| Work Place Practices |
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| Tuesday, October 13, 2009 11:16 AM |
 Bohemia, NY (September 25, 2009) – The current recession – considered one of the worst since the Great Depression in the 1930s – is proving to be a “game changer” for organizations in all sectors of the economy. A study conducted by the Families and Work Institute in May 2009 found that most companies (81%) are maintaining the workplace flexibility they offer during the recession and another 13% are increasing it. The question remains: to what extent are employers able to continue to be good places for employees to work while dealing with these very difficult business survival issues? The winners of the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility offer a unique picture of organizations that are finding this middle ground. “From new forms of flexible work arrangements that minimize lay-offs, to creative cost-cutting that retains core medical benefits, to providing financial information and support to employees, these employers are braving the economic storm through innovative policies that prevent undue shock to their workplaces and their employees,” said Ellen Galinsky, President, Families and Work Institute. Cerini & Associates, LLP is being honored by local award sponsor NAMC at the 2009 Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility on Long Island on November 6th. Cerini & Associates, LLP’s innovative workplace practices include giving employees the opportunity to work from home while still having full access to email and files as if they were in the office and installing a new phone system, allowing staff to access voicemail and utilize their extension from their own cell phone. Cerini & Associates also allows employees flextime, which helps decrease unplanned absences. Furthermore, Cerini & Associates allows for a casual, yet professional work environment, by allowing staff to wear jeans through the summer, and on Fridays. Finally, Cerini & Associates promotes cross training, furthering education, and considers employee morale and recruitment a primary focus. This year, Cerini & Associates incorporated team building activities during the work day. To help beautify the building and encourage staff members to work together, Cerini & Associates planned “Gardening Day.” Such activities allow for staff to work interactively with members of the firm they typically wouldn’t work with. The Sloan Awards Awards honor organizations of all sizes and all types on Long Island and across the country that are using workplace flexibility as a strategy to increase workplace effectiveness and yield positive business results. “Our employees are our greatest resource and we feel it is important that we provide them with the flexibility they need to effectively balance the pressures of both work and everyday life,” said Ken Cerini, Managing Partner. “We realize our staff have a life outside of work, and we believe that we need to be sensitive and supportive. There’s enough stress in people’s lives, if we can help eliminate some through flexible and innovative policies…then we’re doing our part.” 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. The project shares the results of research on creating effective and flexible workplaces that meet the needs of the 21st century. Each of the 2009 Sloan Award winners will also be recognized nationally and will be featured in next year’s edition of the Guide to Bold New Ideas for Making Work Work, published by Families and Work Institute. Now in its fifth year, the prestigious awards program expanded its application base to organizations nation-wide for the first time in 2009. With the introduction of an “at-large” category and 30 participating communities across the country, any organization in the U.S. was eligible for the award. 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. For more information about When Work Works or the Alfred P. Sloan Awards, please contact Tyler Wigton at (212) 465-2044 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Kelly Sakai at (212) 465-2044 x 211 and at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . ABOUT CERINI & ASSOCIATES, LLP Founded in 1993, Cerini & Associates, LLP is a full service accounting firm with a staff of 34 and a foundation built on value added ideas, integrity, and out-of-the-box thinking. Cerini & Associates serves many industries including construction, educational providers, healthcare, litigation support, manufacturing, not-for-profit, retail, service, and small business. Its specialty services include accounting and auditing, business valuation, computer consulting, litigation support, strategic business planning, management consulting, operational and internal control reviews, and tax planning and preparation. The firm is affiliated with many professional organizations including the NYS Society of Certified Public Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts, American College of Forensic Examiners, ExecuLeaders, and the Long Island Capital Alliance ABOUT FAMILIES AND WORK INSTITUTE Families and Work Institute (FWI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that studies the changing workforce, family and community. As a preeminent think tank, FWI is known for being ahead of the curve, identifying emerging issues, and then conducting rigorous research that often challenges common wisdom and provides insight and knowledge. As an action tank, FWI conducts numerous studies that put its research into action and then evaluates the results. Its purpose is to create research to live by. For more information, see 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 and is working to ensure that businesses have access—today and tomorrow—to an educated and skilled workforce. ICW’s primary responsibilities for the When Work Works project are to provide support to the communities and connect local initiatives to national Chamber efforts. 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. Twiga’s primary responsibilities for the When Work Works project are to provide support to the communities,.acting as a liaison to key stakeholders in the When Work Works communities to build a broad local leadership constituency for creating better workplaces that meet the needs of employees, employers and communities. For more information, visit www.twigafoundation.org |
| Last Updated on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 11:25 AM |
