Microsoft Recognizes Work Options Group with “Commitment to Excellence” Award

Colorado-Based Company Honored by Microsoft

SUPERIOR, CO – June 11, 2008 – Work Options Group is the single recipient of this year’s “Commitment to Excellence” award, given annually by Microsoft Benefits to one of the company’s U.S. benefit vendor partners.

Since 2006, Work Options Group has offered a backup care benefit to all 46,000 U.S. employees of Microsoft. The Backup Care Options program acts as a “safety net” for employees with childcare or adult/elder care responsibilities, by providing temporary care so employees can get to work when their regular caregiving arrangements are unavailable (ex - school holidays or closures, caregiver vacations, loved ones recovering from illness or surgery.)

“We appreciate the strong partnership we have with Work Options Group,” stated Emily Gomez, Program Manager of U.S. Benefits at Microsoft. “The company is continuously looking for ways to improve our national family backup care program, and always has a can-do attitude. We look forward to our partnership over the coming years.”

Work Options Group developed the Backup Care Options program to provide employees, like those at Microsoft and more than 130 leading companies, with access to trusted, affordable, temporary care for their loved ones of any age, at any time of the day or night, whether they are healthy or ill. The program is available in all locations throughout the United States and Canada and features a 24-hour call center staffed by specialists who manage every step of the process to coordinate temporary care on behalf of employees. Work Options Group has contracted partnerships with thousands of care providers – licensed home care agencies, nanny agencies, childcare centers and adolescent care centers – that have agreed to offer short-term care.

The Backup Care Options program provides both employees and employers with a win-win solution. Employees can work when they would otherwise be unable to do so, and with the confidence that their loved ones are receiving the care they need. At the same time, employers boost productivity and performance by reducing unscheduled absenteeism, plus they enhance recruitment/retention efforts by offering their employees a much needed tool to reduce stress and improve work-life balance.

During the first 18 months that the Backup Care Options program was offered at Microsoft, employees used more than 58,500 hours of backup care – hours that would otherwise be counted as absenteeism. As a result, Microsoft saved more than $5 million in absenteeism and productivity costs. Since the benefit’s debut, more than 1,500 individual employees at Microsoft have relied on the benefit and reported an average overall program satisfaction score of 4.7 on a 5-point scale. Microsoft’s use of the benefit is predicted to reach 75,000 hours of care in 2008 and currently exceeds use by any other corporate client of Work Options Group. 

“It’s an honor to offer our backup care program to Microsoft, which is an innovative company known for providing extensive employee benefits,” said Cindy Carrillo, Founder and CEO of Work Options Group. “We are thrilled to provide a program that employees really value and to be recognized by Microsoft for our commitment to excellence.”