Seven local businesses were recognized as some of the top practitioners of workplace flexibility in the nation by the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce at a Business Over Easy breakfast forum held Friday, October 10  at the Providence Marriott.

 

The Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility is part of the When Work Works project, an ongoing initiative of Families and Work Institute, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Twiga Foundation to recognize businesses that are dedicated to making work “work” for the employer and the employees. Through When Work Works, these partner organizations provide research, resources and recognition to businesses nationwide, and share the results of the research on creating effective and flexible workplaces that meet the needs of the 21st century.

 

The 2008 winners of the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility in the Providence area are:

• Embolden Design
• KPMG
• Lefkowitz, Garfinkel, Champi & DeRienzo P.C.
• Narragansett Bay Commission
• Quality Partners of RI
• Rhode Island Legal Services, Inc.
• Sansiveri, Kimball, McNamee, LLP

 

 “The Chamber is thrilled to be involved with the When Work Works project,” said Laurie White, president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce.  “We are especially pleased that these local companies have recognized workplace flexibility as a sound business decision that will help to not only retain qualified employees but also serve as a means to continued growth for the entire company.”

 

Although the 2008 winners of the Alfred P. Sloan Award in Providence, and in the other 24 communities where this local award is given, range in size, each has used workplace flexibility in a combination of ways that work best for their employees and their business models.

 

Applications for the Alfred P. Sloan Awards were open to all businesses in the Providence area with 10 or more employees. Applicants were evaluated in a rigorous two-step process, first comparing the company’s application to national representative data from Families and Work Institute’s National Study of Employers, and then validating what employers report against employee responses. Those ranked in the highest scoring level were named this year’s winners, with honorable mentions given to those that ranked in the second highest scoring level.

The mission of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce is to foster the development of a positive and productive business climate for our community through economic development, business-to-business relationship building and effective public policies and government.