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Launch of Top Employers for Working Families 2010: the search for family-friendly employers begins

25 May 2010

Organisations that implement the best family-friendly policies are to be recognised in the Top Employers for Working Families awards organised by leading work-life balance charity, Working Families.

Uniquely, the Top Employers for Working Families list will be validated by independent human resource centre the Institute for Employment Studies. It will provide the listed employers with a powerful tool for recruitment and retention of the best talent. In addition, a report will be produced enabling companies and organisations to make a comparison between themselves and an aggregated benchmark, based on all entries.

From today until June 30, employers can visit Top Employers for Working Families to register their interest and receive further information. The winners will be recognised at a gala lunch and awards ceremony in London in October, with shortlists announced in September. The judging panel will include: Prof Cary Cooper CBE; Craig Jones MBE, Global Head of Diversity at Barclays Wealth; Mary Mercer, Principal Consultant, Institute for Employment Studies; and Sarah Jackson OBE, Chief Executive, Working Families.

Award categories

The Top Employers for Working Families list has 15 awards categories to address different types of policy (such as paternity, flexible working, carers, emergency childcare) and to recognise the leaders within specific industries (such as retail, finance, professional services, public sector) and business sizes. They awards will reward employers who demonstrate that policy alone is simply not enough: to get family-friendly working to take off in an organisation it is necessary to really embed it in the culture – often way ahead of actual legislation.

Why is it important to recognise family-friendly employers?

• 40 per cent of the workforce has responsibilities for dependents – either children or parents – and forward-thinking companies that take a holistic approach to employing their staff often get the best from them.
• In a global economy, 24/7 culture, and a technological age, the typical 9-5 is not always best for companies, clients or staff: flexible working often makes the best business sense all round.
• Growing phenomenon: half the UK workforce already works flexibly (14 out of 29 million) and 95 per cent of companies offer some form of flexible working.

Sarah Jackson, CEO of Working Families says:

‘This is about what’s good for business – when personal responsibilities are met, employees can give more focus to their company or organisation. We’ve worked with organisations that have increased the productivity of their workforce by 20 per cent by implementing family-friendly policies. We want to recognise the employers that are leading the way.’

This year’s winners will be shortlisted in September and announced in October 2010.

Quotes from 2009 winners

Sarah Bond, Head of Diversity & Employee Engagement, KPMG:

‘KPMG is proud to have been identified as a Top Employer for Working Families. We know that talented parents and carers want to work for employers that have a demonstrable commitment to supporting them achieve a better work-life balance. As more and more employers recognise this, being identified as a Top Employer helps us stand out from the crowd. The assessment process was also very rigorous which provides reassurance about the credibility of the list overall!’

Leon Foster-Hill, Diversity Manager, B&Q:

‘Winning this award certainly raised our profile and has aided our ability to continue to recruit the best people to our business – regardless of their background. With term-time, job share, split shifts and part-time contracts all on offer we really do offer real family focused flexibility.’

• See all 2009 winners

Further information

Working Families is the UK’s leading work-life balance 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. Helpline for low income families: 0800 013 0313.

Sharon Mason, SMUK Marketing and PR. Mob: 07747 611773, Tel: 01252 843350 or smason@smuk.org.uk

Liz Whitehead, Working Families. Tel: 020 7253 7243 or press@workingfamilies.org.uk.

For further information on this kind of evaluative work, contact Mary Mercer or call +44(0)20 7104 2072, or the IES press office, or call 01273 763414.