I am Sodexo

‘My father came to the Netherlands from Spain as a guest worker, with no money in his pockets and no command of the language. He managed to build a good life here. But I see the same struggles and challenges he had in Rehab. In Syria, she was a lecturer at a university and she left everything there for a safer life in the Netherlands. The reality here is that she has to start again from the bottom.

We see each other monthly, usually at a community centre in Amsterdam. These conversations are tricky though, as she barely speaks English and Dutch, so we use a translation app. Together we looked at how she could find an apprenticeship to train as a maternity assistant, since becoming a teacher is not possible due to the language barrier. Then I notice how quickly she gets stuck when she finds herself getting the run-around. Our society isn’t really set up for people in her kind of situation. If you need extra help, it is enormously difficult to find the right ingress at agencies and you quickly fall by the wayside.

At Sodexo, I am responsible for the facilities teams at various companies throughout the Netherlands. Within catering and cleaning, we regularly deal with employees who do not speak the language and/or have no training. The best part of my job is working together to see where someone is at their best and giving employees who get stuck in a rut extra guidance. We shouldn’t assume that everyone knows their way around society. This mentoring programme is aligned with what we stand for as a company: “Improving the Quality of Life.” We think outside the box. Being a mentor has planted both my feet firmly on the ground and makes me realise that everyone has challenges. Let’s be aware of that more often.’