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This article was created by Fengxi Chen, Unit Manager, Sodexo China.
Paying it forward
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Health & Care stories
In this series, our health and care team members share how they bring Sodexo’s core values to life everyday. For Fengxi Chen, it’s about pushing for progress and showing empathy in your daily actions.
Find a corporate culture that aligns with your own.
I joined Sodexo almost 20 years ago as a cook at AIKI, a biotech company in the Guangzhou/Guangdong Province of China. My husband was already working for Sodexo, and always said such good things about the company’s culture. I wanted to join a company with strong values and ethical principles that aligned with my own. It was a wise decision, because I feel a very strong sense of belonging here.
Take on stretch assignments.
Over the next few years, I expanded my experience as a specialty cook at a few other Sodexo locations, including the Lecong Middle School in the Foshan/Guangdong Province. Then, in 2008, I got the most important opportunity of my career! I learned that the Lecong Doping Primary School would be opened nearby in one year. Considering my experience and abilities, I had the idea of serving as site manager.
Since I hadn’t been a site manager before, the regional director suggested that I could serve as a head chef first. However, being stubborn by nature, I really wanted that position! I took the initiative to propose a one-year performance evaluation period for my promotion to unit manager, and he accepted surprisingly.
It was a privilege to serve 2,300 students and 300 teachers each day, and a great responsibility to ensure they received the proper nutrition to fuel their learning. After one year, I did get the promotion. I was able to make service improvements that enhanced our efficiencies, a win-win for both the client and Sodexo.
Be courageous to drive change.
In 2014, I had an opportunity to move into the healthcare environment as Sodexo’s unit manager at the Affiliated Cancer Hospital and Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, home to 1,200 medical staff and 1,000 patients.
At first, it was a smaller contract, but I bravely innovated to expand the business. I encouraged the team to introduce popular local and international food brands, drawing on my years of experience in catering management and my degree in hotel management. With support from the company, we opened a 24-hour shop, coffee bar, dining bar and other services.
Pay it forward.
Over the past 20 years, Sodexo has always invested in developing me and helping me advance. As a site manager, I try to pay that forward by supporting my team, finding their potential and helping them discover new career opportunities. I share with them the bigger picture, so that they understand the importance of their role to our success.
I tell them that everyday we have a chance to make someone’s life a little bit better by providing great service. At the hospital, we interact with doctors, nurses, patients and their families, and you never know what worries or stresses they carry with them. Let’s show them our empathy and care from the bottom of our hearts.
If you can do that, then this is the career for you, and it’s very fulfilling.