McDonald’s, UBS, PwC and IBM (UK) are all among the UK’s leading organisations for initiatives supporting working parents, according to the annual Top Employers Awards run by employment agency Workingmums.co.uk.
The awards – now in their eleventh year – celebrate employers that go above and beyond in helping stuff juggle their caring responsibilities.
Scooping the overall Top Employer Award was McDonald’s (which also won the Best Mental Health Support category). Judges praised the company’s steps to ensure it connected better with employees and franchisees during the difficult year the hospitality sector has faced.
UBS won Best Line Manager Support for its creation of a series of toolkits ranging from webinars and training, to help managers manage their resilience and practice mindfulness and positivity.
PwC’s Best for Flexible Working award recognised its introduction of time off for dependents, and its innovative Virtual Park to support remote onboarding and their ongoing commitment to flexibility.
Teach First collected the Best for Family Support accolade for a raft of new benefits policies created, including helping staff deal with premature birth, and introducing paid carers’ leave and compassionate leave.
Meanwhile IBM won the Best for Diversity and Inclusion category. It was specifically recognised for its work promoting hidden disabilities and neurodiversity. Against the backdrop of the growing #MeToo movement and Black Lives Matter, it also amended its training and support and created its own IBM Emb(race) pledge.
The full list of winners are:
- Overall Top Employer Award: McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd
- Best for Mental Health Award: McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd
- Best for Line Manager Support: UBS
- Best for Flexible Working: PwC
- Best for Family Support: Teach First
- Best for Employee Engagement: Sky Betting & Gaming
- Best for Diversity and Inclusion: IBM (UK Ltd)
Commenting on this year’s winning employers, awards judge, Gillian Nissim, founder of WM People, said: “The past 12 months has been the most challenging of years for HR and yet we know many teams and individuals have gone above and beyond in the way they have supported their employees through so much uncertainty.”
She added: “Despite these tough times, many employers are demonstrating a deep commitment to embedding diversity and inclusion and ensuring the well being of their people.”