University of Arkansas Recognized by Governor for Work-Life Balance Practices

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The University of Arkansas was recognized for promoting a healthy balance between work and family by Gov. Mike Beebe.

Winners of the Governor's Work-Life Balance Awards were recognized for their creative approaches in developing programs to promote a healthy balance between work and family issues. The University of Arkansas of Fayetteville was the recipient in the Large-Nonprofit category. The event was held Monday, May 9, at The Peabody Hotel in Little Rock.

Fourteen Arkansas employers received awards from Governor Mike Beebe in the ninth annual ceremony.

"Research has shown that companies that recognize and support the needs of their employees have a more productive workforce," Gov.Mike Beebe said. "I applaud these companies for finding innovative ways, many of which are low-cost, to help their employees find a balance between the demands of the workplace and the demands on the home front. They are proof that sometimes a little creativity can go a long way in retaining skilled employees."

"We recognize the challenges of balancing of both a professional and a personal life and have taken deliberate steps to equip our campus community with the tools to achieve this balance," said Debbie McLoud interim associate vice chancellor for human resources. "We are pleased to be recognized for the programs and services we offer to enrich not only employees' lives, but to enable them to continue to serve our students and do the work that advances the state of Arkansas."

Ellen Galinsky, president and co-founder of Families and Work Institute, presented the keynote address at the Governor's Work-Life Balance Awards luncheon. Through the Families and Work Institute, Ms. Galinsky co-directed the "National Study of the Changing Workforce," the most comprehensive nationally representative study of the U.S. workforce and "When Work Works," a project on workplace flexibility and effectiveness funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. She has written more than 40 books and reports" as well as more than 100 articles in academic journals, books and magazines on work-life issues in the business community.

Cross, Gunter, Witherspoon & Galchus, a law firm based in Little Rock, was named a Work-Life Ambassador at this year's event. Ambassadors share their expertise and success stories with other Arkansas employers in an effort to assist them with their work-life balance issues. Bank of the Ozarks in Little Rock was named a Mature Worker Ambassador.

Other award winners were:

• Arkansas Power Electronics International, Inc., Fayetteville
• Medium Company For Profit: Transamerica Worksite Marketing, Little Rock
• Large Company For Profit: Science Applications International Corporation
• Medium Company Nonprofit: Arkansas Educational Television Network, Conway
• Spotlight Winners: Central Flying Service, Inc., Winrock International, Hutchinson Financial, Inc., Southwestern Energy Company and Vestcom International.
• Mature Worker Winners: Arkansas Educational Television Network, Conway, White County Medical Center, Searcy and St. Vincent Health System, Little Rock.

Partners in the initiative are Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, Arkansas Business Publishing Group, Arkansas Child Care Resource and Referral Network, Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Arkansas Department of Health, Arkansas Department of Higher Education, Arkansas Department of Human Services/Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, Arkansas Head Start Collaboration Office, DHS/Division of County Operations, Arkansas Department of Career Education, Arkansas Early Childhood Commission, Arkansas Society of Human Resource Managers, Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of Arkansas, Arkansas State University, and the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services.