MEDIA CONTACTS:
Teresa LeDonne Azarcon
Director of Marketing and Membership Services
Morris County Chamber of Commerce
(973) 539 3883 ext. 225
teresa@morrischamber.org
Shanny L. Peer, Ph.D.
Families and Work Institute
(212) 465-2044 x 217speer@familiesandwork.org


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 10, 2008

MORRIS COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (MCCC) RECOGNIZES MORRIS COUNTY EMPLOYERS FOR EXEMPLARY WORKPLACE FLEXIBILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS PRACTICES

Morristown, NJ – The Morris County Chamber of Commerce will recognize nine member companies for the 2008 Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility at the Economic Outlook Luncheon on November 7, 2008 at the Hamilton Park Hotel. These organizations have distinguished themselves as leading practitioners of workplace flexibility in Morris County and across the nation.

Winners of the 2008 Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility:

Morris County Winner - Fein, Such, Kahn & Shepard - Winner

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.

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.

“In the simplest terms, workplace flexibility is a way to define how and when work gets done and how careers are organized. It is critical to overall workplace effectiveness. Companies of all sizes use it to improve recruitment and retention, manage their workload, and respond to employee diversity. It helps employers enhance their competitiveness in today’s evolving economy,” says Greg Roth, Senior Manager of Workforce Education Programs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for a Competitive Workforce.

According to Patricia Kempthorne, president of the Twiga Foundation, “The Sloan Awards recognize employers that have addressed today’s challenge of maintaining both a quality, effective workforce and a quality of life for the members of that workforce in this fast paced, 24/7 global economy. Flexibility in the workplace, when acknowledged and supported by both the employer and the employee, is an essential tool for the 21^st Century workplace.”

“Employers realize that workplace flexibility can help them retain some of their best talent.” Paul Boudreau, Interim President, Morris County Chamber of Commerce.
Applications for the Alfred P. Sloan Awards were open to all organizations in the greater Morris County 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. Each of the 2008 Sloan Award winners will 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.

“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,” says Ellen Galinsky, president of Families and Work Institute.

Morris County 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; Michigan (statewide) Milwaukee, WI; Providence, RI; Richmond, VA; Salt Lake City, UT; San Francisco, CA; Savannah, GA; Seattle, WA; Spokane, WA;; Washington, DC; and Winona, MN.

For information on supporting the winners at this event please contact Teresa LeDonne at teresa@morrischamber.org or 973-539-3882 ext. 225.
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.

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ABOUT THE MORRIS COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The Morris County Chamber of Commerce serves the people of Morris County as a dynamic, member-involved business organization that provides its members opportunities to develop, promote and pursue their business interests, foster a healthy economic and political business environment and promote the benefits of business to the public.

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.