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The Dayton Marriott was presented with a Best Practices Honor from the American Psychological Association (APA) at the annual Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards ceremony held March 9 in Washington, D.C. The Dayton Marriott was recognized for its on-site adult learning program that promotes continuing education for the hotel’s hourly workers.

This practice is an example of employee growth and development, one component of a psychologically healthy workplace. The Dayton Marriott was one of nine organizations to receive the Best Practices recognition at the ceremony. The organization is a previous winner of the Ohio Psychological Association’s (OPA) State-Level Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award, qualifying it to be nominated for APA’s Best Practices Honors.

The Dayton Marriott’s Alliance for Work-Based Education began when the hotel management found that factors like transportation, multiple jobs and family responsibilities often prevented employees from pursuing additional education. In partnership with the Sisters of Notre Dame, the Dayton Marriott established the program as a way of address those barriers by bringing education to the workplace.

The hotel transformed a conference room into a tutoring center, and employees can receive two hours of free tutoring a week within their regular work schedule. Employees who participate are even paid their wage for one of the two hours. The curriculum features mathematics, adult literacy, GED preparation, English as a Second Language, basic computing and life skills classes. Progress is tracked quarterly and the hotel recognizes and celebrates employee achievements. The program enrolls 15-20 participants each quarter, and since the program’s inception, two employees have earned their GED certificates and gone on to enroll in college classes.

The benefits aren’t limited to participants. Improvements in employee retention have led to a 75 percent reduction in voluntary turnover. A 2006 employee survey found engagement scores for employees in housekeeping and laundry to be a high 84.5 percent. Increased professionalism and improved communication skills also help employees better meet the needs of guests and a stable, higher-educated workforce has long-lasting benefits for the community.

“Creating a psychologically healthy workplace means more than just remediating problems,” says David Ballard, Psy.D., M.B.A., APA assistant executive director for corporate relations and business strategy. “It’s about promoting good health, enhancing performance and creating a work environment where both employees and the organization can thrive.”

The Best Practices Honors is a national recognition that highlights those state-level winners with a particularly innovative program or policy that contributes to a psychologically healthy work environment and meets the unique needs of the organization and its employees. Nominees come from a pool of previous state-level winners and are selected through a competitive evaluation and judging process.

For more information about OPA’s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award, please contact Katie Crabtree Thomas.

Click here to read more about The Dayton Marriott

Click here to learn more information about OPA’s PHWA program.

Previous Ohio Psychological Association Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award Winners

2007:
Eastway Behavioral Healthcare, Dayton
Eldermount Adult Day Program, Cincinnati

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