Finalists Revealed for the Working Families Best Practice Awards 2021
Published: 28 Apr 2021
Work-life balance charity Working Families has announced the shortlist for its 2021 Best Practice Awards. The awards celebrate employers whose stand-out cultures and working practices are leading the way in flexible and employee-friendly workplaces.
Now in their twelfth year, Working Families’ Best Practice Awards showcase and celebrate employers who are offering flexibility for all their people and going above and beyond in their support for parents and carers.
Employers from a diverse range of sectors from across the UK have competed to catch the judges’ attention in 9 categories. The shortlisted organisations are:
Best COVID-19 Response
Hachette UK
North East London NHS Foundation Trust
QBE European Operations
Teach First
University of Strathclyde
Best for Mothers
British Army
Experian
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield
Best for Fathers
Man Group
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield
Best for Carers & Eldercare – sponsored by Crown Prosecution Service
Anglo American Services (UK) Ltd
Swansea University
West Midlands Police
Best Family Network
Barclays PLC
Nationwide Building Society
Santander UK
Best for Mental Health & Wellbeing – sponsored by Hill Dickinson LLP
Mills & Reeve LLP
Nationwide Building Society
Santander UK
Slalom
Best Innovation – sponsored by Adactus Ltd
Forward Carers
Mills & Reeve LLP
Best for Flexible Working – sponsored by Find Your Flex Group
Hill Dickinson LLP
Streamline Corporate
Together Housing Group
Best Small Employer – sponsored by ILF Scotland
Keep Britain Tidy
Warmworks
Jane van Zyl, Chief Executive of Working Families and chair of the judging panel said:
“Huge congratulations to our finalists. Making it through to this stage in such a competitive year demonstrates they are leaders in creating supportive, flexible working cultures – all operating in very different contexts.
“This last year has been exceptionally challenging for everyone, and particularly for many working parents who’ve had to find ways to balance work with caring for children. We know that where employers have adopted flexible working practices, that balancing act has been made far less stressful for individuals, and allowed employees to be as productive as possible in their role.
“As we move out of the pandemic into the ‘new normal’, we are determined to use what we’ve learned to benefit more of the UK’s 13 million working parents. This list of outstanding organisations is leading the way in showing that flexible, family friendly working policies aren’t just the right thing to do: they make great business sense. When employees have more control over their time, we see improved engagement and retention, as well as better organisational performance.”
Find out more about the Best Practice Awards 2021
Working Families is the UK’s work-life balance charity. We help working parents and carers—and their employers—find a better balance between responsibilities at home and in the workplace.
We provide free legal advice to parents and carers on their rights at work. We give employers the tools they need to support their employees while creating a flexible, high-performing workforce. And we advocate on behalf of the UK’s 13 million working parents, influencing policy through campaigns informed by ground-breaking research.