You may be wondering who all the happy and excited people are in the above image that's part of our blog header.  They are just a few of the 300 employees of FRCH Design Worldwide, a design and architectural firm based in Cincinnati, Ohio, that was named one of 15 Top Small Workplaces in North America by The Wall Street Journal and Winning Workplaces in October 2007.

It should be no surprise why the people in the photo are so pumped up.  Just six years ago (the company turned 40 this year), the leadership made the conscious move to make the firm into an "employer of choice."  As CEO Jim Tippmann explained in our webinar on "Family-Friendly Workplace Practices" that was presented in February 2008, this meant making across-the-board improvements to everything from employee practices such as flexible scheduling and their in-house, university-style employee training program, to benefits that reinforce camaraderie such as team lunches for new employees and the sponsorship of professional development trips.

This move to become an employer of choice resulted in some key bottom-line gains for the firm, including 300% employee growth from 2001 through 2007, a reduction in turnover from 42% to just 6%, and profits that enabled the company to open a second office in Las Vegas.

Jim Tippmann gets much more in depth about what he and FRCH have done to refine and implement more family-friendly practices and the payoffs they've had for the firm in the recording for the webinar mentioned above.  It is available by clicking here.

What sorts of family-friendly practices are in place where you work?  And how – if at all – are single employees enticed to stay and contribute their best?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.