SMALL businesses in Worcester with dedicated employees who have been there five years or more are being urged to shout about it and highlight how important they are to a thriving organisation.

Holding onto employees for more than five years is increasingly rare among businesses with fewer than 200 employees, according to Recognition Express.

The franchise organisation has had to extend the deadline for its 2005 Recognition Awards, which acknowledge employees who have shown outstanding commitment over a period of five years or longer.

But the organisers have found very few businesses have employees who fit the bill.

"People are at the core of any successful organisation," said Nigel Toplis, managing director of Recognition Express.

"Even the most simple gestures can have a great impact.

"We developed the Recognition Awards to make it easy for employers and colleagues to think about and recognise colleagues' reliability and this year we decided to focus specifically on long serving employees - whether it's the tea lady or the managing director."

Nominations are invited from any UK business with 200 employees or fewer.

Entrants must submit a 100-word overview explaining why their nominated individual should be recognised. The new deadline is Friday, July 15.

Nomination forms can be completed and submitted online by visiting www.recognition-express.com/ recognitionawards or by calling 01242 245789 for a nomination form.

Nominations will initially enter a regional judging process and the winners from eight regional heats will automatically be put forward for the national final.

The winner will be announced at a prestigious ceremony to be held in London in September where he or she will officially be recognised as the UK's most committed employee.