Each year the New Zealand Equal Employment Opportunities (NZEEO) Trust rewards some of the country’s most innovative employers.

The Awards, now in their 12^th year, celebrate organisations which actively invest in their businesses by investing in their diverse workforces. There were nine awards given this year.

"People count, rather than just being counted as a cost, in all these winning organisations," says Dr Philippa Reed, EEO Trust Chief Executive. "These employers make decisions that back their philosophies and values around staff management, even in difficult times. They tackle the difficult issues.

"Every organisation that entered this year's EEO Trust Work & Life Awards is working hard to make a positive difference to the lives of those they work with, knowing that the payoffs show in productivity, loyalty and better bottom lines," says Dr Reed.

"The employers are of all sizes, from all sectors, and they demonstrate why long-term staff development is important, even when the economic environment gets tough."

Workplace Work & Life Award

New Plymouth accountancy firm BDO Spicers Taranaki won the Workplace Work & Life Award for its policies that promote flexible working alongside employee health and wellness.

This award celebrates organisations which make the most of the diverse talents of their employees by enabling them to balance work demands and their lives outside work.

BDO Spicers Taranaki has fully flexible working hours, provided neither clients nor colleagues are inconvenienced. "The minimum number of weekly working hours is 24, but even this can be averaged out," says practice manager Margaret Doyle.

The firm is owned by five principals and employs 79 staff, many of whom work part-time. Job-sharing and part-time work are available at every level of the firm, with flexibility to move from part-time to full-time work and back again while staying in the same role.

People are given personal responsibility for their workloads and careers, and the firm's flat structure encourages sharing of knowledge and contacts. The payroll system has been designed so people are paid for their actual weekly hours. 'Leisure banking' means hours can be banked and paid out at a later date, or accrued.

Margaret Doyle says that in the early days of the transition away from a more command-and-control culture, it was sometimes a ‘challenge’ watching people leaving in droves at 2pm on a Friday. "We addressed the challenges by living the culture and generally getting over ourselves," she said.

Increased productivity and reduced staff turnover are the main benefits of this high level of flexibility. Margaret Doyle says that if people can choose when they work, they will work when they are most productive.

"There's no need for clock-watching. We promote positivity and a general respect for each other. To be successful, we need full flexibility, honesty and commitment by all staff. The core value of our organisation is complete trust."

Walk the Talk Award:

This award celebrates leaders who make a difference in their management of a diverse workforce.

Mark Witchalls, who owns Blenheim Foods Marlborough with his wife Shelly, won the Walk the Talk Award for creating a workplace that offers opportunities for disabled people. The company, which makes frozen foods for takeaway outlets, has three part-time staff, all of whom live with mental illness.

Mark Witchalls adapted production methods and communication styles to help get the best out of his staff, who were often long-term unemployed before coming to the company. They are loyal and productive employees, he said. In the years since purchasing the business, turnover has increased by 25 per cent and market share has steadily increased.

Mental health expert Jim Burdett, who shared the Walk the Talk Award, runs Auckland-based Mind and Body Consultants. He founded the company with three people 11 years ago and now employs 42 staff, almost all of whom have had experience of mental illness, to deliver mental health support services. The company turns over $2 million annually.

Workplace Diversity Award

This award celebrates organisations that make the most of a diverse workforce.   Winner RSVP Productions, founded by documentary maker Robyn Scott-Vincent, produces the Sunday morning TV One program, Attitude, which reflects the aspirations and lifestyles of those living with disability.

When the company started making the show five years ago, New Zealand didn't appear to have any young presenters, producers or editors with disabilities, despite the fact that one in five New Zealanders lives with disability.

So RSVP Productions decided to develop them itself, providing workplace flexibility to accommodate their needs and equipping them for an eventual mainstream career. Robyn Scott-Vincent, who was sensitised to disability issues by her late son's learning needs, was also conscious that people living with disability face barriers to employment, leading to talent being overlooked.

RSVP's team of 11 now includes four people who are quadriplegic, one who is paraplegic and one who has cerebral palsy. Five of these employees are presenters. RSVP ensures that its employees face no physical barriers at work and has made it possible for them to work from home if necessary by providing technical support and backing applications for Government equipment grants.

For more details and a full list of awards and winners, visit http://www.eeotrust.org.nz/awards/leaders.cfm