Tuesley Hall Konopa, LLP Receives 2007 Samaritan - Family Values in Business Award

Tuesley Hall Konopa is one of five local businesses to receive the 2007 Samaritan Family Values in Business Award for excellence in providing a family-friendly work environment. Awards were presented at the 6th annual Samaritans Awards luncheon at Windsor Park Conference Center in Mishawaka in front of a crowd of 225 people. As Rose Meissner, keynote speaker and President of the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County explained, "its important for employers not to pretend that work is the only focus in people's lives."

For partners Mick Tuesley, Tom Hall and Eric Seigel, it's vital for employees to keep their faith, family and work in balance. "We work hard at Tuesley Hall Konopa," Mick said, "to promote the things that we think are very important in life," as he and Tom Hall accepted the award for the firm.

Mick and Tom founded the firm based on a family-friendly employment philosophy and the firm remains committed to this approach as it celebrates a decade of providing legal services. As the student researchers interviewed employees, they heard anecdotes about the partners' and the firm's generosity, fairness, and integrity. The firm has gone out of its way to hire people who are the best fit for clients' needs and the firm's growth plans, and has been able to accommodate employees' family commitments. One employee said, "I hadn't even been working with the company for a week and needed to take a few days off to care for my children while my wife was in the hospital. I was apprehensive to ask but felt urged to fulfill my duties at home." In particular, the firm has been adept at structuring innovative ways to work with employees who have significant talent and experience even though they may not be able to work full-time or a traditional work schedule due to family obligations. The result: a win-win-win for clients, the firm and employees.

In the area of Work-Family Stress Management, the company recently initiated a wellness/health program and is exploring the possibility of an employee assistance program. In addition, Tuesley Hall Konopa offers a two-week paid vacation after six months of employment and if there is unused vacation time, five days can be carried over to the next year. Additionally, unused sick time can be converted to 50% vacation time.

After the five businesses were nominated for the award, each company participated in the interview process. The interviews were conducted by students from the Department of Business and Economics at Saint Mary's College. They distributed individual surveys and interviewed employees before making recommendations for the award recipients. A Selection Committee of community leaders reviewed the results of the students' research and selected the award recipients. The student researchers reported that employees of Tuesley Hall Konopa were delighted to be given the chance to speak on behalf of their company because each had such positive things to say. Please visit the Tuesley Hall Konopa Web site at www.tuesley-hall.com to learn more about the Samaritan Award and Tuesley Hall Konopa's legal services.

Samaritan Award

The purpose of the Samaritan Family Values in Business Awards is two-fold. One is to bring the importance of family-friendly work environments to the attention of St. Joseph County employers, and to honor those who provide family-friendly work environments. Publicizing "best-practices" will encourage other area organizations to improve their own work environments, benefiting their employees, their families, and our entire community. A second purpose is to generate funding so that uninsured and underinsured clients at the Samaritan Counseling Center may receive the professional help they need.

For information on nominating a local business for the 2008 Samaritan Family Values in Business Award or the Samaritan Counseling Center visit: http://community.michiana.org/counsel/.