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As working world changes, ASU's work-life model earns Seal of Distinction


January 17, 2013

WorldatWork’s Alliance for Work-Life Progress (AWLP) announced Jan. 15 its winners of the 2013 Work-Life Seal of Distinction, and Arizona State University was among them.

The seal is a unique mark of excellence designed to identify organizational success in work-life effectiveness, and was given this year to 54 honorees representing organizations from across the country in the public and private sector.

Applicants were evaluated based on the breadth and depth of their work-life portfolio, and had to provide evidence of their support in areas spanning dependent care, health and wellness, workplace flexibility, financial support, paid and unpaid time off, community involvement and efforts to transform organizational culture.

“This second administration of the AWLP Work-Life Seal of Distinction represents more than a doubling of the number of employers who have successfully demonstrated leadership in workplace strategies and practices,” said Kathie Lingle, executive director of WorldatWork’s Alliance for Work-Life Progress. “The growing response to our challenge for change is evidence that organizations everywhere realize that enterprise success in this century requires new ways of thinking, managing and working.”

Joining ASU are awardees Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Emory University, MetLife Inc., Johns Hopkins University, KPMG LLP, Texas Instruments, Raytheon, TIAA-CREF, Yale University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

ASU’s Jillian McManus, director of Organizational Health and Development, says ASU’s myriad work-life balance, wellness and support programs have helped to further make the university a community-friendly environment.

McManus cites the recent launch of the Working Parents Network as a good example.

“The network was designed to provide support, information and resources to new parents trying to juggle the demands of family and career,” McManus says. “We launched that in October 2012 and due to the overwhelming response to this program, we are currently conducting surveys to determine if additional groups for parents of older children (ages six-12 and 13-18) would be warranted by the community.”

Among ASU’s most popular wellness programs are lunch-hour classes that focus on various topics such as nutrition, exercise and stress management.

“The flu shot program is another wellness program that typically engages the widest audience across the university,” McManus adds.

To see what's being offered this month from the ASU Employee Wellness program, check out the January 2013 edition of Well Devils News.