1998     
>Testone, Marshall & Discenza, LLP
>O’Brien and Gere
>UTC, Carrier Corp.
   
1999    
>The Business Journal
>Eric Mower and Associates
>The MONY Group
>Nixon Gear
   
2000    
>Medical Management Resources
>CABLExpress Technologies
>Blue Cross Blue Shield of CNY
   
2001    
>The Fagliarone Group, PC
>Unity Mutual Life Insurance
>Bristol Myer Squibb Company
   
2002    
>Liberty Resources, inc
>Hanford Pharmeceuticals
>The Post Standard
>Welch Allyn Inc.
   
2003    
>Elmcrest Children’s Center
>Solvents & Petrolium Services
>Sensis Corporation
>Time Warner Cable
>Syracuse University
   
2004    
>Green & Seifter
>Hand Held Products
>HSBC
>Connections Family Centered Speech and Language Therapy, PLLC

AND THE WINNERS ARE . . .  

Best Practice Award – Strategic Management: King & King Architects
King & King Architects have a clearly defined, easy to understand strategic management philosophy. The HR Manager plays a significant role in the strategic management process, providing information for the organizational budgeting process, defining, communicating and maintaining organizational values and goals, and establishing and maintaining alliances with key individuals in the community to assist in meeting the organization’s strategic needs. Weekly meetings with the leadership team are held to discuss the status of the firm’s organizational goals. The judges were impressed with the firm’s commitment to the realization of the organizational goals.

Best Practice Award – Workforce Planning & Employment: Arc of Onondaga
One of the items that the judges felt distinguished Arc from the other applicants is its commitment to hiring a diverse workforce. Minorities currently make up 23% of its total workforce, including two members on the senior management team. They achieve this through active relationships with numerous agencies throughout the local area and have also developed contacts with many employment functions of local diversified agencies. Arc’s participation in Juneteenth Day is an integral part of their recruitment activity. Arc provides all employees with a weeklong orientation program. They also keep records on employees who exit the company as well as the reason why. They have a comprehensive approach to workforce planning and employment that is serving them well.

Best Practice Award – Human Resource Development: Sensis Corporation
Sensis Corporation stands out in Human Resource Development because of its proactive approach to becoming a “learning organization” which they truly believe is vital to the realization of its strategic goals. In addition to the hiring of a Chief Learning Officer, they have expanded their Leadership Development Program from 40 to 100 participants. This program focuses on individual development activities aimed specifically at achieving corporate objectives. It also involves peer-to-peer coaching and leadership “experiments” which enable the development work to be done within the context of each leader’s day-to-day work. The development of leaders at Sensis is deemed to be so critical to our continued growth and successful executions of their programs that it is one of the top priorities.

Best Practice Award – Compensation & Benefits: O’Brien and Gere
Creativity is what stood out in the judges’ mind when reviewing O’Brien & Gere’s compensation and benefit program. Besides competitive salaries, O’Brien & Gere looked for ways to help employees achieve a healthy balance between work/life issues. Some of the initiatives they implemented within the past year include: Fun Fridays (employees spin a wheel for cash prizes), benefits fair, driver safety week, expansion of their health and reimbursement program to include running, walking and cycling races, wellness updates in the monthly newsletter and a monthly health and wellness theme. In addition, they now offer a “spot bonus” program so managers can more timely recognize efforts that go above and beyond the norm. As they celebrate 60 years of providing an excellent work environment, they are offering free picnics to employees in all regional locations.

Best Practice Award – Employee and Labor Relations: Onondaga Community College
OCC has worked diligently over the past year to emphasize a culture that values, recognizes and develops its employees. Some of the initiatives OCC has undertaken in the past year include: a conflict resolution initiative involving employees from all levels and disciplines, an employee appreciation ceremony which allows for public recognition the achievements and behaviors of nominated employees at all levels and in all disciplines, the development of “HR Matters” communications vehicle which helps to clarify HR related trends, developments, and policy and procedure information, the Horizon Leadership Program and a campus climate survey. These initiatives clearly demonstrate OCC’s commitment to making it a better place to work.

Best Practice Award – Occupational Health/Safety/Security: C.H. Thompson Co. Inc.
C.H. Thompson’s recognition for excellence from various organizations really caught the judges’ eyes. They were awarded the only New York state certification ever given under the National Strategic Goals Program of the US Environmental Protection Agency. This program seeks voluntary cooperation from businesses that go beyond mere compliance and which seek to meet the 2010 performance requirements early. In addition, C.H. Thompson received the NYS Governors Pollution Prevention award which is given by the Department of Environmental Conservation and the NYS Department of Labor, OSHA Division’s S.H.A.R.P. (Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program) banner for its proactive safety and health program. These accolades point to the commitment C.H. Thompson has for the safety and health of its employees and the environment.

Overall HR Excellence Award (small): King & King Architects
King & King Architects have fully integrated the Company’s goals into all of the HR practice areas. The HR manager is a member of a four-person leadership team who derives the goals. These goals are the cornerstone for all Company activities. Each of the HR practice areas has a direct link to the stated goals of the company by focusing in on what needs to be done and distinguishing between essential and non-essential activities. For example, King & King has a SEED (Serious Emphasis on Employment Development) program. This program is made up of four components; defined expectations, development scale, development evaluation and personal development plan. Every employee’s specific job expectations are linked to the Company’s goals.

Overall HR Excellence Award (medium): Sensis Corporation
One of Sensis’ most critical objectives is delighting customers. The organizational response to this is an architecture that allows the company to be highly responsive to customers in a very dynamic workplace. Sensis has chosen an organizational model that consists of semi-autonomous, decentralized businesses. HR managers are assigned as members of the General Managers’ staffs, with additional HR personnel assigned to the businesses as size and specific needs dictate. The Senior Vice President of Human Resources reports directly to the CEO and is a member of his four person staff and a key participant in the corporate strategic planning process. The HR Managers play similar roles at the business level. The HR staff meets regularly to share issues within businesses to address needs that would suggest a broader solution and to understand where they can become more efficient. With HR staff positioned so strategically, Sensis is able to create a workplace that is responsive to customer needs and agile to the changing business requirements. Examples include; two acquisitions within 18 months, “just in time” staffing, integration of a dispersed workforce, hiring of a Chief Learning Officer, implementation of a profit sharing Incentive Compensation Program available to all employees who worked throughout the fiscal year, hiring for cultural fit and an on-site fitness center.

Overall HR Excellence Award (large): Syracuse University
SU stands out in its ability to mobilize their resources to effect changes on a large scale. For example, minority recruitment was a problem for SU due to the lack of an outreach strategy and a tendency by hiring managers to hire qualified candidates as quickly as possible. Even though an Affirmative Action plan was in place, HR knew that more could be done by consolidating two departments, recruitment and diversity, into one. The result was the creation of the Diversity Network that forged partnerships with over 40 local minority job locator resources. The Network holds quarterly meetings, hosts a job fair each summer, partners with minority websites and local radio for advertising campaigns, and strategically utilizes Affirmative Action data. The results of these efforts have been a diversified applicant pool. Another example of SU’s commitment to its employees is the establishment of life long medical coverage for retirees. SU realized that by discontinuing retiree medical after age 70, they were not competitive in the higher education market. SU responded to this issue by having HR partner with finance and academic committees and enlisted the aid of a consultant to help them through the change. The result was the formation of a lifetime retiree medical plan.

Donlon Award Winner (small): Fagliarone Group
This CPA firm of only 57 employees has used a variety of traditional and non-traditional benefits to provide a workplace for its employees that embraces their professional and personal needs. One of these benefits being the hiring of a full time dedicated Human Resources professional to support their ongoing efforts to become an employer of choice. Other initiatives that focus on bringing a balance to the to work/family dilemma include; establishment of a personal schedule which may/may not include part-time, flex time or a compressed work week, paid time off leave bank, training and tuition assistance at 100% company paid, paid time off for volunteering and the recent addition of a health savings account plan. The Fagliarone Group believes that best way to attract and retain the best and brightest is to have a culture that truly values its employees. We agree.

Donlon Award Winner (medium): Syracuse Research Corporation
Syracuse Research Corporation understands that a strong balance between employees’ personal and work lives is necessary for the success of employees and ultimately, the company as a whole. The judges quickly noted that SRC has an enhanced EAP, which has established an eldercare support group. The group sponsors subject-specific speakers, offering those coping with eldercare issues a valuable means of encouragement and education. Other family supportive policies include; an employee discount program which includes reduced-price tickets to local family events and attractions, flexible scheduling options, extra time off is allocated for outstanding performance, wellness activities, reduced cost memberships to local health facilities and a regular section in the company’s quarterly newsletter that addresses topics concerning the work/life balance.

Donlon Award Winner (large): Syracuse University
Over the past several years efforts at SU have evolved from independent decentralized efforts to strategic University-wide initiatives. Programs and practices are aimed at responding to and exceeding the standard responses to work and family needs of staff and faculty. Some of the practices that the judges liked were; formalized flexible work policy with a tracking system to log and categorize requests, expansion of dependent care referral services, expansion of on-site child care services, the establishment of monthly coordinated mammograms with a local hospital and the Step-Up Walking Program. SU has broken down the work life area into five focus areas – wellness, family care, flexible work arrangements, individual growth and development & counseling. Five advisory groups have been formed to further explore opportunities in the focus areas.

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