The Top Employers for Working Families and Special Award winners have been announced

Press Releases

24 Sep 2012

Top Employers for Working Families Benchmark and Awards 2012

The Top 30 Employers for Working Families, the Top 3 Small Family-friendly Businesses and the Special Award winners are announced

Sponsored by Computershare Voucher Services

The Top Employers for Working Families Benchmark and Awards, founded by Working Families in partnership with the Institute for Employment Studies, recognises employers who support parents, carers and flexible workers with work-life balance and career development. Entrants complete a robust benchmark survey which examines flexible working policies and practices and can opt to enter one or more of the Special Awards. Engagement with the annual benchmarking process remains high. Many 2011 entrants have completed the survey again in 2012 as well as a number of new participants, demonstrating that flexible working is increasingly seen as a core strategic tool.

The Top Employers for Working Families Benchmark – The Top 30

The final list is compiled from the highest scoring entrants in the benchmark survey.

Top 10

(A-Z)

• Barclays
• BT
• Citi
• Deloitte
• Hogan Lovells International LLP
• KPMG LLP
• Royal Bank of Scotland
• Southdown Housing Association
• The National Assembly for Wales
• UBS

Top 11- 30

(A-Z)

• Accenture
• Allianz Insurance Plc
• American Express
• Baker & McKenzie
• Bank of England
• Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust
• Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• E.ON UK
• Ernst & Young
• Forum for the Future
• Henmans LLP
• ITV Plc
• Loop Customer Management Ltd
• McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd
• Ministry of Justice
• Northern Trust
• Roche Products Ltd
• Simmons & Simmons LLP
• The London School of Economics & Political Science
• Wales & West Housing

Top 3 Small Family-friendly Businesses

Sponsored by Childcarescheme.com

• Bristows LLP
• Henmans LLP
• Workplace Options

The Special Awards

Benchmark entrants could opt to enter one or more of the Special Awards. The Award entries were judged anonymously by the judging panel. The winners and special commendations for the award categories are:

The Lexington Gray Best for Flexible Working Award

Northern Trust - Winner

Best for Mothers Award

Deloitte – Winner

Citi – Commendation

Loop Customer Management – Commendation

Best for Fathers Award

Citi – Joint Winner

The London School of Economics and Political Science – Joint Winner

Best for Carers & Eldercare Award

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - Winner

BT – Commendation

Best for Career Progression for Flexible Workers Award

Wales & West Housing – Winner

The National Grid Best for Innovation Award

Citi – Winner

Accenture – Commendation

For a list of all the Special Award category finalists and a summary of their entry contact press@workingfamilies.org.uk

Sarah Jackson OBE, Chief Executive of Working Families comments:

‘We congratulate the organisations who have gained a place on this year’s Top Employers for Working Families list, the Top 3 Small Family-friendly Businesses and the Special Award winners and commendations. These employers have demonstrated how they are developing innovative policies and practices to create flexible, family-friendly cultures that support individual wellbeing and high performance.’

Mary Mercer, Principal Consultant at the Institute for Employment Studies comments:

‘This year more of us than ever have taken advantage of flexible working to enjoy the world-class events happening in the UK. We would like to see flexible working becoming embedded, the normal way of doing things and available to all. These employers are leading the way and using flexible working to help staff to manage their lives and work which in turn increases the productivity and performance of their organisations.’

Julian Foster, Managing Director of lead sponsor Computershare Voucher Services (CVS) adds:

‘We’re delighted to continue to support these awards. Our congratulations go to all the winners, who have obviously put so much emphasis on the needs and wellbeing of their employees and share our enthusiasm for supporting working families.’

Ends

Notes to editors

For more information contact

Liz Whitehead, Working Families Press Office on 020 7253 7243 or email press@workingfamilies.org.uk

Out of hours press mobile for urgent national enquiries up to 6.30pm: 07870 177096

The winners of the Awards and the Top 10 and Top 11-30 lists of Top Employers for Working Families and the Top 3 Small Family-friendly Businesses will be announced at a ceremony at 12.30 on Tuesday 25th September 2012. The event is part of Working Families’ National Work-Life Week.

For a summary on the finalists for any of the Special Awards please contact press@workingfamilies.org.uk

The Top 10 and Top 30 list and the Top 3 Family-friendly Businesses list were compiled according to the benchmark survey scores.

The final winners of each special award category were judged anonymously by the following panel: Sarah Jackson, CEO, Working Families; Professor Cary L. Cooper, Pro Vice Chancellor of Lancaster University and Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health; Mary Mercer, Principal Consultant, IES; Joan Claridge, former Head of Retail HR for Marks & Spencer; Dame Janet Gaymer DBE QC and David Woods, deputy editor of HR Magazine, editor of hrmagazine.co.uk and HR Journalist of the year 2012 (business and trade), Towers Watson Awards For Excellence in HR Journalism.

Commendations in the special award categories were given as follows:

Citi were awarded a special commendation in the Best for Mothers category for embedded best practice

Loop Customer Management were awarded a special commendation in the Best for Mothers category for Grandparents’ Leave

BT were awarded a special commendation in the Best for Carers and Eldercare category for leadership

Accenture were awarded a special commendation in the National Grid Best for Innovation category for organising a virtual conference for 400 people.

About Working Families

Working Families is the UK’s leading work-life organisation. The charity supports and gives a voice to working parents and carers, whilst also helping employers create workplaces which encourage work-life balance for everyone.

The Working Families Freephone helpline for parents, carers and their advisers gives advice on employment rights and benefits. Call 0300 012012, text 07800 00 4722 or e-mail advice@workingfamilies.org.uk www.workingfamilies.org.uk The helpline is supported by the Big Lottery Fund.

About IES

The Institute for Employment Studies (IES) is the UK’s leading independent, not-for-profit centre for research and evidence-based consultancy on employment, the labour market, and HR policy and practice. For more information on IES visit

Lead Sponsor

Computershare Voucher Services Limited

Computershare Voucher Services Limited (CVS) is the UK’s largest dedicated childcare voucher provider responsible for the administration, management and development of childcare vouchers, an employee benefit available to all eligible working parents. Founded in 1998, CVS has vast experience of the childcare vouchers industry, reinforced by significant technology enhancements which benefit its diverse customer base, spanning every sector, from some of the UK’s largest corporations to SMEs. CVS currently works with over 100,000 working parents, more than 12,000 organisations and over 45,000 carers each month. CVS is also a founder member of the Childcare Voucher Providers Association (CVPA), the industry body launched in March 2011 to represent childcare voucher providers and promote best practice within the sector. For more information visit: www.computersharevoucherservices.com

Top Small Family-friendly Businesses list sponsor

Childcarescheme.com

Special Award sponsors

Lexington Gray is sponsor of the Lexington Gray Best for Flexible Working Award

National Grid is sponsor of the National Grid Best for Innovation Award

Other partners

Top Employers for Working Families Benchmark and Awards 2012 is run in partnership with HR Magazine. The benchmark and awards survey was developed in partnership with Tpoll.