There is a deep element of suspicion and disrespect towards student workers by the Sodexo corporation, which means a once-friendly work environment has become utterly unpleasant. Student workers fear being fired for making suggestions for change. Sodexo employees have asked student workers repeatedly “are you with us or against us?” This corporation has made it clear that any student worker can be easily replaced by a full time employee for simply speaking their mind.
“Being a part of the campus culture means understanding the issues and values that are important to our customers and acting as an example in ethical, environmental, and lifestyle issues.” This is part of Sodexo’s mission statement, and in the opinion of many, they are failing.
“It is possible to be successful and treat your workers well too,” said one former student employee. “We’re just asking to not be treated like shit.”
Sodexo has been implementing policies that are almost impossible for any full time student worker to adhere to. Mispunch forms, which have been used in the past when workers need to jump on shift right away and don’t have time to clock in on the phone, are essentially banned. Using three mispunch forms will result in “corrective counseling” or being fired. So will not wearing proper attire, and so will speaking up. The latest policy being considered by Sodexo requests that students need to be available for one of three 3-hour shifts during the day. Any student can tell you that this is nearly impossible—these shifts conflict directly and overlap with daily class blocks. Apparently, this is not Sodexo’s problem, and if it is, the students can be easily replaced.
Student workers have been fired or asked to resign for joining a Facebook group that speaks out against Sodexo’s policies. Some students are afraid to join it because they’ll lose their jobs. The conduct of Sodexo managers has also been criticized. Employees report being passively threatened on several occasions, and several female employees have felt uncomfortable with the level of scrutiny and questioning about their personal lives. Other employees report that on different occasions they were asked to put day-old food back into food cases and sell it at full price. What customers won’t know won’t hurt them, right? As another example, a student quitting their job was told that “karma has a way of coming back around.”
“There are people they want to get rid of, and they’re finding ways to get rid of them,” said one former employee.
Sodexo is also taking advantage of the customers by charging more for much smaller portions, sometimes for half the portion that was once offered. Food waste has also become a major issue. As of now, Sodexo wants to put out the “Aura of Abundance” in order to tempt customers to buy more. This may be a good marketing strategy, but the majority of ample amounts of food left over gets thrown away at the end of the day since policies also prevent workers from taking any of it home. Alternatives like donating the food to shelters or making more food on an order by order basis are not being initiated. Sodexo also has strayed from selling day-old food at discount prices like the previous food service implemented, primarily because they don’t like the “image” it presents.
Students, especially unhappy, frustrated, and intimidated employees, need to speak their mind. This can be hard when critiquing Sodexo can lead to losing a job. The policies and wrongs that are being done by this company need to be exposed in hopes of starting a dialogue and taking steps towards change. This is a University, and the wellbeing of students needs to be the first priority. Most food workers at SOU are students first, and workers second. Sodexo needs to build a positive relationship with students and work to understand the needs of valuable workers. Sodexo may be very good at making money for the University, but this should never be at the expense of a healthy and manageable working environment. The student government and the administration at SOU need to hear that students are unhappy. Things need to change, especially before more student workers are picked off for simply having a voice.
