Eight Three-Time Winners in 2008 Workplace Flexibility Awards
Winners of this year's Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility were announced this month, with organizations in some 30 regions of the country honored for initiative and success in aiding employees' work/life balance. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (www.sloan.org), the Families and Work Institute (www.familiesandwork.org), the Institute for a Competitive Workforce of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (www.uschamber.com/icw/default), and the Twiga Foundation (www.twigafoundaiton.org) sponsored the competition with assistance from chambers of commerce in 30 states and communities nationwide.
The Sloan Awards are part of the When Work Works project, an ongoing initiative of the four partners. Through When Work Works, these partner organizations provide research, resources, and recognition to employers nationwide and share the results of research on creating effective and flexible workplaces that meet the needs of the 21st Century. Earlier this year, the partnership published the "2008 Guide to Bold New Ideas for Making Work Work," which features the 2007 winners. It is available for purchase and download at www.whenworkworks.org.
Three-time winners after this year's awards include The Community Council of Greater Dallas; Amerisure Mutual Insurance Company of Detroit; PeacePartners Inc. of Long Beach, Calif.; Rhode Island Housing in Providence; and McKinnon-Mulherin Inc. in Salt Lake City. Organizations honored this year for the second time as Sloan Award winners include American Geotechnics of Boise, Idaho; Arizona Spine and Joint Hospital of Chandler, Ariz.; the Center for Community Career Education in Chattanooga, Tenn.; KPMG LLP of Chicago; Durham's Partnership for Children of Durham, N.C.; Capital One in Richmond, Va., and in Washington, D.C.; and WithinReach of Seattle.
The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration was one of 12 winners recognized at an awards ceremony sponsored by the Detroit Regional Chamber. "As employees struggle with busy schedules and soaring gas prices, we know they want options on how and where they perform their jobs," Michigan Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm said. "That's why alternative work schedules like compressed work weeks and telecommuting [are] so important -- not only for MIOSHA, but across state government. To make Michigan a great place to do great work, we recognize the future of the workplace has to be flexible."