When Work Works highlights the importance of workforce effectiveness and workplace flexibility as strategies to enhance businesses’ competitive advantage in the global economy and yield positive business results. When Work Works is a project of Families and Work Institute (FWI) sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in partnership with Institute for a Competitive Workforce, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Twiga Foundation.

When Work Works is both a national and community-based initiative. In Phase I (2004-2005), business forums were conducted in 8 communities (Brooklyn , NY ; Chicago , IL ; Dallas , TX ; Detroit , MI ; Durham , NC ; Long Beach , CA ; Providence , RI ; and Salt Lake City , UT ) to share the research on workplace flexibility as an important component of workplace effectiveness. In these same communities, businesses have applied for, and winners were selected for, the inaugural Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility.

Building on the success of Phase I of the When Work Works initiative, Phase II extended the number of communities participating in business forums and the Sloan Awards to 16 in 2006 and 24 in 2007. In 2008, When Work Works has partnered with 30 communities, Salt Lake being one of them, to provide educational forums on workplace flexibility and effectiveness and the Alfred P. Sloan Awards will recognize organizations in these communities that are using flexibility to achieve employee and business goals

Applications are now open for the 2008 Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility! This prestigious award recognizes employers in Salt Lake City and other select communities nationwide that are successfully using flexibility to meet both business and employee goals. To see if your organization qualifies, read the details below. 

The application process takes place in two rounds: 

Round I: Employer Questionnaire 
Employers nominate themselves by completing an online application survey about their workplace flexibility programs, policies and culture. The survey will take 20-30 minutes to complete. 

Round II: Employee Survey 
For qualifying employers from Round I, a sample of employees will be asked to complete a survey about their access to workplace flexibility programs and about the culture. The survey will take 15 minutes to complete. 

Eligible applicants will be considered based on their ability to demonstrate that workplace flexibility is being used successfully to meet both business and employee objectives. 
Winners will be announced in 2008 in an award presentation ceremony at a Salt Lake Chamber event, and will have the opportunity for local and national recognition. 

Employers must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility: 

Must have a worksite—defined as a local presence or hub of operations—located in the area of Greater Salt Lake. In cases where organizations have sites in multiple locations, only that worksite within the area of one of the seventeen cities is eligible for the Award, and not the entire organization. 

A minimum of ten employees must currently work from or report to the eligible worksite. This does not include contract workers or consultants who are not reported to the IRS, but does include employees who travel frequently or work from home as long as they report back to the eligible worksite. 

The organization must have been in operation for at least one year. 

Employers of all sizes, in the public and private sectors, for-profit and not-for-profit are eligible for the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility provided all of the above criteria are met. 

The application deadline for Salt Lake City is April 14, 2008.

Apply now: http://familiesandwork.org/3w/awards/index.html  

For more information contact:
Lavanya Mahate
Events and Programs Manager
Salt Lake Chamber
175 East 400 South, Suite 600
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Phone: 801.328.5066
E-Mail: lmahate@saltlakechamber.org