Flexibility: an iwin Situation
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 23, 2010) − With the job environment changing as quickly Facebook statuses, flexible workplace practices are becoming more than just a kindly afterthought. And many companies of the Commonwealth have been nationally recognized for going far and beyond the conventional call of duty.
The University of Kentucky's Institute for Workplace Innovation, also known as iwin, will host a panel of previous Alfred P. Sloan Award winners to discuss accommodating policies and their benefits. The presentation, titled "Workplace Flexibility Best Practices," will take place from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Boone Center on UK's campus.
"The panel is a great opportunity for employers to attend a free event to hear how other employers have successfully implemented flexibility in their workplaces," said iwin Employer Engagement Director Lynn Bertsch. "These guiding principles are a strategic management tool that employers can use to recruit, engage and retain the best employees."
The Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility are a part of When Work Works, a national, community-based initiative to highlight the importance of workplace flexibility to help employers' bottom line and to help employees succeed.
"The innovative practices that the Alfred P. Sloan Award winners have demonstrated are particularly relevant during tough economic times," said Bertsch. "Many flexibility practices have been implemented at little to no cost and have reaped large rewards for these employers."
The panel will include representatives from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, Blue & Co., Lexmark International, Central Baptist Hospital, Frankfort Regional Medical Center and Analysts International. These previous award winners will answer a range of questions concerning workplace flexibility, explaining their initial motivation for change as well as the benefits and challenges they have experienced from implementation.
Panel attendees also will discover how to gain local, state and national recognition for executing best work practices through the Alfred P. Sloan Awards; applications are due April 16.
iwin, UK's premiere research institution that works to educate and engage businesses in the implementation of innovative workplace practices that will make them employers-of-choice, offers educational opportunities to help workplaces respond to the major shifts in today's economy by developing innovative workplace practices.
The seminar is free for all participants. Businesses may sign up for the panel until 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24. To register for the seminar or the Alfred P. Sloan Awards, visit www.iwin.uky.edu or contact Meghan Purdy at meghan.purdy@uky.edu or 859-257-6767.