Applications for 2011 International Faith and Spirit at Work Awards Now Being Taken

The Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace in the Sam M. Walton College at the University of Arkansas is calling for applications for the 2011 International Faith and Spirit at Work Awards.

The annual awards program recognizes companies around the world that have implemented specific policies, programs or practices that nurture faith and spirituality inside their organizations. The deadline is May 31, 2011. For further information or to receive an application, contact Judi Neal, director of the Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace at jneal@walton.uark.edu or 479-575-3721.

To be selected for an award, an organization must meet the following criteria:

• If applying for the International Faith and Spirit at Work Award, the organization must have at least 100 full-time paid employees (or the equivalent in full and part-time employees).
• If applying for the Small Business International Faith and Spirit at Work Award, the organization must have the equivalent of between 20 and 99 full-time paid employees.
• The organization is at least five years old, so they have faced the testing of the marketplace; three years for small organizations.
• Both vertical and horizontal dimensions of Faith and Spirituality are demonstrated within the organization and described in detail in the application.
• The explicitly faith-friendly/spiritual project, policy or practice being acknowledged must have been in place at least one year to demonstrate a minimum level of sustainability.
• The organization must be a member of the U.N. Global Compact. If it is not already a member, it is a relatively easy process to join.

“The intention of these awards is to find organizations whose workplace practices help to make the world a better place,” said Neal. “Our goal is to transfer the knowledge gained by these outstanding companies into the general business community so that others can learn from their examples.”

Neal was inspired to create these awards when she worked in the corporate world and saw the positive impact of the Deming Award and the Baldridge Award on the commitment to quality in organizations. She reasoned that if an award could be created that honored organizations for their commitment to the human spirit, more organizations might feel inspired to bring more meaning, purpose and values alignment into the way they do business.

Forty-five organizations with a presence in 39 countries have been honored since 2002. These include The Body Shop (United Kingdom), The Times of India (India), ANZ Bank in Australia and New Zealand, Tyson Foods Inc. (United States), Medtronics (United States) and Hearthstone Homes (United States).

This annual awards program recognizes companies around the world that have implemented specific policies, programs or practices that nurture spirituality inside their organizations. Leaders from organizations that receive the award will attend the 2011 Faith and Spirit at Work Awards ceremony, held as part of the 2011 Faith and Spirit at Work Conference at the University of Arkansas on Nov. 7-9. More information about the conference can be found on the Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace website.

This award was inspired by the work of Willis Harman (1919-1997) who was a visionary thinker, futurist and social scientist who continuously articulated the possibility for humankind to transcend the limits of outmoded thinking. The award honors organizations that are living examples of Willis Harman’s vision that business will play a major role in transforming social consciousness and will help to make the world a place that works for all people.

The Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace was established in 2009 by a grant from Tyson Foods Inc. and the Tyson Family Foundation with matching funds from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation. The mission of the center is to advance the state of research, practice and education in the field of faith and spirituality in the workplace.