SCRA Recognized For Workplace Flexibility and Effectiveness

June 30, 2008

SCRA was awarded Honorable Mention for the prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Awards in an event hosted by Charleston, SC Metro Chamber of Commerce

CHARLESTON, SC  – June 30, 2008 – SCRA was awarded an Honorable Mention for the 2008 Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility today, distinguishing the employer as a leading practitioner of workplace flexibility in Charleston and across the nation. SCRA was recognized at the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce 235th Annual Meeting and Gala on Friday, June 20.

The Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility are awarded as part of the When Work Works project, an ongoing initiative of Families and Work Institute, the Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW), 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.

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, honorees 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.

“SCRA is working diligently to strike an improving balance between operating a thriving business and finding solutions to meet the needs of our professional workforce,” said Bill Mahoney, SCRA CEO. “We are honored at this point in our progress to receive this distinction.”

“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 honorees of the 2008 Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility announced at the Charleston awards ceremony include:

 

Charleston Winners:

Booz Allen Hamilton

Scientific Research Corporation

LS3P Associates LTD.

Community Management Group

KFR Services Inc.

The Noisette Company LLC

 

Honorable Mentions:

Stanley Associates Inc.

South Carolina Research Authority

Charles Foster

Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce

Verizon Wireless – Charleston

 

Applications for the Alfred P. Sloan Awards were open to all organizations in the greater Charleston 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 honorees 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.

Charleston 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; 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; Morris County, NJ; Providence, RI; Richmond, VA; Rochester, MN; Salt Lake City, UT; San Francisco, CA; Savannah, GA; Seattle, WA; Spokane, WA;; Washington, DC; and Winona, MN.

For more information about When Work Works or the Alfred P. Sloan Awards, please contact Shanny Peer at (212) 465-2044 x 224 or at [email protected].


ABOUT SCRA

SCRA is a global leader in applied research and commercialization services with offices in Anderson, Charleston, and Columbia.  SCRA collaborates to advance technology with industry, government, and research universities like Clemson University, the University of South Carolina and the Medical University of South Carolina.  www.scra.org


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.