The Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc., in collaboration with the University of Kentucky’s Institute for Workplace Innovation (iwin), is inviting eastern Kentucky area businesses to be recognized nationally for their workplace flexibility practices by applying for the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility.

The Alfred P. Sloan Awards are part of 2010’s “When Work Works,” a national initiative with a community focus that educates employers about the benefits of workplace flexibility and recognizes employers who practice workplace flexibility through the awards. Kentucky is among 26 communities, including only four other states, selected to implement the initiative.

The awards recognize employers that practice and support workplace flexibility as a way of promoting an effective intersection of work and life.

Workplace flexibility practices help an employer's bottom line through improving employee health, satisfaction, engagement and even help improve customer satisfaction and sales. In addition, workplace flexibility also helps employees achieve work and personal goals.

Promoting workforce flexibility is an important priority for Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP), said EKCEP and JobSight Business Services Director Crawford Blakeman.

“We work with employers every day to help improve their productivity by providing funding for training and other services. A more flexible workforce has been shown to be a more efficient, higher quality workforce, and we’re happy to be associated with anything that will upgrade the quality of the eastern Kentucky workplace,” Blakeman said.

Each organization that applies receives a customized benchmarking report allowing business leaders to compare their operation to national companies. The report includes guidelines for creating an effective and flexible workplace.

Winners of the award also will gain local, state and national recognition including participation in an awards ceremony and mention in the Congressional Record. Additionally, the business practices of winners will be highlighted in a publication distributed to employers across the country.

Applying for the award is free and takes about 30 minutes. The online application is available online at www.iwin.uky.edu. To participate, employers must have been in business for at least one year and have 10 or more employees. Applications will be received until April 16, 2010.

“This prestigious award offers Kentucky employers the opportunity to be recognized nationally among other employers who strive to promote a culture that leverages workplace flexibility as a tool to meet business and workforce objectives,” said Jennifer Swanberg, director of University of Kentucky Institute for Workplace Innovation.

“Through improved bottom-line and employee success, our previous award winners demonstrate the advantages of offering flexible workplaces. For example, Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance (KEMI), a 2009 award winner, was ranked fourth in profit leaders nationwide by ‘National Underwriter,’” Swanberg said.

KEMI claims that their success comes from recognizing employees as whole people who want to contribute to their families and communities as well as to their employers. Employees at KEMI can take time during the workday to keep a personal appointment, to attend a child’s school or sports event, or even to volunteer in the community.

Major eastern Kentucky employers like Community Trust Bank also see a great deal of potential for workforce flexibility to make their companies a better and more profitable place to work and encourage businesses to apply for the award.

"The Sloan Award affords companies the opportunity to highlight their commitment to workplace flexibility, by highlighting practices that give employees a true work/life balance,” said Howard Blackburn Jr., senior vice president and director of human resources for Community Trust Bank.

Blackburn said taking part in the award’s process is a great opportunity for a company to learn about practices that are proven to work nationwide.

“One of the many benefits of participating is the access to national data on what other companies are doing. Attracting and retaining talent is consistently one of the top priorities for companies in surveys. Sloan Award participants are able to show in practice what they are doing to provide employees with a work/life balance to attract and retain any company’s most valuable asset, its employees," Blackburn said.

For more information on the Institute for Workplace Innovation, the “When Work Works” program or the application procedure for awards, visit www.iwin.uky.edu or contact Lee Ann Walton at leeannwalton@uky.edu or (859) 323-0582.