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| Psychology News |
OHIO ORGANIZATION RECOGNIZED FOR WORKPLACE PROGRAMS
Koinonia Homes Receives National Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award
Koinonia Homes was recently recognized by the American Psychological Association (APA) for its workplace practices promoting employee health and well-being. Koinonia Homes was among six organizations to receive the National Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award (PHWA) in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on March 3. The organization is a previous winner of the Ohio Psychological Association’s (OPA) state-level Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award, qualifying them for the national award nomination.
Koinonia Homes, a social services organization that provides residential and vocational services to individuals with developmental disabilities, strives to help its clients build healthy, fulfilling and enriched lives. Its mission requires dedicated, caring and reliable employees. To foster these qualities in its employees, Koinonia Homes offers extensive training, flexible scheduling, generous personal time off and the opportunity for employees to reduce their health insurance premiums by participating in an annual health fair. As a result, Koinonia Homes touts a turnover rate 20-40 percent below industry average.
Combined, this year’s six National PHWA winners report an average turnover rate of just 14 percent that trounces the national average of 40 percent as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Additionally, surveys completed by the six winning organizations show that only 19 percent of employees report high levels of work stress compared to 33 percent nationally.
“The cost of stress to employers is huge,” said Russ Newman, PhD, JD, APA executive director for professional practice. “Employers spend an estimated 300 billion dollars a year on stress-related absenteeism, turnover, lowered productivity and direct medical, legal and insurance costs.”
Psychologically healthy workplace practices fall into five categories: employee involvement; health and safety; employee growth and development; work-life balance; and employee recognition. Employee participation in decision making, skills training and leadership development, flexible work arrangements, and programs promoting healthy lifestyle and behavior choices are just a few of the qualities that define a psychologically healthy workplace.
The Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award program has both state- and national-level components. APA’s National PHWA is designed to highlight the best from among the award winners recognized by APA’s affiliated state, provincial and territorial psychological associations. Nominees are selected from a pool of previous state-level winners and evaluated on their workplace programs and policies in the areas of employee involvement, health and safety, employee growth and development, work-life balance and employee recognition. Awards are given to for-profit and not-for-profit organizations as well as government, military and educational institutions.
For more information about OPA’s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award, please contact Katie Crabtree Thomas.
Click here to read more about Koinonia Homes
Click here to learn more information about OPA’s PHWA program.
Previous Ohio Psychological Association Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award Winners
2006:
The Ohio Society of CPAs, Dublin
The Marriott Hotel, Dayton
Koinonia Homes, Cuyahoga Heights-National Winner
Jewish Family Services, Columbus
Humility of Mary Health Partners, Youngstown
2005:
Nationwide, Columbus
Koinonia Homes, Cuyahoga Heights
Counseling Center of Wayne & Holmes Counties, Wooster
2004:
FJ Designs, Wooster
LuK, Inc., Wooster
Coleman Professional Services, Kent-National Winner
Chernesky, Heyman and Kress, PLL, Dayton
University Hospitals Health System, Cleveland
2003:
Bank One, Columbus-National Winner
Dayton Heart Hospital, Dayton