Poor Management
For school administrators, colleges, companies and other organizations, it's common to hire contractors to handle auxiliary services such as food service, custodial and maintenance work. Contractors promise to deliver better service at lower cost, with the goal of freeing up tight budgets as well as scarce administrative time.
However, some Sodexo clients have found themselves trapped in a situation where outsourcing creates more headaches than it solves either because of poor financial performance or poor management and staffing practices.
You can learn from their experiences by reading about Sodexo's history of:
Staying within tight budget constraints requires a balance between achieving necessary cost savings and maintaining the quality services needed to keep the client's operations running.
Too often, Sodexo has cut corners on costs at the expense of the jobs they were hired to do. Sodexo's clients have complained that Sodexo inadequately staffed the food service, custodial, or maintenance work at their worksite.
» Read more about how Sodexo understaffs its worksites.
Safety and Security Concerns
Contractors like Sodexo have no higher responsibility than keeping the clients and the people they serve safe.
But rather than maintaining low turnover and adequate staffing levels, Sodexo instead depends on temporary staff. This has the potential to put school children at risk, particularly when coupled with a dangerous tendency to neglect required background checks.
Sodexo has also fallen short on the most basic component of every school's plan to minimize risk - ensuring that school buildings are secured properly:
» Read more about safety and security concerns regarding Sodexo.
When students feel singled out, not only might those most in need of nutritious school meals miss out, they'll also be less likely to apply for the program in coming years, thereby affecting both the solvency of the food service program and some of their district's other sources of funding.
» Read more about concerns over student confidentiality.
Finances and Deficits
With today's economic crisis, many of Sodexo's clients contract out support services in hopes of realizing cost savings.
Some that chose Sodexo, however, have found themselves facing routine deficits - even when Sodexo promised surpluses. Others have found that cutting ties with Sodexo and running food service in-house results in cost savings.
» Read more about finances and deficits
Lack of Follow-Through
In some cases, Sodexo's lack of follow-through has been particularly troubling to its clients.
Public records show some district staff complaining about Sodexo's lack of follow-up, work orders exceeding 200 days, and principals who'd lost confidence to the point of ceasing to submit work orders.
» Read more about Sodexo's lack of follow-through.
Meal Counting Errors that Put Funding at Risk
As our nation's cash-strapped districts struggle to make ends meet, their need for federal and state dollars becomes increasingly important.
But in at least one district, Sodexo's meal counting errors have caused federal and state reimbursement money to be put on hold, putting their right to participate in the National School Lunch Program at risk.