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Regular work+family updates for
HR and diversity professionals.

What's in it for the employer?

Essentially, the awards are a way of building employer brand both internally and externally. They provide a 'short form' way of getting a company's message and culture out both internally, and to potential external talent.

Getting shortlisted or highly commended provides a great message, and merely being associated with the awards can provide many PR benefits. The organisations running the awards promote the winners to the HR media - and to the wider press too - so it all contributes to building the employer brand.

It's been a good year for our clients and it's enormously rewarding to see their successes reflected in the awards. A special mention should go to Centrica, who cleaned up on the awards front, winning no less than three Family and Carer awards, a Working Families award, a Workingmums.co.uk award, and another from ENEI.

Top Employers for Working Families Awards

Kicking off with Top Employers for Working Families Awards, we were delighted to see seven of our clients listed in the top 30 benchmark: Barclays, Centrica, Citi, Deloitte, Hogan Lovells, Simmons and Simmons, and UBS.

In the special award categories, congratulations go to Centrica, Barclays and Deloitte.

Centrica: Winner of the Best for Carers and Eldercare Award

Centrica believes that supporting carers reduces staff turnover, cuts recruitment and training costs, retains talent and experience, builds resilience, and improves employee engagement and wellbeing. They estimate their cost savings to be £2.5m through increased staff retention and £4.5m through reduced unplanned absenteeism.

Centrica's offering to carers is well rounded, thorough, and based on a real understanding of what its carers want, as well as what will enhance its business. Their benefit offering includes: a carer's network, carers leave policy, and a 'day-one right to flexible working' policy. In December 2014, Centrica also introduced My Family Care's Work+Family Space for working parents and carers, giving them easy access to a range of family-friendly resources and services, including information on back-up eldercare, a webinar series, and specific resources for working carers.

Hogan Lovells: Finalist for Best for All Stages of Motherhood Award

Hogan Lovells is notable in that it offers mothers support at all stages of motherhood, from planning and pregnancy through to their child's adulthood. They provide an enhanced maternity package which pays six weeks' salary at 100% and the remaining weeks at 40%, for up to a further 46 weeks. The company also offers 10 free sessions of emergency childcare to all employees on an annual basis through their Work+Family Space.

Deloitte: Joint Winner of Best for Innovation Award

Deloitte's 'Time Out' initiative, which allows employees to take an extra four-week block of leave each year, has proven to be a popular addition to the firm's agile working practices. As the firm says: "It helps our people to achieve a better balance between their career and other commitments, such as family. Our people say they love the policy."

Workingmums.co.uk Top Employer Awards

Centrica: Winner of Top Employers Award for Family Support

The judges felt Centrica provided a holistic approach to family support, including a commitment to carers and shared parenting, whilst clearly recognising that family support was a win-win scenario for both the business and employees.

Barclays: Winner of The Top Employer Award for Talent Attraction

Barclays was praised for their genuine commitment to equality and diversity, and highlighted how they were measuring bias and promoting job shares.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch: Shortlisted for The Top Employer Award for Talent Attraction and also for The Top Employer Award for Career Progression

Employee Benefits Awards

Baker and McKenzie: Winner of Best Benefits to Support Working Carers Award

Debbie Dunkley, head of Reward and Employee Relations at Baker and McKenzie, explained that the benefits offered by the firm are designed to support all working carers, whether that be staff looking after elderly parents or those with children, for example.

Baker and McKenzie address carers' challenges by offering employees eight sessions a year, including emergency childcare, eldercare, or at-home support. These sessions can be directly accessed by staff through the My Family Care Work+Family Space.

ENEI Awards

Centrica: Winner - Working Families

Centrica recognises that its people both contribute significantly to continued business success and play a vital role in the lives of their families. Centrica is committed to creating an inclusive working environment in order to attract and retain the best people, enabling everyone to fulfil their potential.

They have a robust approach to flexible working which enables employees to manage the personal commitments in their lives. All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one and Centrica endeavour to find, wherever possible, a solution that works for the individual.

Full details of all award winners and categories

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Regular work+family updates for
HR and diversity professionals.