It's all about the level-and sincerity of employee appreciation. Workers who feel taken for granted will not stick around when they have other choices.

Engagement is an emotional issue. If workers are not appreciated by their superiors and co-workers, the emotional bonds holding them to the employer weaken. They become much more receptive to other employment opportunities where they will be valued.

Businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to hire qualified workers to fill specific positions, especially high-tech and skilled-labor jobs, which are in demand in Connecticut. The retirement of the baby boom generation in a few years will lead to a critical shortage of workers with the skills necessary to compete in today's high-tech global economy. We need to make sure that employees entering the work force can help drive the innovation and productivity gains that our economy needs to remain competitive in the global marketplace.

SIH received this award by providing an employee-centered environment where people feel valued for who they are and what they do. This is not an award you buy; it's one you earn.

We're talking about people in their 30s wanting to take a sabbatical and see the world, go back to school, fix up a house or have a baby. The attraction that 401(k) accounts will have for people who can't touch them until they're in their 60s won't be as strong as the attraction of an employer participation program where employees can access those funds earlier in their lives. They'll want to make some of their dreams come true earlier rather than later.

The Communist Workers Party had a racial and economic analysis that was all too true. We've seen this with what has happened with Hurricane Katrina.