When Work Works

For the third year, Charleston has been selected to participate in When Work Works, a nation-wide initiative on effective and flexible workplaces that is designed to share research and best practices on what makes work “work” in the 21st Century. In Charleston, leadership for When Work Works is provided by the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce Innovation Division. When Work Works is an ongoing program led by the Families and Work Institute, the Institute for a Competitive Workforce, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Twiga Foundation.

Workplace flexibility is a way to define how, when, and where work gets done and how careers are organized. It is not a one-size-fits-all policy or program, but a myriad of work options that reflect job responsibilities, life situations, as well as individual and organizational needs. 

Examples include:
• Compressed work weeks
• Job sharing
• Part-year work
• Flex careers, including care giving leaves and sabbaticals
• Phased retirement

When Work Works is sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a philanthropic nonprofit institution that funds a variety of projects at the national, state and local levels. Every years businesses apply to win the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility. This prestigious award recognizes employers of all types and sizes across the country that are using workplace flexibility as a tool to enhance business and employee success.  

Past winners in the Charleston area include: 
AAI Services Corporation
Barling Bay LLC 
Booz Allen Hamilton 
Call Experts
Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce
Community Management Group
EMES LLC
KFR Services Inc.
Lowcountry Graduate Center 
LS3P ASSOCIATES LTD – Charleston
Morris Financial Concepts Inc.
Noisette Company 
Santee Cooper
Scientific Research Corporation
Stanley Inc.
Tegron LLC

Applications for 2010 are now being accepted through March 12, 2010. For more information about When Work Works, as well as research, company profiles, and tips on working flexibly, can be found at www.whenworkworks.org.