Family-friendly certification programme launches in the UK
Published: 11 Mar 2025
From today, employers in the UK can be a part of a pioneering certification programme that will shape family-friendly workplaces of the future.
Working Families are working in partnership with Family-Friendly Workplaces, who have designed a new global standard, so that employers can support employees and demonstrate their family-friendly ways of working.
The initiative was developed by Family-Friendly Workplaces to accelerate business adoption of family-inclusive policies through the development of Global Work + Family Standards. Now, after four years of successfully driving policy change in Australia and helping over 650 organisations assess and enhance their family-friendly work practices, Family Friendly Workplaces is expanding the reach of the initiative to benefit employers and families in the UK.
The certification provides employers with an evidence-based framework to assess and enhance their policies. Aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, family-friendly policies are recognised as a driver of economic and societal progress. As well as securing business success through creating a more engaged, productive workforce, family-inclusive policies are able to respond to urgent challenges, such as the rise in in-work child poverty. Creating supportive workplaces allows employees to balance work and home responsibilities effectively, reducing absenteeism, improving job security, and supporting long-term economic stability.
Family Friendly Workplaces has already received backing from some big names in the UK, with the founding partners Deloitte UK and TLT LLP, supporting partners dentsu, Grant Thornton UK, Kantar, Norton Rose Fullbright and QBE Europe, and advocacy partners Adoption UK, Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse (EIDA), Kinship, Maternal Mental Health Alliance, National Childbirth Trust (NCT) and The Fostering Network, all coming together to support the initiative.
Fair employment rights and progressive workplace practices have been identified as key pillars of the government’s plan for growth. The proposed Employment Rights Bill seeks to strengthen protections for workers, improve access to flexible working, and enhance security for those in insecure employment, recognising that workplace policies play a significant role in shaping a fairer and more inclusive labour market.
Minister Justin Madders, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade, said:
We’re taking action to support workers and business by helping more people stay in work, improve their financial security, and contribute to the economy through our plan to Make Work Pay. But legislation can only go so far. Real change happens when employers take the lead, shaping workplace cultures that enable people to thrive. That’s why initiatives like the Family Friendly Workplaces accreditation are so important. By embedding family-friendly policies, employers are not only creating better working environments but also strengthen their ability to attract and retain top talent, boost productivity, and support economic growth.
Employers will gain access to sector-specific guidance, research-driven solutions, and expert insights from Working Families, which has over three decades of experience in advocating for family-friendly workplace policies.
Families, who have had a challenging time in recent years with the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, will be heartened that the certification is designed to empower them to navigate the demands of family and work life in the UK and will give more employees access to the flexibility they need to manage their caring responsibilities. It also aims to address disparities in access to flexible working, ensuring solutions are available across all roles and sectors.
Businesses stand to benefit significantly. Research from the University of Birmingham (2023) found that 71.2% of managers see flexible working as a performance-enhancing tool, while 76.5% report increased productivity. A CIPD study further highlights that 54% of managers struggling with recruitment have improved hiring success by offering greater flexibility. In addition, the scheme helps businesses future-proof by embracing the full breadth of caring experiences such as sandwich-caring and elder-care, that are likely be ever-more relevant with an ageing population.
Working Families are encouraging organisations to step forward and carry out a self-assessment to evaluate how they perform against the Global Work + Family Standards and to check if they are eligible to be certified as a Family-Inclusive Workplace™.
Jane van Zyl, CEO at Working Families said:
For too long, businesses have lacked a clear, evidence-based framework for what truly makes a workplace family-friendly. This certification changes that. By giving employers the tools to assess, improve and embed family-friendly policies, we’re helping to create workplaces where parents and carers can thrive at work whilst fulfilling their caring responsibilities. In turn, businesses will see higher retention, engagement and productivity, and create a culture where employees feel valued and supported.
Family Friendly Workplace Certification
Family Friendly Workplaces™ is a global movement to transform the future of work through family-friendly policies that support wellbeing, inclusion, and gender equality.
Family Friendly Workplaces UK Certification Launch
Join us for a webinar as we officially launch the UK’s first Family-Friendly Workplace certification – an exciting new initiative that will build family-friendly workplaces of the future and contribute to global social change.