Any employer in the U.S. is eligible to apply in 2009. An employer with a worksite located in one of the 30 participating When Work Works communities or states should select that community when registering to apply. An employer that does not have a worksite located in one of the participating communities may apply as an "at-large" applicant by checking "other". If an organization has multiple locations, separate applications must be submitted for each location that wants to be considered for the award. It is the worksite that is considered for the award, not the organization as a whole.
A minimum of ten employees must work at or report to the eligible worksite. This does not include contract workers or consultants for whom you do not withhold federal income tax from paychecks, but does include employees who travel frequently or work from home as long as they report back to the eligible worksite.
Employers in the public and private sectors, and both for-profit and non-profit organizations are eligible.
The organization must have been in operation for at least one year.
Application Procedure
If an employer is applying for more than one worksite location, a separate application must be filled out for each location.
The application process will take place in two rounds.
Round One: Employer Application Questionnaire
To nominate an organization, an authorized representative must complete this online Employer Application Questionnaire. The questionnaire asks about provisions of workplace flexibility and the organizational culture, as well as some demographic information—all pertaining to the eligible worksite.
Round Two: Employee Questionnaire
For qualifying employers from Round One, a sample of employees will be surveyed about their access to workplace flexibility and about the organizational culture. This brief employee questionnaire is available online and in hardcopy and takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.
Award Criteria
Eligible applicants will be considered for the award based on their ability to demonstrate that workplace flexibility is being used successfully to meet both business and employee goals. Flexibility in your organization can occur either informally or as part of a formalized program or policy. The intent of When Work Works is to award companies that are finding new ways to make work "work" for both the employer and the employee in terms of how, when and where work gets done and how careers are organized.
