Posted on January 18, 2024
January 18, 2024
Baltimore – Penn-Mar Human Services, the region’s leading provider of services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), has been named a 2023 Culture Innovator in the Kudos Best Culture Awards. Kudos is an employee engagement, culture, and analytics platform that harnesses the power of peer-to-peer recognition, values reinforcement, and open communication to help organizations boost employee engagement, reduce turnover, improve culture, and drive productivity and performance. This is the first time Kudos has given an award to Penn-Mar.
“This award is a testament to Penn-Mar’s vow to create an exceptional workplace culture and foster a thriving environment for our employees,” says Paul Schiavone, Chief Human Resources Officer. “It truly reflects our dedication to employee well-being, engagement, and culture. We strive for inclusion and belonging for the people we support, but that dedication also extends to our team members, and we will never stop looking for ways to Live Courageously throughout all facets of our organization.”
Penn-Mar’s dedication to culture has been a priority since the organization’s founding in 1981 and remains a steadfast priority for the organization. This is further validated by the introduction of Penn-Mar’s Belonging Initiative in 2022, which gives Penn-Mar’s more than 500 employees an opportunity to share their individual work environment realities and challenges. It allows them to be more connected to leadership and recognize any areas for improvement to help ensure that Penn-Mar’s culture continues to be dynamic and inclusive.
The Culture Innovator Award highlights the following key areas where Penn-Mar excels:
Now in its third year, the Kudos Best Culture Awards honor companies in four categories: Culture of the Year, Innovator, Leader, and Engagement Excellence. Winners of the Culture Innovator Award demonstrate an impactful commitment to the employee experience in a unique and modern way and have fostered a strong and supportive culture through creative efforts. These winners are known for thinking outside the box to boost engagement, morale, and regular recognition.
Penn-Mar’s team routinely utilizes the Kudos platform, and it has been a huge hit among employees, often using it to recognize peers with the platform’s awards system. Any team member can recognize a colleague, and managers can also award points alongside recognition. Penn-Mar team members can then cash in their rewards points for gift cards, Penn-Mar swag, or PTO, all while enjoying the recognition aspect of the platform. The posts are viewable to everyone in the organization, and keep teams connected across department, location, and shift, allowing the entire Penn-Mar team to recognize and celebrate accomplishments and applaud each other for exemplifying Penn-Mar’s Core Values.
About Penn-Mar Human Services
Penn-Mar Human Services is a nonprofit that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to Live Courageously, whether that’s securing a job, being an active member of their community, building independence, or developing new relationships. Penn-Mar accomplishes this by supporting people on their own unique personal journeys. Founded in 1981, Penn-Mar operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in northern Maryland and southern Pennsylvania. They support 400+ adults with disabilities daily through an array of customizable services.
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