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08/21/2008
LJB Inc. recognized for workplace flexibility, effectiveness
LJB Inc. 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 Dayton and across the nation. LJB was recognized at the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Trustees meeting on Wed., Aug. 20, 2008 at the Dayton Convention Center.
The Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility are part of the When Work Works project (www.whenworkworks.org), 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 21st century.
One special program that LJB Inc. sponsors involves tutoring at local elementary schools. They allow their employees to serve as volunteer tutors whenever it is convenient for the employee and the school. Since they are taking an hour out of their days to serve the community, the firm provides employees engaged in this program with a lunch. This way, they have a free lunch waiting for them at the office and can more easily make up the time spent volunteering. Although lunches are not provided for other programs, LJB also allows employees to participate in relevant professional and civic organizations during work hours, with similar flexibility to make up their time.
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.
“LJB is committed to cultivating and retaining key talent within our staff. To do this, we have responded to our employees’ needs for work/life balance. At the core, we trust our employees to complete their work – whether or not they are physically in the office during standard work hours. We feel that facilitating this balance results in more productive employees,” said Laurie Iulg, Human Resources Manager of LJB.
“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 Dayton awards ceremony include Barco Inc. and Deloitte LLP.
Applications for the Alfred P. Sloan Awards were open to all organizations in the greater Dayton area 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 21st 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.
Dayton is one of 30 select communities nationwide chosen to host and participate in the When Work Works initiative.
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