The AWLP's Innovative Excellence Awards

(Article originally published by WFC Resources, March 2005, as an UpDate Column)

We have a very soft spot in our hearts for the Alliance for Work-Life Progress Innovative Excellence Awards. Could be because we were on the very first selection committee nine years ago, and chaired the second. This year's award ceremony, held during lunch on Thursday, was very special. A beautiful video, created and narrated by co-chair Kathy Kacher, described the winners and left nary a dry eye in the room.

The recipients this year (2005) are perfect examples of partnership, contribution and, of course, innovation. And they are as disparate as they could possibly be. Kathy Kacher, co-chair for the past two years, explains how they're chosen.

The applications are received and divided up between four reader groups for initial review. The criteria are very firm, with each answer scored using anchors that have been developed and refined over the past four years, making the selection process as uniform and unbiased as possible.

Each group puts forward two to three applications after their review. Those applications are then divided between two reader groups that use the same anchors and rescores them. This time, each team puts forward between one and three applications. Personal interviews are next, with each of the finalists being interviewed by members of the committee. And finally, two or three programs are selected to win the awards.

Here are the winners:
First, the folks from Singapore, officially the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. We've been watching their progress from the beginning and Gracie Wee, deputy director of their work-life unit, wrote a guest column for us last year about what they did, the challenges they faced and how they overcame them. Just five years ago their little country became aware of a dramatically falling birthrate that threatened their future. It was attributed, in part, to a lack of work-life balance, so the work-life unit was formed to encourage employers to create work-life harmony. That would allow employees to address the time and energy crunch, give working parents more time for children and elderly parents, and singles more opportunities to socialize, get married and have families.

What's outstanding about this effort? They realized that to accomplish their goal the entire national environment would have become more supportive. So they set out to create coalitions and partnerships that would inspire employers to act. They organized more than 160 seminars and sharing sessions, reaching out to more than 12,000 participants. And, knowing that recognition was key, they created the Singapore Family Friendly Employer Award, an award given every two years to pro-family employers that have successfully helped their employees manage work, family and personal commitments. Then they formed a coalition of award winners, The Employer Alliance on Work and Family, to share their best practices with others. This selection of a recipient outside the U.S. is a first for the Awards and demonstrates the growing global nature of the organization.

Second is the U.S. Army's Family and Soldier Readiness System, a project created by the Army's Community and Family Support Center. We were incredibly moved by the job this group is doing to help families when soldiers are deployed. Again, it's a partnership effort. Family Readiness Groups have been established to offer information, referral assistance and mutual support. Family Assistance Centers offer one-stop resource centers, and the leaders of both are specially trained by Army personnel.
They also recognize the need for special training when soldiers are ready to return home; they work with soldiers both before and after they make the trip back to the States.

Like the Singapore project, this too is about survival; the Army recognizes that the well-being and quality of life for the families of our military is critical to their readiness and has a profound effect on the soldier's decision to either remain in the Army or leave when their tour of duty is complete.

Third is the kind of program we especially love, where the CEO makes a commitment and puts it out to the universe. "This company, said United Technologies Corporation chairman George David, "is going to have the best educated workforce on the planet." They're accomplishing that in two ways. The Employee Scholar Program pays 100% of the registration, tuition fees and books up front for any employee who wants to further their education – in any subject and at any accredited school. Engineers can study culinary arts; accountants can study teaching; the field doesn't have to have any relation to their job. And with the help of Work/Life Innovations, the Lifechoices program provides employees with all the information they need about any education topic, whether it concerns the employee themselves or a family member.

To date, 15,000 UTC employees have earned a degree through this program. Since its inception, the company has spent more $430 million on tuition, books, fees, etc. for roughly 15% of their workforce.

Innovative indeed. We congratulate these three winners, and the committee that picked them. This year co-chairs were Kacher, Kathy Kadilak and Barbara Jaworski. Committee members were Kathie Lingle, Terese Bell, Francine Gage, Denise Montana, Abby Shapiro, Francine Port, Linda Stephens Jones, Diana Watts, Kathleen Burges, Shrrie Hebert, Pamela Smith, Larry Fleischman and Chuck Allen. Next year's co-chairs will be Barbara Jaworski and Andrina Buffong. They could use some more help. Call 800-874-9383 to volunteer your services.