Utah Foster Care (UFC) has been selected for a prestigious national award for its comprehensive set of practices that support a healthy, high-performing work environment.
UFC was launched in 1999 by Governor Mike Leavitt and the Utah legislature to recruit, train, and support families to care for children in Utah’s foster care system.
It’s work that is challenging and demanding, which is one reason UFC values focusing on employee self-care, so they can better care for others.
“Receiving this national award from the American Psychological Association is a significant honor,” says Kelly Peterson, Utah Foster Care’s CEO.
“It confirms that when our employees feel valued and work in a healthy environment, our outcomes can be quite successful. Through their dedication, more than 12,000 families have been recruited and trained to care for vulnerable children, and supported in the noble work they do every day.”
“Organizations that cultivate a psychologically healthy workplace show that employers can both care about their employees and reach their business goals. They are better-equipped to adapt to challenging or uncertain times,” said David W. Ballard, PsyD, MBA, head of APA’s Center for Organizational Excellence. “In organizations like those recognized as this year’s award winners, employees feel more valued, more involved and more motivated to do their best.
UFC and the three other organizations received the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award. On average, at least three-quarters of employees say their organization values work-life balance (89 percent), training and development (89 percent), employee recognition (82 percent) and employee involvement (75 percent). The average turnover rate for the companies is less than a third of the national average.
Additional information on the APA awards is available at http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/03/healthy-workplace.aspx.
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