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.   

Working Families helps working parents and carers, and their employers, find a better balance between responsibilities at home and in the workplace. They provide free legal advice to parents and carers on their rights at work and give employers the tools they need to support their employees while creating a flexible, high-performing workforce. 

Now in their twelfth year, Working Families’ Best Practice Awards showcase and celebrate employers who are offering flexibility for all their employees by 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 nine 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.” 

The winners of the awards will be announced on 27 May. Visit workingfamilies.org.uk    to find out more.