First Alliance Credit Union Recognized for Exemplary Workplace Practices

Lisett Comai-Legrand
501 16th St. SE
Rochester, MN 55904
507-281-7624
800-866-8199 x7624
lcomai@firstalliancecu.com

Todd Hazen
501 16th St. SE
Rochester, MN 55904
507-281-7614
800-866-8199 x 7614
thazen@firstalliacecu.com

Receives prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Award for Excellence in Workplace Effectiveness and Flexibility from the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce

Rochester, MN (July, 31, 2012) – First Alliance Credit Union has been honored with the 2012 Alfred P. Sloan Award for Excellence in Workplace Effectiveness and Flexibility for its use of flexibility as an effective workplace strategy to increase business and employee success. It is the fourth time First Alliance Credit Union has received the award.

This prestigious award, part of the national When Work Works project, recognizes employers of all sizes and types in the region and across the country.

“We are pleased to receive this award in recognition of our ongoing commitment to providing a workplace that is accommodating to staff in both their personal and professional lives” said Kelly McDonough, CEO of First Alliance Credit Union. “Our steadfast pursuit of creating an environment to fulfill our members’ needs during these unpredictable economic times is essential to providing exceptional service for our members.”

This is the second such award for workplace environment First Alliance Credit Union has received in 2012. In May, First Alliance was recognized by Workforce Development, Inc. as one of the best places to work in Southeast Minnesota. First Alliance was honored for its unique employee benefits program, corporate culture and commitment to workplace flexibility.

Workplace flexibility — such as flextime, part-time work and compressed workweeks — has been demonstrated to help businesses remain competitive while also benefiting employees.

“Our research consistently finds that employees in effective and flexible workplaces have greater engagement on the job and greater desire to stay with their organization. In addition, they report lower stress levels and better overall health,” said Ellen Galinsky, president of Families and Work Institute, which administers the awards with the Society for Human Resource Management.

The Sloan Awards are unique for their rigorous, two-step selection process, which involves an evaluation of employers’ flexibility programs and practices, and a confidential employee survey. All applicants are measured against national norms from the National Study of Employers.

“As a recipient of the 2012 Sloan Award, First Alliance Credit Union ranks in the top 20% of employers nationally in terms of its programs, policies and culture for creating an effective and flexible workplace,” Galinsky said. “In addition, what makes this honor so special is that their employees have corroborated this, affirming that it is indeed an effective and flexible workplace.”

First Alliance Credit Union will be recognized as a 2012 Sloan Award recipient at an upcoming Annual Member Celebration hosted by the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce. For details, please contact Jessi Strinmoen, 507-424-5687 or jstrinmoen@rochestermnchamber.com.

When Work Works is a national project to educate the business community on the value of workplace flexibility by sharing research and promising practices, and conducting the annual Sloan Awards. It is an ongoing initiative of the Families and Work Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management.

For more information about the When Work Works project and the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Excellence in Workplace Effectiveness and Flexibility, visit www.whenworkworks.org
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ABOUT First Alliance Credit Union
First Alliance Credit Union is a member owned and controlled financial institution providing personalized, competitive financial services to 12,000 members in five counties in SE Minnesota.

About the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber’s mission is to lead, inform, advocate and advance business interests for members; and to promote a healthy community and a growing economy.

About When Work Works
When Work Works is a national initiative, led by the partnership of Families and Work Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), to help businesses of all sizes and types become more successful by transforming the way they view and adopt effective and flexible workplaces. When Work Works is one of the foremost providers of resources, rigorous research and best practices on workplace effectiveness and flexibility in the nation. The initiative administers the prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Excellence in Workplace Effectiveness and Flexibility annually, which recognize exemplary employers for using flexibility as an effective workplace strategy to increase business and employee success.

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