UW Looking for Best Family-Friendly Workplaces

(News/Talk 1480 WHBC) – Do you consider the place you work at to be family friendly?

There may be an award for that.

Women United of the United Way of Greater Stark County is taking nominations for their annual Family-Friendly Workplace Awards.

Nominations will be taken until August 23rd.

Here’s the press release from the United Way:

United Way of Greater Stark County’s (UWGSC) Women United is currently accepting nominations for the third annual Family-Friendly Workplace Awards. Nominations can be submitted by visiting the website www.uwstark.org/family-friendly-initiative. The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, August 23.

“It’s important to recognize workplaces that implement family-friendly programs and policies that help balance work and family obligations,” explains UWGSC President & CEO Maria Heege. “The combined stress of work and family challenges can reduce job performance, increase anxiety and absenteeism, and create disengagement. Adapting family-friendly programming is a smart investment that benefits hourly and salary employees, men and women – plus promotes gender balance while improving productivity, morale and retention. These are all wins for our community.”

The purpose of the awards is to recognize local workplaces that go beyond what is legally required to help employees balance work and life. Family-friendly policies result in higher customer satisfaction, increased cost savings and profits, higher return on investment and reduces absenteeism. Examples of family-friendly policies include: flextime, child care and elder care, telecommuting, job sharing, tuition for employees, family medical leave, paid parental leave for birth or adoption of children, employee and family health benefits, tuition for employees, flexible emergency leave with pay, employee assistance programs, family-oriented events, and scholarships for employees’ children.

Award nominees and recipients will be celebrated at a recognition lunch on Thursday, October 10 from 11am – 1pm at the Kent State University at Stark Conference Center – 6000 Frank Avenue NW, North Canton, OH 44720. Meghan Cummings, Executive Director of the Women’s Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation will be the keynote speaker. Ms. Cummings will be presenting top-line concrete actions from the foundation’s Employer Toolkit that can help turn the vicious cycle of turnover into a virtuous one.