Two organizations that look for exceptional workplaces are shining a spotlight on Blue Care Network of Michigan.

BCN is one of 20 companies worldwide receiving the 2008 Gallup Great Workplace Award on Wednesday, May 14 in Omaha, Neb. This is the second year in a row BCN has earned the annual award. On May 1, BCN was saluted by the Michigan Business and Professional Association as one of the "101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" in West Michigan, an honor the company also received last fall in Metro Detroit.

BCN, the HMO affiliate of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, has 1,388 employees across the state. Based in Southfield, BCN also has offices in Ann Arbor, Flint, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Portage, Saginaw and Traverse City.

"To be competitive we need an engaged work force -- employees who like their jobs and accept personal responsibility for doing them well," said Jeanne Carlson, BCN president and CEO. "To judge by our recent awards, we're moving in the right direction. I am proud that we have the best employees any company could have."

To identify companies with the world's most productive and engaged workforces, the Gallup management consulting organization compared applicants' results across a workplace research database of millions of work teams in more than 100 countries. A panel of workplace experts assessed the applicants' results to select the winners.

"The winners of this award have established a new global standard for engaging people," said Tom Rath, who leads Gallup's Workplace and Leadership Consulting practice. "When compared to the millions of workgroups we have studied around the world, the awardees have worked tirelessly to create an environment that values people."

MBPA, one of the state's largest business associations, annually honors outstanding companies for creating the best human resource initiatives for employees.

"The companies we are recognizing this year are an example of exceptional human resource practices and represent high standards in today's economic climate," said Jennifer Kluge, MBPA chief operating officer and a veteran human resources manager.