SASKATCHEWAN CELEBRATES FIRST EVER WORK & FAMILY BALANCE AWARDS

The winners of the inaugural 2005 Saskatchewan Work & Family Balance Awards were announced tonight at a gala celebration at the Delta Bessborough in Saskatoon.

"We are extremely pleased with the response to the call for applications," Labour Minister Deb Higgins said. "We had 56 very strong applicants from around the province, which is a reflection of the commitment of employers and employees in Saskatchewan to create family-friendly workplaces."

"With so many applicants supporting their employees to better balance their working and caring responsibilities, it was a difficult task selecting just three winners," 2005 Awards Selection Committee co-chair Ken Pontikes said.

The Work & Family Balance Awards, co-sponsored by Saskatchewan Labour's Work and Family Unit and the Balancing Work and Family Alliance, celebrate real-life examples of workplaces supporting employees in their multiple responsibilities.

"It is clear Saskatchewan employers understand the benefits that can be had from implementing effective family-friendly practices – lower absenteeism rates, increased recruitment and retention rates, higher morale and greater productivity. We want to celebrate this," Balancing Work and Family Alliance co-chair Johanna Bergerman said.

A 2005 multi-sectoral selection committee was established to choose the award winners. Ken Pontikes, a professional affiliate with the University of Saskatchewan's Department of Political Science and Bev Dubois, a Saskatoon city councillor, co-chaired the committee with representation from business, labour and community.

These awards were open to Saskatchewan workplaces from all sectors and one outstanding workplace was chosen from each category – small (fewer than 50 employees), medium (50 to 249 employees), and large (250 or more employees). Four workplaces in each of these categories have also been selected for the Saskatchewan Work-Family Balance Honour Roll.

The awards selection process focused on workplace efforts to provide work-family options and supports.

Michael McCracken, prominent economist and CEO of Informetrica Limited, Ottawa, was the guest speaker at the awards celebration. He discussed the importance of work-family balance in light of labour force development challenges in the province.

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For More Information, Contact:

Judith Martin Labour Saskatoon Phone: (306) 933-7982

Johanna Bergerman Balancing Work and Family Alliance Saskatoon Phone: (306) 374-0400