New Award Honors Finding a Balance

Published Tuesday, January 31, 2006 in the Star Tribune.

Twelve employers were named Minnesota Work-Life Champions at a luncheon last week honoring them for creating flexible and supportive workplaces.

Each one is a laboratory demonstrating that work-life benefits -- such as flexible schedules, child care and elder care resources -- are good for business, said Ceridian Corp. CEO Ronald Turner, who was keynote speaker at the event held Thursday in St. Louis Park.

The new awards are a project of the Center for Ethical Business Cultures and are supported by a grant from the McKnight Foundation.

At a time dominated by the free-agent approach to employment, workers at these companies struck a common refrain of loyalty and longevity.

The winners:

Gold

Very large company: General Mills, Golden Valley, for providing workers with flex-time schedules and for telling managers to focus on whether the work gets done rather than why an employee wants a flex schedule.

Large company: American Solutions for Business, Glenwood. This employee-owned company pays 100 percent of the premiums in one of its health insurance options and contributes as much as $2,250 a year into a health reimbursement account to offset employee costs.

Medium company: Madelia Community Hospital, Madelia, for giving each employee seven days of holiday hours and extended sick day benefits, which are allowed to accumulate. Part-time employees get pro-rated health benefits.

Small company: Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, Owatonna, for encouraging employees to state their opinions on issues related to operations and how they are treated, and for reviewing the workers' suggestions at least monthly.

Silver

Medtronic, Fridley; Leonard, Street and Deinard, Minneapolis; Marco, St. Cloud; Lancet Software Development, Burnsville.

Bronze

Mayo Clinic, Rochester; Gray Plant Mooty, Minneapolis; Healthia Consulting, St. Louis Park; Karlsson Consulting Group, Bloomington.
 

© Copyright 2006 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.