LANSING - First Gentleman Daniel G. Mulhern, founder of Michigan's Next Great Companies (NCG), today applauded When Work Works for extending the application deadline and broadening the eligibility requirements to include companies outside of the Detroit area for the 2008 Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility. 
 
The quickly approaching application deadline for the Sloan Awards is April 30, 2008.  Applications take about 30 minutes to complete online and can be found at www.whenworkworks.org.
 
"I am pleased that the application deadline has been extended and that the eligibility has been broadened to include other companies outside of the Detroit area," Mulhern said.  "With a little under a week left, I encourage all the companies that have not yet registered to do so quickly."   The Sloan Awards were created to recognize workplaces that successfully use flexibility to meet employer and employee goals.  The award is administered through When Work Works - a national education and recognition initiative designed to promote the practices of the most effective and flexible workplaces.
 
"Workplace flexibility policies are low-cost or often free, and they are fundamental strategies for becoming an employer of choice," Mulhern said. 
 
Every organization that applies receives benchmark reports with national and local comparative data - whether they advance to second round evaluation or not.  Organizations reaching the second round of the award process also receive a report that includes a composite of employee survey results.
 
Michigan's Next Great Companies program is an economic development initiative focused on attracting and growing companies with great workplace cultures.  Mulhern has recruited an advisory board core team that is a "who's who" of great workplace experts.  The advisory board represents organizations with headquarters or significant operations in Michigan that have been recognized for their excellence in creating, sustaining, and supporting great corporate cultures. 
For more information on Michigan's Next Great Companies program, visit www.michigan.gov/firstgentleman.