August 14, 2008 – The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA), an agency in the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth (DLEG) was named a winner of the 2008 Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility today, distinguishing the employer as a leading practitioner of workplace flexibility in Michigan and across the nation.  MIOSHA was one of 12 winners recognized at an awards ceremony sponsored by the Detroit Regional Chamber at the MGM Grand.

The Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility are part of the When Work Works project, an ongoing initiative of Families and Work Institute, the Institute for a Competitive Workforce (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 21^st century.

"As employees struggle with busy schedules and soaring gas prices, we know they want options on how and where they perform their jobs," said Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm.  "That's why alternative work schedules like compressed work weeks and telecommuting is 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."

The mission of the MIOSHA Program is to protect the safety and health of Michigan's working men and women.  The agency has been in the forefront of Governor Granholm's efforts to offer alternative work scheduling options.  For MIOSHA, the journey began in 2000 with a Culture Survey.  The results showed a high percentage of staff felt very connected to their mission, but there was opportunity to make MIOSHA a better place to work.

MIOSHA administrators and managers did the right thing.  To become a more flexible organization takes a lot more than just implementing work schedule options.  For MIOSHA, it started with steps to create a much more participatory management culture.  Today, eight years later, MIOSHA staff report a much higher level of job satisfaction, of involvement in decision making, and appreciation for the many work schedule options.

MIOSHA's experience illustrates what other Sloane winners have found:

• You cannot automatically put "customers first" above employee concerns.  Rather, when the workplace addresses staff issues, the staff are more responsive to customers and true customer service excellence can become a reality.
• Employees need involvement and input in decision making and managers need to listen.
• Employees must have opportunities to be challenged, to learn and to upgrade their skills.
• And, a culture of trust is essential.  Employers who trust employees, and establish sound metrics for accountability create work environments where it is not necessary to look over people's shoulders to ensure good work.

"I'm incredibly proud that our MIOSHA team is one of the Sloan Awards winners this year," said DLEG Director Keith W. Cooley.  "This recognition is an excellent example of how a public agency, with a variety of employee unions and needs, can create flexibility to meet the needs of employees and provide the best service possible to their customers."

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.

"Employers must develop new recruitment and retention policies.  Unprecedented conditions – a multi-generational workforce, a shrinking labor pool and an increasing demand for skilled workers – dictate that they do so," said Greg Roth, Senior Manager of Workforce Education Programs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for a Competitive Workforce.

Other local winners of the 2008 Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility announced at the Detroit Chamber awards ceremony include:  Albert Kahn Family of Companies; Amerisure Mutual Insurance Company; BDO Seidman, LLP; Detroit Regional Chamber; Farbman Group; Image One; Lee Hecht Harrison; Menlo Innovations LLC; Mill Steel Company; Peckham Inc., and The Children's Center of Wayne County.

Applications for the Alfred P. Sloan Awards were open to all organizations in Michigan 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.

"Sloan Award winners have put into practice their bold ideas about how to make work work in the 21^st century, and they have shown how they can support the needs of their employees while also making their organizations more effective and successful," said Ellen Galinsky, president of Families and Work Institute.  Each of the 2008 Sloan Award winners will also be recognized nationally, including a full-page congratulatory ad in USA Today, and will be featured in the 2009 issue of the Guide to Bold New Ideas for Making Work Work, published by Families and Work Institute.

Michigan (statewide) 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; Milwaukee, WI; Morris County, NJ; Providence, RI; Richmond, VA; Rochester, MN; 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 217 or at speer@familiesandwork.org.

 

ABOUT WHEN WORK WORKS

When Work Works is a nationwide initiative to highlight 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 in partnership with the Institute for a Competitive Workforce, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Twiga Foundation, with funding provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. For more information, visit www.whenworkworks.org.

ABOUT FAMILIES AND WORK INSTITUTE

Families and Work Institute (FWI) is a nonprofit center for research that conducts extensive research on the changing workforce, changing family and changing community. Founded in 1989, FWI's research typically takes on emerging issues before they crest. The Institute offers some of the most comprehensive research on the U.S. workforce available.  For more information, visit www.familiesandwork.org.

About The Institute for a Competitive Workforce

The Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW) is a 501(c)3 affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. ICW promotes high educational standards and effective workforce training systems, so that they are aligned with each other and with today's rigorous business demands. Through policy initiatives, business outreach, and a strong grassroots network, ICW is finding solutions that will preserve the American workforce as this country's greatest business asset and its strongest future resource. For more information, visit www.uschamber.com/icw.

About The Twiga Foundation

The Twiga Foundation is dedicated to inspiring, promoting and maintaining a family consciousness at home, in the workplace and in the community. The Twiga Foundation acts as a liaison to key stakeholders in the When Work Works communities to address the issue of flexibility in the workplace. The Foundation helps build a broader leadership constituency for workplace flexibility within each community. For more information, visit www.twigafoundation.org.

About The DEPARTMENT OF LABOR & ECONOMIC GROWTH

The Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth (DLEG) is the state government agency charged with providing the skilled workforce Michigan needs to enhance and maintain its economy.  Enabling workers to acquire the skills necessary to succeed in today's 21st Century knowledge-based economy is central to Michigan's strategy for economic transformation.  For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/dleg.