The benchmark was made up of four key areas: integration of family-friendly policies, organisational strategy and culture, consistent practice and evidence and statistics.
This year’s top employers were:
- American Express
- Crown Prosecution Service
- DWF
- Experian
- Imperial College London
- Independent Living Fund Scotland
- Intellectual Property Office
- Lloyds Banking Group
- Pinsent Masons
- Welsh Parliament
Ninety-six per cent of employers in the Working Families Benchmark survey said they were working to create a flexible, family-friendly culture within their strategic plans.
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Over half (51%) said they analysed all jobs to look at flexibility before advertising vacancies, up from 41% last year.
Sixty-five per cent of employers also gave their employees the right to request flexible working from day one, rather than having to wait the statutory 26 weeks.
Jane van Zyl, chief executive of Working Families, said the pandemic had brought to light the importance of family-friendly employers.
She said: “COVID-19 has demonstrated just how vital it is for employers to support the diverse needs of their staff team and build cultures that embrace flexible working. These employers excelled in our rigorous benchmarking process, proving they are leading the way in building family-friendly workplaces in the UK.”
Law firm Pinset Masons was named as one of the top 10 employers for the fourth year in a row.
Kate Ferguson, head of responsible business at the firm, said: “With the COVID-19 pandemic seeing the majority of our people working from home and adapting to this, our working parents and carers have also had the additional challenge of looking after and, in some cases, educating their children too.
“Our ability to exercise our agile and flexible approach has never been more important but we recognise that this is a journey and there is more work to be done. Over the last year, we have worked closely with our Family Support Network and Mental Health Champions to run a programme to support children’s mental health and we have provided webinars and additional support around the mental health and wellbeing challenges our people may be facing as a result of COVID-19.”
