaps, support LGBT individuals and allies, and continue to build an inclusive culture.
Sodexo worked with PFLAG National and Buck Davis & Company to create this resource. The guide also offers how-to guidance on the best way to navigate some of the toughest situations around LGBT issues encountered in the workplace. The online publication has video narratives from several Sodexo employees—both LGBT and allies—illustrating how being out at Sodexo has impacted their lives and careers.
Several external resources are included to guide individuals on their Open Leader journey. The Open Leader section provides a simple and powerful way to let people know managers are available to converse openly with employees, and helps with some of those sensitive conversations. This particular section has been noted as the most valuable, as it includes how to lead by example, value differences, and champion change. As knowledge increases, these conversations and interactions become second nature to employees
