From the 2004 awards ceremony, left to right: Alison Gibson of Teamworks (judge), Adrian Furnham (guest speaker and presenter of awards), Matthew Donaghy of Deloittes (judge), Judith Cartwright of Birmingham Hippodrome (presenting theatre tickets in appreciation of judges’ role), Paul Toomer of The Birmingham Employer Coalition (scorer and moderator) and Carole Manship (judge) of Bridge Marketing Partnership.

Work Life Balance Awards 2008

As an organisation focused on cultivating employers of excellence, Bridge Marketing Partnership is keen to make you aware of the Birmingham Best Business Awards 2008. Organised by the City Council’s Employer Team at Early Years, the search is on for progressive businesses and organisations in Birmingham and Solihull which have developed effective work life balance programmes. There are categories for micro, small, medium and large organisations. The application is brief – two pages – though applicants may add attachments. The panel will be looking for

• innovative working arrangements that help employees balance their work life responsibilities
• leave provision that takes the organisation above their statutory requirements
• additional work life balance activities the organisation has introduced
• the business benefits achieved by the organisation in offering their work life balance programme
• and how communication of the programme takes place within the organisation.

If you are in Birmingham or Solihull and have yet to engage with these awards, please do so now. Winners are well recognised for their achievements but it is one of those initiatives where everyone wins. Organisations that don’t walk away with the trophies will still gain something valuable. It is the start of a process – benchmarking the company against good practices, getting feedback from the organisers, joining a network that offers excellent workshops and attending the award ceremony, scheduled for 5 March 2009 at the Botanical Gardens. Complimentary tickets are offered to all who enter.

The closing date for applications is 20 November. Please ring 0121 303 9838 and request an electronic version of the application and guidelines or that a hard copy be posted to you. Alternatively, email your request to mariann.harris@birmingham.gov.uk