A total of 319 honorees were selected in 30 communities nationwide; KGA is the only winner in Massachusetts. President Kathleen Greer will accept the honor on October 22 during the Metro South Chamber of Commerce’s breakfast meeting at the Holiday Inn in Brockton, Mass.

The Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility honor organizations whose policies exemplify the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s initiative: making workplace flexibility the American standard. The foundation’s objective is based on ten years of research that reveal the benefits of workplace flexibility for employers and employees alike.

A rigorous judging process took into account anonymous employee feedback gathered via survey as well as employer practices. KGA proved not only its commitment to flexibility, but also its use of flexibility as a strategic business tool to enhance organizational effectiveness.

KGA provides business clients with a personalized Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and a wide range of customized HR solutions; at the same time, it offers its 19 employees a unique work community. They are trusted to get the job done with the least amount of compromise to their own work-life balance. All business strategy and financial information is shared. Flexible work schedules, technology for working at home, and myriad family-friendly benefits attract and retain highly qualified workers and build a successful team.

“Workplace flexibility and benefits geared to work-life balance have always been an integral part of our company philosophy,” said Kathleen Greer. “We are proud to receive this award and to further establish KGA as an employer of choice.”

“As a human resources consulting firm,” she continued, “we are in a unique position. Not only do we assess our own policies with an eye towards innovation, we also encourage other companies and individual managers to think differently about ‘work’ and to open their minds to flexibility.”

More information about KGA Inc. can be found at www.kgreer.com. The list of 2008 Sloan Winners and Honorable Mentions is available at http://familiesandwork.org/3w/awards/2008winners.html.

About KGA Inc.: Founded in 1982, KGA (Kathleen Greer Associates) Inc. is a comprehensive human resources consulting firm that assists organizations with employee retention, manager performance, change management, diversity management, and wellness management. These areas are supported via a family of five high-touch services, including a personalized, highly effective EAP (Employee Assistance Program); training; coaching; consulting; and wellness. KGA was a 2006 finalist in the Boston Business Journal’s Best Places to Work and is WBENC certified as a woman-owned business.

About The Sloan Awards: The Sloan Awards are part of the “When Work Works” project (www.whenworkworks.org), an ongoing initiative of the Families and Work Institute, the Institute for a Competitive Workforce (an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce), and the Twiga Foundation that highlights the importance of workforce effectiveness and workplace flexibility as strategies to enhance businesses’ competitive advantage in the global economy and yield positive business results. The project provides research and resources to employers nationwide concerning effective, flexible workplaces that meet 21st-century needs.

Pratt’s extensive background in sales and account management includes positions at Automatic Data Processing (ADP) and Sprint, where she worked as client district manager and sales manager respectively. The University of Massachusetts Amherst graduate brings with her a record of exceeding sales goals and a proven ability to motivate large sales teams. Along with a B.A. in Psychology from UMass, Pratt received a Management Certificate from Harvard Business School.

To learn about KGA and its services, visit http://www.kgreer.com.

About KGA Inc.

Founded in 1982, KGA Inc. is a comprehensive human resources consulting firm that assists organizations with employee retention, manager performance, change management, diversity management, and wellness management. These areas are supported via a family of five high-touch services, including a personalized, highly effective EAP (Employee Assistance Program); training; coaching; consulting; and wellness.

“We learned from September 11 that managers and employees rely on human resources professionals during times of national crisis. Since we support the HR function, it is vital that there is no interruption in our service,” explains President Kathleen Greer. KGA Inc.-which provides clients with a 24/7 Employee Assistance Program, as well as a variety of training, coaching, and wellness services-operated during the test day through counselors answering routed phone calls and employees accessing databases from home.

Developed in 2007, the plan required that KGA Inc. evaluate all vendors and review their business continuation plans, assess each employee’s technological situation, review relevant employment policies, and draft protocols for implementation, all the while remaining HIPAA-compliant.

“Many companies wait until something catastrophic happens before they change how they do business. Pandemic planning helped us change sooner rather than later,” says Chief Operating Officer Liz Hahn, who adds that crisis preparedness is multifold. A well-conceived strategy can protect the health and safety of employees, safeguard technological assets and data, and allow a business to continue vital functions during a crisis.

The pandemic plan was to be implemented on a “regular” workday; however, the timeliness of a major snowstorm, which blanketed the Greater Boston area on Monday, January 14, 2008, provided a more realistic situation.

While the company discovered a few staff members’ home situations required additional technological upgrades, KGA Inc. was able to service its clients within the same time frame achieved during normal operations. An added advantage: workers stayed safe and off the roads in treacherous driving conditions.

“Working on the pandemic plan helped to open our minds about employees working from home. When you start planning for disaster, you immediately start thinking outside the box,” states Greer, who feels strongly that her HR consulting firm should practice what it preaches: corporate, managerial, and employee wellness.

About KGA Inc.: Founded in 1982, KGA Inc. is a comprehensive human resources consulting firm that assists organizations with employee retention, manager performance, change management, diversity management, and wellness management. These areas are supported via a family of five high-touch services, including a personalized, highly effective EAP (Employee Assistance Program); training; coaching; consulting; and wellness. President and founder Kathleen Greer has a background in traditional management training and counseling. She earned a B.S. in Management from Babson College and an M.Ed. in Counseling from Northeastern University. She is also a certified Employee Assistance Professional and a LMHC.

To learn about the company or download a copy of KGA Inc.’s Crisis Management Checklist, visit the Featured Articles section at http://www.kgreer.com.