Your Stories & Events

Change is coming to Northern Ireland

317 days ago

0 comments

On 22 October it was announced that under the deadline set by the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2019, same sex marriage will become legally recognised in Northern Ireland by 13 January 2020.

The introduction of same sex marriage may affect more than 22,000 lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people - according to recent Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures, 1.2% of the Northern Irish population identify as LGB.

With a Northern Irish employee population of approximately 2,000 people, Sodexo is proud to fully embrace this change in support of its LGBT+ colleagues. The UK & Ireland Pride employee network committee is overjoyed that this same sex marriage will finally be legalised in Northern Ireland after so many years of deliberation.

As someone directly affected by the announcement, Sodexo Senior Accounts clerk and Pride member, Julie-Ann Agnew, told us how the legalisation of same sex marriage will change her future.

“I grew up in Scotland and lived in England until 2008 when I moved to Northern Ireland. Four years ago, I met my partner Mo. When I met her, I knew that I had found the person I was going to spend the rest of my life with. In four years we have bought a house together and got engaged in December 2018.”

Julie-Ann Agnew

Pictured: Julie-Ann (left) with partner Mo (right)

Before she met Mo, marriage hadn’t even crossed Julie-Ann’s mind, but over time she realised how important this decision meant to her and her future wife to be: “I want to have the same choice as other couples across UK - the choice to get married and have it recognised in the country where we own our home and where we live our lives.”

Now things are changing in Northern Ireland, Julie-Ann is excited for the future and for the day when she can enjoy her own wedding with the person she loves.

“The mandated deadline is not the ideal way to get the law changed, but to be honest, right now, I will take it!”, Julie-Ann added.

The first same sex weddings in Northern Ireland will take place in February 2020.

Join Sodexo in solidarity with your LGBT+ colleagues across the UK and Ireland by becoming a member of the Pride employee network. The network hosts a range of activities to raise awareness and help us all understand our role in ensuring Sodexo’s working environments are welcoming for all.

You can join the Pride network here.

Share this story About sharing

Send to Kindle

Be prepared, be safe

Simply asking you to be safe is easy enough, but making sure you feel prepared is another story. Returning to work can be pretty daunting after the year we’ve had so far. Help us help you be prepared with these five safety tips.

Make your voice heard

The new global employee engagement survey for all Sodexo colleagues, Voice, launches on 7 September - find out how to take part and have your say.

Getting back to safety basics

With our central offices re-opening, client sites rising again and many people returning to school and work after the summer holidays, it’s time to remind ourselves about Sodexo’s number one priority – keeping colleagues safe.

Fighting hunger near you

Four charitable organisations have received a windfall share of a £90,000 donation from Sodexo’s global Stop Hunger Endowment Fund helping them in their continuing fight against hunger.

2020 Stop Hunger Award winners revealed

In a slightly different award ceremony from the usual gala dinner, our winners of the 2020 Stop Hunger Awards are announced virtually this year. Hosted by Sodexo Ambassador Matt Dawson and with awards presented by Region Chair Sean Haley, this announcement is not to be missed.

Sodexo veterans celebrated

Three Sodexo colleagues, all British Armed Forces veterans, have been shortlisted for the finals of the 2020 British Ex-Forces in Business Awards - the world’s largest celebration of ex-military personnel in second careers, recognising the value veterans add to businesses as well as the employers that support the transition of servicemen and women.

Our 2020 Bake Off winners

Back in April 2020, we launched The Great Sodexo Bake Off as a fun way to bring together the best of your lockdown-inspired boredom bakes. Little did we know that you would respond in droves, giving our judges a real headache and teasing the sweet-tooth of the region.

A master chef on MasterChef

At the beginning of July, you may have seen a familiar face on the telly box as Veronica Azevedo, Head Chef at Transport for London’s Acton Railway Engineering Works, was put under the studio spotlight on an episode of BBC’s iconic Celebrity MasterChef.

Thank you for saluting our Forces

Last week was Armed Forces Week (22 to 28 June 2020); a celebration of the Armed Forces across the region who keep us safe, and an opportunity for Sodexo to celebrate our own teams who support the military community every day.

Workplace Pensions

From April 2018, the minimum contributions for the workplace pension will increase - this is a nationwide change, involving millions of people and their employers across the UK.

Your benefits

In 2019, we are celebrating Sodexo Discounts' sixth birthday - see how much you can save!

Employee helpline launched

Sodexo Supports Me is the free service for all Sodexo people.

Make your voice heard

The new global employee engagement survey for all Sodexo colleagues, Voice, launches on 7 September - find out how to take part and have your say.

Welcome to Aspire

Harness the power of conversation with Aspire - Sodexo’s new performance development framework for Ingenium users.

From 21 November log on to Perks at Work

Sodexo Discounts Upgrade

Sodexo discounts is upgrading! From Tuesday 21 November 2017 the Sodexo Discounts site will be accessible via Perks at Work. The new website gives you access to better discounts and a bigger range.

Employee Relief Programme

On 2 April 2020, Sodexo announced that it will support those employees most adversely affected by the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic via a new €30 million global Employee Relief Programme.

Recognising your Hidden Heroes

As we continue to stop the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) and work together to rise again, we must all make sure to continue thanking those making a difference every day.

We will not be silent

After recent events in the United States of America and across the world, read a message prepared for all colleagues from the executive co-sponsors of our Culture & Origins employee network that recognises the feelings of frustration, anger and pain stretching beyond the USA into the UK and Ireland.