workingmums.co.uk announces shortlist for 10th anniversary Top Employer Awards

Employers with outstanding records in flexible working and family support have been shortlisted for workingmums.co.uk's 10th anniversary Top Employer Awards.

This year's Top Employer Awards ceremony focuses on the flexible working lifecycle at work - the demand for flexible working across different age groups - and will look back at progress made over the past decade. The keynote speaker is Deputy Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Vice President of Carers UK and Founder and CEO of CW Consulting Box Caroline Waters who has a long track record in promoting a lifecycle approach to the workforce.

Thirty one employers of all sizes from a broad range of sectors, from construction, financial services and technology to teaching and gardening, have been shortlisted in 10 categories which include Best for Dads, Best for Returners, SMEs, Family Support, Innovation in Flexible Working, Recruitment & Talent Attraction and Career Progression.

The ceremony, which takes place in London on 5th November, will include a Q & A with a panel of experts and networking opportunities.

The Top Employer Awards celebrate employers who are leading the field in embedding a flexible working culture for all employees, developing innovative approaches to attracting and retaining working parents and tackling the barriers to women’s career progression.

The shortlisted companies are:

Best for returners
Sponsored by enei

This award recognises organisations which demonstrate they have stand-out programmes or initiatives aimed at returners – those who have taken a career break and are looking to get back into the workplace.

Shortlisted: Vodafone Group Services Limited, UBS, Sky, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, Highways England and FDM Group

Best for dads
This award is for employers who demonstrate specific policies targeting dads, such as inclusive parenting networks, publications and outreach targeted around dad’s rights.

Shortlisted: Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, Aviva, The Telegraph

The SME Awards
These awards are for small companies who demonstrate a real commitment to work life balance practices which specifically help working parents, such as flexible working, support on return to work from maternity leave and career development for women.

1-25 employees
Shortlisted: HR180, Cuttsy+Cuttsy, Convosphere Ltd, Carty Services and Now Teach

26-250 employees
Shortlisted: Ella's Kitchen, Cloudbooking and Independent Living Fund Scotland

Innovation in Flexible Working
This award is for employers who demonstrate specific policies and practices related to flexible working which are truly innovative and break new ground, whether that be in a particular industry or in general.

Shortlisted: UBS, John Lewis Partnership, Pitney Bowes, Pearson, Now Teach, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, Hachette UK, Food Standards Agency and Arnold Clark

Family Support
This award is for organisations who have demonstrated policies and practices which aim to make it easier to balance work and family life.

Shortlisted: Teach First, HR180, Aviva, Ardmore, London Borough of Waltham Forest and Vodafone Group Services Limited

Recruitment & Talent Attraction
This award is for organisations who demonstrate that their recruitment process openly promotes flexible working.

Shortlisted: HP Inc, Arnold Clark and QA

Career Progression
Sponsored by AT Kearney Ltd

This award is for employers who demonstrate initiatives aimed at developing women’s leadership potential, including women’s networks, mentoring initiatives and return to work programmes.

Shortlisted: Roche UK, Balfour Beatty, HP Inc and Bromley Healthcare

Working Mums Champion
This award is for stand-out individuals whose efforts have made a big difference to working mums in their workplace.

Shortlisted: Carolanne Minashi from UBS, Erica Ingham from Mediacom North, Aileen McNiven from Independent Living Fund Scotland and Amanda Fone founder & CEO of F1 recruitment.

An overall Top Employer will be chosen from the winners of each category.

Gillian Nissim, Founder of workingmums.co.uk, says: “We are extremely pleased with the range of different employers represented at this year's 10th anniversary awards - the broadest to date. Over the last decade it has been wonderful to see how innovation in flexible and family friendly working has spread across sectors and employers. Every year we are impressed by the level of dedication and commitment we see to pushing forward this agenda to make the workplace more reflective of the UK's talent base. This year's winners will be featured in our Best Practice Report as we seek to share good practice and encourage a more holistic approach to embedding flexible working for all employees across the working lifecycle.”

The Awards will be judged by an expert panel made up of Gillian Nissim, founder of workingmums.co.uk; Andy Lake, editor of Flexibility.co.uk; Jennifer Liston-Smith, Director/Head of Coaching and Consultancy at My Family Care; Dave Dunbar, Head of Digital Workspace at the Department of Work and Pensions; and Clare Kelliher, Professor of Work and Organisation at Cranfield School of Management.

The judges will take part in the Q & A Panel, sponsored by Roche UK, and there is also a networking session for attendees.

*A copy of the Best Practice Report based on the 2018 Top Employer Awards is available here.

For more information contact Mandy Garner on 07789 106435 or email mandy.garner@workingmums.co.uk