With a culture of flexible workplace practices, the City of Merriam received the 2018 When Work Works Award for best practices of effective organizations by the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM).

The award recognizes organizations across the country that excel at offering a variety of employee initiatives such as work-life policies and flexible scheduling while also including learning opportunities and a culture of respect and trust. Two-thirds of Merriam’s winning score was based on a survey sent to its employees.

Merriam City Administrator Chris Engel said it’s an honor to receive this award and is committed to establishing a set of values to recruit, retain, and reward employees for their first-rate contributions to the City and its residents.

“We lead with a flexible management style and put emphasis on our employees and their work satisfaction,” Engel said. “We’re so dedicated to this that we recently started an employee-driven process to identify our organization’s core values. We think it’s important to examine, articulate, and reinforce what it is that drives us to continually and collectively do great work.”

There were 97 winning worksites from 35 states and the District of Columbia. View a complete list of winning organizations.

“These organizations developed human resources policies and programs to support and maintain this environment, and they are reaping the benefits with increased retention, productivity, and overall success for their investment,” said Lisa Horn, SHRM vice president of congressional affairs.

The City of Merriam was one of two organizations from the state of Kansas to receive the 2018 When Work Works Award.