chef

cleaner

site manager

site supervisor

line cook

Sodexo

I worked in the prison in West Lothian for 8 years.  When I started I loved my job and worked with some truly amazing and talented people from the bottom to the top. There was experience everywhere and the place had a feeling that everyone had your back. You have SPS veterans who had 20+ years experience, people that had seen and did it all. By the time I left the place was unrecognisable and had fallen so far. 
The positives
I worked with the best bunch of officers/ people I have ever met. Was part of 2 amazing teams below SPCO level during my 8 years.
The money is better than most jobs in the area but could be better for the job you do. 
Meals and parking were free
Training was first class. 
Now the negatives 
Huge staff turnover.  Within months of me leaving I wouldn't recognise anyone in my old unit
High stress job with little support from SPCO upwards
Prisoners treated better than staff
Too much politics when it came to decision making.  
All experienced managers and officers left leaving sub par replacements. 20+ year SPS veterans replaced by lecturers and administrators as duty managers. 
Long hours with little rest between shifts
Poor staffing either under staffed or little experience on shift. 
Huge safety issues with prohibited items being left as sodexo didn't want financial penalties including weapons and mobiles on wings
Big drug culture with wings being over run by the drug "spice". Officers were regularly being affected by it. Personally I was hospitalized more than once because of it. 
Recruitment left a lot to be desired with phases of hiring unsuitable officers that got the job because they were ex services or had a degree. 
Management were out of touch with what was going on at officer level
Culture of favouritism and bullying. Getting rid of good officers because they were on the original contract with better perks. 

And when you had made yourself ill both physically and mentally you were discarded with no regard to your wellbeing  taking years to recover if you were lucky enough to ever recover.  Information given at exit interviews was never acted upon. The place was just something that either opened doors to jobs in other sectors or a stepping stone into the SPS


What is the best part of working at the company?
The staff on the ground are amazing, however they are badly paid, not respected or appreciated for the hard work they do and small wonder so many staff keep leaving. Recruitment and retention are a huge problem in this company but the senior managers would rather pay for agency staff then give their own staff paid lunches.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Total lack of any support  from the senior managers who are so out of touch with reality and the cost of living crisis affecting staff working for them. They all work from home, on their high salaries and company cars with no thought of anyone else. They despise anyone using their initiative, thinking outside of the box or being challenged as highlighted in previous reviews given. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
A toxic environment from the senior managers, zero appreciation, zero chance of development and zero respect for the loyalty and hard work of the staff on the ground. You are constantly frustrated, stressed and disappointed with the culture of pressure and isolation with zero benefits or rewards other than anxiety band depression.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Stressful, sometimes feeling lonely and isolated because you are trying so hard to make a difference for the better but being thwarted by blinkered, arrogant and out of touch senior managers who always think they are better than you.

Do yourself a favour and leave this company well alone

As a Technical Grade One (Graphics) in the MOD, I was token over by a private company (Primary Management, later Sodexho) in June 1997.  As an office worker in the Civil Service, they said "think of yourself now as a shop'.  I was told to do private jobs for paying customers, as well as serving civilian and military staff as the sole Graphic Officer.  I became trapped in the job, with no career moves, promotion or pay increments  After being virtually my own boss, they started to interfere in every aspect of the job..

Sodexo soon complained that I was one of the highest-paid employees, and launched a campaign of terror to hound me out of the job.  There were 3 month warnings, meetings with the boss(es), until finally I was accused of 'defaming the company', and asked to attend a disciplinary hearing (I resigned in 2001 after sick leave).  Usually, 

Regarding the meetings for a warning: they were often cancelled at the last minute, and reset for a future date, which maintained a constant feeling of dread, and did not help my customer service.

One day, the boss said: "why have you failed to produce a colour brochure to advertise your services?'

A young man was sent to upgrade my computer hard-drive.  He accidentally erased 4 years work, including military maps, building plans and a collection of military badges.  I was accused of being 'too negative' when I told customers they had been erased.

I ended up spending more time defending and recording everything I had said or done, than actually doing the work; as if I was a lawyer.

As a result of resigning, my first-ever flat had to be sold after just 2 years, and I have struggled to find (or keep) a job since.

I have worked for Sodexo for a few years now - initially, I was an Adhoc employee (0hrs contract) and then managed to get a core crew position on a rig.  The first few months were fine, the money was certainly better than working onshore and I enjoyed the time off. 

Once established with the group of dictators in Logistics, they began using me and if I was unable to take a job (for whatever reason) they would come down pretty hard on you, the classic "you can't say no to work, you're here for us to use.  If you knock this trip back there might not be another for some time". - Most Adhoc employees are simply yes people, too scared to knock a job back as the Witches in logistics will punish you for doing so. 

There is zero back up from the management on/offshore.  If you are on an equal time rotation which sees you working the next 10 Christmas/New years, you will do that.  If you try to take your holidays over Xmas then they will be rejected and as for unpaid leave - that's a big NO! 

Wages are rarely accurate and when they do fall short you have to wait until the following month to collect them - clearly Sodexos' margins are so tight the bacs fee will cripple them. 

Kitchens offshore are both understaffed and under-equipped, forcing you to constantly cut corners.  Beware, if for whatever reason you have an accident it will be your fault and again, you will be punished (in a similar way to the above) for this. 

Their core values are non existent, unless someone makes a mistake and is in breach of them.  The sleazy management will then throw their book at you. 

The office staff are a complete joke who play on the fact they never have to meet you face to face. 

My experience working here as bar staff was great, don't get me wrong on my first day I got provided with no training whatsoever and was thrown in the deep end which looking back helped me train other people in the future working there.

We got moved bars after our bar manager lost his patience with us after everytime he'd take charge of our shift we'd always be down on money (very suspicious) but anyway me and another colleague got moved to another bar which made us become very close friends, our leader was absolutely amazing and they was always a new person brought onto our bar and we always made them feel welcome and likely became friends. Some went and got moved to other bars but was always interesting learning other people's stories working there since most were mainly students from around the country or even world.

It was fast paced but your shift always went fast, they was some poor days and some absolutely amazing days which is expected and also good to have for your own experience.

Experience wise, yes go for a job here it's worth it when you need something on your CV, secondly would only be worth getting this job if you need it as a side sort of things. Shifts are flexible and communication is good but mainly better of getting this job if your needing extra money or a student etc etc 

Lastly holiday pay is great here take it whenever despite being on a zero hour contract and it's great! You meet great people some weird people but overall I enjoyed it just wished it was full time.

Only slight negative is when I left, I only got a v small amount of money which was a bit odd but oh well, I would work back there again if I could if I was full time or longer contracted hours.

A typical day at work will be saturated in petty arguments, bad atmosphere and a constant worry that someone is trying to stab you in the back, I did however learn about stocking and maintaining the shop and how not to treat people. Because of my place of work I know how to treat people and how to go about sorting problems should they arise. 
Management is messy and has a massive lack of communication and enthusiasm to the work place and does not maintain basic training and rules therefor being an unsafe and horrible place to be. For example I do not have a log in for our computer so I can not print labels and search for stock as I have not been trained to do so even after asking management. Also management don't take notice of the retail staff and does not appreciate us.
My co-workers are two face and hypercritical and do NOT know the meaning of teamwork, not all of my co-workers of course but a large majority. Personally I do not have trouble with them as I do my job and keep a level head but I see this happening to other co-workers and it is disgusting.
The hardest part of my Job I would have to say is working with people who aren't a team there is no challenge for me at work. I am physically strong to handle stock and I am capable of serving and cleaning.
The most enjoyable part of the job is on the rare occasion that people work well together and everything is done properly with no bad atmosphere and when I get asked to do something different like working the bar, changing barrels anything different from the normal situation.

•	General kitchen duties, for example, preparation of food, serving food, cleaning of surfaces, attending the tills, sweeping, mopping, topping/restocking, aiding staff & chefs wherever possible.

•	Different job roles I have undertook i.e. working on the deli, pan wash, pot wash, food service, shop assistance etc.

•	Personal flexibility through helping out the cleaning department when they have an absent team member, or taking on other job roles such as vending.

•	Responsibility was also left to me in regards of using the tills, which involved checking the float, serving hundreds of customers, and counting/documenting all money intakes.

•	I was personally responsible for dealing with drink dispensing machines and confectionery machines, among responsible for dealing with the money & paperwork from these machines.

•	The management at Sodexo were very helpful if there were any issues which occurred and they did a great job at keeping the staff working efficiently as a team.

•	My team members were very friendly and helpful which made it a great environment, however, communication is important in a kitchen, so at times conversations had to be kept short but direct.

•	Kitchen work is very intense, in which you need to be able to divert from task to task, being aware of your situation and surroundings, I would say this was the most difficult for myself as it brought about the most stress.

•	My favorite part about working in this kitchen, was the nice environment, friendly staff, friendly customers, and the skills I have picked up from this job.

I worked for a company called P&MM who where located in the Warwick, the company was then bought by Sodexo and the office moved to Milton Keynes. When the company was purchased the following promises where made to the staff from the Warwick office;

- We could work from home 3 days a week.
- We could have flexi time, meaning we could work any hours as long as the 7.5 hours a day was completed.
- We would have all of our expenses for travelling refunded as well as any additional funds we used when travelling. This was only for the first year after the move.
- Pay rise would be given.

For the first year after the move everything promised was given and the job was really good. BUT after a year Sodexo went back on everything they promised and removed working from home, flexi time and expenses (The expenses was the only thing due to expire after the first year.)

Sodexo hired a new IT manager which had the worst attitude and really didn't care about his team, the director was too scared/shy I guess to stand up to the manager.

This manager was the one responsible for breaking the promises made to us, he was also very aggressive and when ever the topic was brought up he refused to listen to reason.

We where given two weeks notice for the chnage in time in office, no flexibility was given.

It was either his way or we whee told to walk.

So I walked.

I don't recommend working for them at all, also I wouldn't believe anything you are told by them.

My fellow programmers where brilliant people, even know a lot of them have now left.

Stay away from Sodexo Milton Keynes

Working at Sodexo has been an absolutely delightful experience, provided you enjoy chaos and incompetence. The management team is a prime example of how to run a company into the ground, displaying a level of ignorance that is truly impressive. With more managers than actual workers, it’s a wonder anything gets done at all!

The ever-changing rules are a charming touch. It’s like playing a game where the rules change daily—who doesn’t love a bit of unpredictability in their work life? It keeps you on your toes, never knowing what absurd regulation you’ll be hit with next.

The lack of appreciation for the workers is truly heartwarming. Who needs recognition or rewards when you can be blessed with an endless amount of overtime? And the best part? They refuse to hire extra people to help out, all in the noble quest to save a few pennies. It’s almost as if they think burnout is a badge of honor.

And let’s not forget the state of the equipment and building. The crumbling infrastructure adds a touch of rustic charm, and dodging falling debris adds a bit of excitement to the workday. It’s a wonder they haven’t turned the place into a theme park.

Oh, and a word of advice: double-check your paycheck. You’re lucky if they don’t mess up your pay at the end of the month and you actually get paid for the hours you’ve worked. It’s like a lottery, only without the winning part.

In short, if you’re looking for a job where you can enjoy a toxic atmosphere, laughable management, unpredictable pay, and an ever-changing set of rules, Sodexo is the place for you. It’s a real gem!

Main responsibilities at Sodexo as a Multi Site Manager were:
Multi Activity Contract manager at unit level, responsible for providing support services to 3 military sites, looking after 41 accounts
Providing catering, cleaning, laundry, waste management, pest control, hotel, function, cafe bar, retail and vending services at RMB Stonehouse, RM Bickleigh and the Royal Citadel, Plymouth, Navy South, Defence and Government Services, UK for about 1500 military personnel across the 3 sites. 
Responsible for P&L accounts, Labour management, HR
Managing 14 departments with 5 managers and 110 employees.
Working closely with the clients at different sites to ensure the highest levels of service and customer satisfaction.
Fostering long term profitable relationships with the clients and key customers on each sites, driving the current business and developing future opportunities.
Develop business strategy in line with current and emerging client needs.
Provide direction and expertise to the operating area by promoting the company's strategies and best business practices in order to uphold the company mission and values.
Drive innovation and continuous improvement of people, systems and processes.
Ensuring 5 Star awards from EHO at all sites and all departments
ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 accreditation systems
My employee retention was 83%
Engagement rate as per the pulse survey was 52%
Sodexo's values are: Team Spirit, Service Spirit and Spirit of Progress

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Chef 7 salaries reported	£14.73 per hour
Cleaner 6 salaries reported	£12.87 per hour
Site manager 4 salaries reported	£35,500 per year
Site supervisor 364 salaries reported	£12.54 per hour
Line cook 5 salaries reported	£15.54 per hour

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