RSM McGladrey awarded the prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Award for exemplary workplace practices

Minneapolis (November 9, 2009) – RSM McGladrey, one of the nation’s leading accounting, tax and business consulting firms, was recently awarded The Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility in recognition of workplace flexibility initiatives at 33 of the firm’s offices across the U.S.

The Alfred P. Sloan Awards honor organizations of all sizes and all types across the country that are using workplace flexibility as a strategy to increase workplace effectiveness and yield positive business results.

The Alfred P. Sloan Awards are part of the When Work Works project, 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. Through When Work Works, these partner organizations provide research, resources and recognition to employers nationwide. The project shares the results of research on creating effective and flexible workplaces that meet the needs of the 21st century.

A study conducted by the Families and Work Institute earlier this year found that the vast majority of companies (81 percent) are maintaining the workplace flexibility they offer during the current recession, and another 13 percent are increasing it. The winners of the Alfred P. Sloan Awards offer a unique picture of companies that are providing a desirable work environment while simultaneously dealing with difficult business survival issues.

“From new forms of flexible work arrangements that minimize layoffs, to creative cost-cutting that retains core medical benefits, to providing financial information and support to employees, these employers are braving the economic storm through innovative policies that prevent undue shock to their workplaces and their employees,” said Ellen Galinsky, president, Families and Work Institute.

Each of the 2009 Alfred P. Sloan Award winners will be featured in next year’s edition of The Guide to Bold New Ideas and Making Work Work, published by Families and Work Institute. (The 2008 winners, which included RSM McGladrey’s Rochester office, can be found at www.whenworkworks.org).

“We are thrilled to receive this recognition for our workplace practices,” said RSM McGladrey’s Talent Management Senior Director, Teresa Hopke. “We work hard to support the personal and professional success of our employees, and awards such as this one underscore that we are doing the right things when it comes to our commitment to creating a culture of flexibility that enhances productivity.”

Additional RSM McGladrey 2009 workplace honors include Working Mothermagazine’s “100 Best Companies,” Alliance for Work-Life Progress’ distinguished Work-Life Innovative Excellence Award, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s “100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces,” and Accounting Today’s “Top 15 Best Accounting Firms to Work For.”

About RSM McGladrey
RSM McGladrey is a leading professional services firm providing accounting, tax and business consulting. RSM McGladrey operates in an alternative practice structure with McGladrey & Pullen LLP, a partner-owned CPA firm that delivers audit and attest services. Through separate and independent legal entities, they work together to serve clients’ business needs. Together, the companies rank as the fifth largest U.S. provider of accounting, tax and business consulting services (source: Accounting Today), with 7,000 professionals and associates in nearly 90 offices. RSM McGladrey Inc. and McGladrey & Pullen LLP are member firms of RSM International, an affiliation of independent accounting and consulting firms. RSM McGladrey is the official accounting, tax and business consulting firm of The PGA of America.

About Families and Work Institute
Families and Work Institute (FWI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that studies the changing workforce, family and community. As a preeminent think tank, FWI is known for being ahead-of-the-curve, identifying emerging issues, and then conducting rigorous research that often challenges common wisdom and provides insight and knowledge. As an action tank, FWI conducts numerous studies that put its research into action and then evaluates the results. Its purpose is to create research to live by.

About the Institute for a Competitive Workforce
The Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW) is a 501(c)3 affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and is working to ensure that businesses have access – today and tomorrow – to an educated and skilled workforce. ICW’s primary responsibilities for the When Work Works project are to provide support to the communities and to connect local initiatives to national Chamber efforts.

About the Twiga Foundation
The Twiga Foundation is dedicated to inspiring, promoting and maintaining a family consciousness at home, in the workplace and in the community. Twiga’s primary responsibilities for the When Work Works projects are to provide support to the communities, acting as a liaison to key stakeholders in the When Work Works communities to build a broad local leadership constituency for creating better workplaces that meet the needs of employees, employers and communities.