Chamber Recognizes Nine Area Employers for Exemplary Workplace Flexibility and Effectiveness Practices

The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce recognized nine winners of the 2008 Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility on Thursday, June 19, at an awards recognition breakfast at the Rochester International Event Center. These organizations have distinguished themselves as leading practitioners of workplace flexibility in Rochester and across the nation.

Local winners and honorable mentions of the 2008 Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility announced on June 19 include:

• Cardinal of Minnesota, LTD.
• Custom Alarm/Custom Communications, Inc.
• First Alliance Credit Union
• IBM
• RSM McGladrey, Inc. and McGladrey & Pullen, LLP
• Southeast Service Cooperative
• Stanley Jones & Associates, Inc.
• Venture Computer Systems
• Winona State University – Rochester
  
• Honorable Mentions: Dunlap & Seeger, P.A., Home Federal Bank, United Way of Olmsted County and Wells Fargo Bank.

The Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility are awarded as part of the When Work Works project, an ongoing initiative of Families and Work Institute, the Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW), an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Twiga Foundation. 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.

The Sloan Awards recognize organizations that are dedicated to making work “work” for both the employer and the employees. Representing employers of all sizes and all types, winners of this prestigious award not only offer excellent workplace flexibility practices, but they also use flexibility as a strategic business tool to enhance organizational effectiveness while also benefiting employees.

“In the simplest terms, workplace flexibility is a way to define how and when work gets done and how careers are organized. It is critical to overall workplace effectiveness. Companies of all sizes use it to improve recruitment and retention, manage their workload, and respond to employee diversity. It helps employers enhance their competitiveness in today’s evolving economy,” says Greg Roth, Senior Manager of Workforce Education Programs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for a Competitive Workforce.

“The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce is honored to recognize nine of our local business members who are paving the way in workforce innovation, “says John Wade, president of the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce. “The 2008 Sloan Awards affirm our commitment to workplace flexibility as one strategic way an organization can handle recruiting, retaining and advancing qualified and skilled employees.”

Applications for the Alfred P. Sloan Awards were open to all organizations in the greater Rochester area with more than 10 employees that had been in business for at least one year. Applicants were evaluated in a rigorous two-step process, first comparing the employer’s application to nationally representative data from Families and Work Institute’s National Study of Employers, and then corroborating the employer responses through a survey of employees. Each of the 2008 Sloan Award winners will be recognized nationally, including a full-page congratulatory ad in USA Today, and will be featured in the next issue of the Guide to Bold New Ideas for Making Work Work, published by Families and Work Institute.

“Sloan Award winners have put into practice their bold ideas about how to make work work in the 21st century, and they have shown how they can support the needs of their employees while also making their organizations more effective and successful,” says Ellen Galinsky, president of Families and Work Institute.

Rochester is one of 30 select communities nationwide chosen to host and participate in the When Work Works initiative. Other communities participating are: Arizona (statewide); Atlanta, GA; Aurora, CO; Birmingham, AL; Boise, ID; Brockton, MA; Charleston, SC; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Dayton, OH; Durham, NC; Houston, TX; Lexington, KY; Long Beach, CA; Long Island, NY; Louisville, KY; Melbourne-Palm Bay, FL; Michigan (statewide) Milwaukee, WI; Morris County, NJ; Providence, RI; Richmond, VA; Salt Lake City, UT; San Francisco, CA; Savannah, GA; Seattle, WA; Spokane, WA;; Washington, DC; and Winona, MN.

For more information about When Work Works or the Alfred P. Sloan Awards, please contact Shanny Peer at (212) 465-2044 X 224 or at speer@familiesandwork.org.

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