The annual Top Employers for Working Families Special Awards are now open to entries from large, medium and small employers. The Special Awards celebrate UK employers that offer exceptional flexible, agile and family-friendly working practices to their employees.
The Special Awards showcase and celebrate employers’ work/life policies and practices as well as flexible working initiatives. Winning a Special Award recognises best practice, innovation and sustainability and marks out winners as leaders in the field.
Winning ideas in 2015 included Deloitte’s ‘Time Out’ initiative, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s ‘Special Unpaid Leave’, iCrossing’s ‘Together Time’ and iFamily, and Centrica’s Carers’ Network.
In 2016 the Special Award categories are:
- Best for All Stages of Motherhood Award
- Best for All Stages of Fatherhood Award
- Carers UK Best for Carers and Eldercare Award
- The Innovation Award
- American Express Best Flexible Working Initiative Award
- Centrica Best for Line Manager Engagement Award
- Direct Line Group Best for Embedded Flexibility Award
- Best for Modern Families Award
- Best for Flexible Recruitment Award
Sarah Jackson, chief executive of Working Families, said: “Shared Parental Leave and the right to request flexible working are now becoming embedded in workplaces, and employers are developing exceptional policies and practices in the flexible and work/life field.”
Julian Foster, managing director of business services at Computershare (the lead sponsor of Top Employers for Working Families), added that excellent staff wellbeing is a universal characteristic of successful organisations. “By enabling staff to live rounded family lives employers can benefit from a happier, healthier, loyal workforce that also helps improve the bottom line,” he said.
HR magazine is media partner of Top Employers for Working Families and editor Katie Jacobs sits on the judging panel for the awards.
For more information and to enter visit topemployersforworkingfamilies.org.uk. The closing date for entries is February 29 2016.
