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.