Reflecting on 2020: A year on the front-line

Watch the video of how our teams have been standing tall throughout the pandemic.

There will definitely be a before and an after. Widespread lockdowns, isolation, concern for our most vulnerable loved ones and impending economic collapse: the pandemic has affected all of us in an extremely tangible way, to varying degrees. It has forced us to rebalance our priorities virtually overnight. It has made us acutely aware of how fragile and critically important our health and our human and social ties are.

In 2019, we wondered what challenges the new decade had in store. In 2020, the entire world was turned upside down. We already suspected that uncertainty had become our new normal: there can no longer be any doubt. We’ve stepped squarely into the 21st century. Will it be a time of getting back to what really matters? In any case, our societies find themselves more than ever at a crossroads in terms of economic, social and environmental balance.

A pivotal year

2020 has been a pivotal year for Sodexo too. Never before has our company experienced such extreme upheaval. The global health crisis that has dealt such a blow to the world and the real economy has also created a sudden drop in demand for our services. We are a link – a vital one – in the chain, and when our clients are brought to a standstill, it affects us directly. We’ve had to make some very painful decisions to compensate for the abrupt slowdown in certain areas of our business. Every aspect of our development has been deeply and permanently impacted.

Our teams too are on the front line

At the same time, the pandemic has revealed the essential nature of service professions. The previous months have shown their vital importance and tremendous value. Our teams working in health care facilities and with senior populations have been on the front lines in the fight against the virus. They have helped keep essential infrastructures running. Without them, there can be no economic recovery. I want to forcefully reaffirm the virtue of these often-ignored professions, which are suffering from the current context but are so instrumental to the smooth running of schools, universities, offices and hospitals – and even society at large.

The freedom to take initiative

In the heat of the moment, our teams were able to find concrete solutions to meet the unprecedented challenges faced by our clients and suppliers. Our employees implemented enhanced hygiene measures, new service offers and lent their support to their colleagues on the busiest sites, all the while caring for the most vulnerable. In this urgent situation, common sense prevailed over the bureaucracy that threatens any multinational. We were able to refocus on priorities, work differently, and give employees the freedom to take initiative. Not only is there no going back, but I also want to accelerate and further streamline the rebalancing of our organization towards the local level, so that decisions keep being made as close to the field as possible. After all, this is where our true value is created, in the daily contacts with our clients, consumers and suppliers.

A sense of service that shines through every day

Sodexo is the world leader it is today because ambition, courage, and the ability to adapt quickly in an ever-changing world are an integral part of who we are.

And our teams are the ones who make Sodexo the great company that it is: their sense of service shines through every day, particularly under exceptional circumstances. It is thanks to their determination, their commitment and their courage that we have weathered the storm. Once again, I want to express my sincere gratitude to them for their exemplary engagement throughout this most unusual year.