Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. How do I get started on the application?

A. Fill out the short form on this site. If you are uncomfortable trying to answer the questions (because you just don't have the answers), give us the company name and phone number, and we'll give them a call and let them know they have been nominated.  

Q. Whom should I contact if I have a question about the application? 

A. You can e-mail questions to Geania Dickey at geaniadickey@aol.com. She'll respond by e-mail or phone, if that's more convenient. She can assist you with any questions you have concerning the application process.  

Q. When is the completed application due? 

A. All completed applications must be received no later than December 14, 2007. Go ahead and fill it out now!  

Q. When will we find out whether or not we made the list? 

A. We'll notify companies by phone or mail the second week of February 2008. We place an embargo on public dissemination of the information until the Governor's Work-Life Balance Award Event this spring. That means no press releases to the media, your internal newsletter or any other group announcement.  

Q. What work/life policies or practices do you consider to be the most important when scoring the applications for Governor's Work-Life Balance Awards? 

A. We are not rewarding a particular program or benefit. We are looking for overall excellence: health and welfare benefits, work-time options, career development, child care assistance and work place culture to name a few areas. One fabulous program by itself will not garner as many points as you might think UNLESS it is available to a significant number of employees. An onsite day care center, no matter how lavish, will not garner big points if it only serves a tiny number of overall employees.  

Q. What's the role of the judges? 

A. Our judges play an oversight role. They're not involved in scoring applications or in evaluating the nitty-gritty details. They do review the final list, applying their broad expertise in business and in work-life issues to see if there are any companies that, for whatever reason, deserve a closer look before being included on the list.  

Q. What happens after I fill out the short form? 

A. You will receive a survey either electronically or by mail that will need to be completed and returned. While the survey will take more than a few minutes to fill out, it also makes the judging process as objective as possible. It is that objectivity that gives the Work-Life Baland Award Family Friendly Awards credibility. Extensive research and detail have gone into making this process as fair and impartial as possible, not to mention as simple as possible for the applicants.   

Q. My company is small; is it worth applying for the Governor's Work-Life Balance Award? Does the application have a "big-company bias" that will work against us? 

A. Yes, it's definitely worth applying. Because the majority of Arkansans work for smaller companies (250 employees or fewer), we're very eager to hear from small companies. Every company has work-life issues, whether they have five or 500 employees. If you are a small company and do not, for example, have some of the programs we mention (such as on-site daycare) you will not be penalized. In fact, it's often the case that smaller companies have fewer programs but wider coverage of their employees, and they often have greater flexibility as well - two things that are important to work/life balance.  

Q. I have 25 employees. Am I competing with a company with 1,000 employees? 

A. No, you're not. To make evaluations as equitable as possible, we have three size divisions: Category I (50 employees or less), Category II (51-500 employees) and Category III (501+ employees).  

Q. Can state agencies be nominated? 

A. Yes, with one exception. The Childcare and Early Childhood Education Division of the Department of Human Services cannot be nominated because it is the presenter of the Governor's Work-Life Balance Awards. If you work for other divisions of the Department of Human Services or another great state agency, by all means send us the nomination!  

Q. Is the information that I provide on my application secure and confidential? What can I do about sensitive information that we want to have evaluated but don't want published ‹ is there a way to ensure that it's kept confidential? 

A. Your completed application cannot be opened or read by anyone else. If certain information you supply on the long form is especially sensitive or proprietary and you want to make sure it is not published anywhere, please indicate this. However, we treat all information as confidential.


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