13.06.2022

Winners of the Working Families Best Practice Awards 2022

Work-life balance charity Working Families has announced the winners of the 2022 Best Practice Awards at a celebratory event held at Vintner’s Hall alongside the official event partner, Bright Horizons. The awards celebrate employers whose stand-out cultures and working practices are leading the way in flexible and employee-friendly workplaces.

This year has seen an exceptional quality of entries, as organisations across sectors and sizes have risen to the challenges of the pandemic. The winners have all gone above and beyond for the parents and carers in their workforce, and demonstrate that from construction to banking, international companies to small businesses, any organisation can build flexibility and family-friendly support into their job roles.

The winning organisations are:   

Best for Mothers – sponsored by Royal Bank of Canada 
WINNER: Macfarlanes LLP 

Best for Fathers  
WINNER: Wates Group 
COMMENDED: British Army 

Best for Carers & Eldercare  
WINNER: Phoenix Group 
COMMENDED: North East London NHS Foundation Trust  

Best Family Network    
WINNER: Bank of England  
COMMENDED: Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield 

Best for Mental Health & Wellbeing - sponsored by Investors in People
WINNER: Santander 
COMMENDED: Northern Lighthouse Board   

Best for Flexible Working  
WINNER: SF Recruitment  

Best for Flexible Recruitment 
WINNER: Hill Dickinson LLP 
COMMENDED: Slalom

Best Small Employer  
WINNER: SF Recruitment  

Best for All Families – sponsored by Fastn 
JOINT WINNERS:
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield  
Wates Group 

Guest Award – Best for Supporting Fertility and Pathways to Parenthood – sponsored by Fertifa 
JOINT WINNERS:
Bank of England  
NatWest Group 

Jane van Zyl, Chief Executive of Working Families said:  “Two years on from the pandemic, we are beginning to understand its potential longer-term impact on flexible working practices, and it’s been a joy to see how our award-winning organisations this year are forging innovative ways to support their workforce.

"Their commitment to finding flexible solutions and fostering supportive cultures illustrates not only that flexibility can work, but that it’s win-win. The Working Families Best Practice Award winners 2022 are shining examples of implementing policies and practices so that employees enjoy more autonomy whilst businesses get a boost in performance from an engaged and committed workforce.”

Denise Priest, Executive Director of Work and Family Solutions at Bright Horizons, said: “It has been an immense honour to partner with Working Families at this wonderful event and congratulations to everyone who has been recognised today. The Best Practice Awards are a fantastic platform to celebrate UK employers whose stand-out cultures and practices demonstrate that they understand that all employees perform better if the organisation supports their work-life balance. These awards are deeply connected to what we do as for more than 30 years we have been delivering innovative work and family solutions, helping families and employers look forward to a brighter future. "