Competitive Advantage: The organization has developed a program to help forge or maintain a winning edge over the organization's competitors.

Past winners include: Cendant Mobility, National Association of Insurance Commissioners, WellPoint Health Networks

Financial Impact: The organization has designed a program to effect a change that results in cost savings or increased revenue.

Past winners include: Alegent Health, National City Corporation , NCCI Holdings, Inc.

Global Outlook: HR has created a program or strategy to help the organization succeed in the world marketplace.

Past winners include: Mattel Inc., Novo Nordisk, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu

Innovation: The organization has developed an innovative workforce-management strategy that addresses a fundamental business issue. The innovation marks a departure for the winning company and often for the field of workforce management.

Past winners include: Baptist Health South Florida, SRA International, Province of New Brunswick

Managing Change: The organization has successfully developed a program in response to the changing business environment.

Past winners include: Union Pacific Railroad Company, Designer Blinds, National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA)

Partnership: The workforce management leadership has developed or implemented a program in partnership with another constituency, either within the organization or outside of it.

Past winners: The Global Workplace Collaboration (Including the Washtenaw County Book Manufacturers, Washtenaw Literacy and the Washtenaw Development Council), Blue Valley School District

Ethical Practice: This is a new category, beginning in the 2004 Optimas Awards. The organization has developed well-defined ethical practices that are deeply ingrained in the culture and are clearly visible in the organization’s day-to-day behavior.

Past winner: Lockheed Martin Corp.

Service: Workforce management leaders have developed a program to help another constituency within the organization meet its business goals.

Past winners include: Wachovia Corp., SunTrust Banks, Inc. , Health Partners

Vision: The organization has anticipated internal and/or external trends that will affect the organization and it has responded proactively.

Past winners include: Monical Pizza Corp., Electronic Arts , Acxiom Corporation

General Excellence: The General Excellence award is given to the organization whose workforce management initiatives have met the standards established for at least six of the other nine categories.

Past winners include: General Motors Corp., Google, Sysco Corporation

Application deadline is April 24, 2009

Apply Today!

How Winners Are Chosen

More Award-Winning Companies

Questions? Contact Carroll Lachnit, Executive Editor, at carroll@workforce.com.