(
Expert opinion
|
What makes a difference?
People count, rather than just being counted as a cost, in all these winning organisations. These employers make decisions that back their philosophies and values around staff management, even in difficult times. They tackle the difficult issues.
The Awards, now in their 12th year, celebrate organisations which actively invest in their businesses by investing in their diverse workforces. The Awards attracted a record 55 entries from around New Zealand and were presented on 29 October 2009.
Who were the winners?
NZSki, which runs skifields at Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Mt Hutt, won both the Supreme Award and the Tomorrow’s Workforce Award for NZSki U, for its extensive training and development programme to grow leaders, improve retention and highlight career paths in a seasonal industry. Highly commended was Wellington’s Skilled Migrant Programme, a partnership between recruiters The Johnson Group, Victoria University and the Rotary Club of Wellington.
National infrastructure giant Downer EDI Works won the new Department of Labour-backed Skills Highway Award for Way2Work, for a literacy and numeracy training programme which has so far involved nearly a third of its 3,300 employees. Hamilton company Longveld Engineering was highly commended in the same category.
Manukau City Council is an Auckland local body which won the Work & Life/Diversity Initiative Award for its staff health and wellbeing programme, Wellness Connection, which has reduced absenteeism and boosted staff engagement.
Auckland television production company RSVP Productions won the Workplace Diversity Award for its embrace of employees living with disability. Caughey Preston Trust, which runs a large hospital and rest home in Remuera, Auckland, was highly commended.
New Plymouth accountancy firm BDO Spicers Taranaki won the Workplace Work & Life Award for its policies that promote flexible working alongside employee health and wellness.
Winners of the Walk The Talk Award, which recognises leadership in diversity management, were Mark Witchalls, co-owner of frozen-goods manufacturer Blenheim Foods Marlborough, and Jim Burdett, founder and chief executive of Auckland mental health services provider Mind and Body Consultants.
What does it mean in these economic times?
Every organisation that entered this year’s EEO Trust Work & Life Awards is working hard to make a positive difference to the lives of those they work with, knowing that the payoffs show in productivity, loyalty and better bottom lines. The employers are of all sizes, from all sectors, and they demonstrate why long-term staff development is important, even when the economic environment gets tough.
Work and life issues sometimes get a reputation for being fluffy and the solutions nice-to-have. I don’t agree, and the example of Downer EDI Works and other entrants in this year’s EEO Trust Work & Life Awards shows why.
For more details at http://www.eeotrust.org.nz/awards/leaders.cfm
Philippa Reed, Chief Executive, NZ EEO Trust