Top Employer Awards
Our Top Employer Awards, this year, will be celebrating best practice adopted during the coronavirus pandemic and the employers who have implemented policies and practices that have had a positive impact on the business and all their employees.
The Top Employer Awards took place on the 26th January 2021.
Full information on our 2021 winners can be viewed here. We would like to say a huge congratulations to our Overall Top Employer Awards winner McDonald’s Restaurants Limited.
Category Winners
The following categories have been considered key areas for success during the pandemic.
Best for D&I Award – sponsored by PwC
Winner: IBM UK Ltd.
To be eligible for the Best for D&I award employers should demonstrate actions taken to ensure equality of opportunity for all. More>>
Best for Mental Health Award – sponsored by Kearney
Winner: McDonald’s Restaurants Limited
To be eligible for the Best for Mental Well Being award employers should demonstrate initiatives aimed at protecting their employees mental health during the coronavirus pandemic. More>>
Best for Line Manager Support Award – sponsored by Standard Charter
Winner: UBS
To be eligible for the Best for Line Manager Support award employers should demonstrate initiatives aimed at supporting and equipping line managers to deal with these unprecedented times. More>>
Best for Family Support Award– sponsored by McDonald’s
Winner: Teach First
To be eligible for the Best for Family Support award employers should demonstrate initiatives aimed at helping parents and carers at work during and following lockdown. More>>
Best for Flexible Working Award
Winner: PwC
To be eligible for the Best for Flexible Working award employers should demonstrate how they have used flexible working to respond to the challenges created by the pandemic, how an existing flexible culture has helped them respond to the crisis and/or any long-term impact on their working practices. More>>
Best for Employee Engagement
Winner: Sky Betting & Gaming
To be eligible for the Employee Engagement award employers should demonstrate initiatives that have promoted engagement between employer and employee. More >>
Overall Top Employer Award
Winner: McDonald’s Restaurants Limited
The winners of each category will be put forward for The Overall Top Employer Award, which is for employers who can demonstrate commitment to a range of policies and practices that have had a positive impact on the business and their employees.
Would you like to be notified when there is an award update (deadline date, when the shortlist is announced for example)? Complete the form below:
Headline Sponsor
Supported by
Live Q&A: Embedding Diversity & Inclusion
“An organisation with a diverse inclusive workforce will thrive.”
Please join us for the Q&A session on the 26th January 2021 from 10.45am.
This event is for HR and diversity professionals only. It is by invitation only, so please register your interest by emailing awards@workingmums.co.uk.
Please view our expert panel below, we will also be joined by our sponsor Roche.
The panel includes:
Jennifer Liston-Smith
Head of Thought Leadership for Bright Horizons Work+Family Solutions.
For over 20 years, Jennifer has advised employers in banking, professional services, STEM and wider sectors on programmes to improve flexible working, wellbeing, inclusion, family-friendly programmes and gender parity. She is a sought-after speaker, writer, conference moderator and consultant on these topics and more.
Jennifer set-up, and for a decade led, the Coaching & Consultancy side of what became Bright Horizons Work+Family Solutions, defining best practice and ‘next practice’, designing interventions and evaluating their impact and ROI, developing coaches and coaching capability, originating and lead authoring the online Parental Leave Toolkit and Parental Leave Toolkit for Managers.
She now focuses on identifying overarching trends through research, through advising employers and translating these insights into solutions and practical actions. An Oxford graduate, Jennifer holds Masters degrees in both Law and Experimental Psychology and several qualifications and accreditations in coaching psychology and coaching supervision.
Salma Shah
Founder and creator of Mastering Your Power Coach Training
Salma Shah is the founder and creator of Mastering Your Power Coach Training – a pioneering coaching framework designed with a wider systemic lens on inclusion belonging and diversity.
She is an in- demand executive coach and facilitator. Passionate about raising diversity and inclusion in coaching and awareness of the benefits of coaching for all in organisations. Salma has designed and delivered a wide range of programmes for private, public sector and charities. She has also travelled globally delivering programs for major international organisations including: Oracle, Lexmark, Ernst and Young(Kuwait), O2, Reuters, HP and Microsoft.
Robert Hopkin
Co-founder of Axis
Axis is a virtual collaboration platform designed to help organisations harness the power of diverse teams through inclusive, engaging and effective workshops and meetings. Rob is a firm believer in the wisdom of crowds and the power of diverse minds to solve big problems and re-imagine the world. His goal is to provide technology that makes it simple and easy for anyone to design and run meetings and workshops where every voice is heard.
Suzanne Doyle-Morris PhD
CEO, Founder of InclusIQ ltd
Dr Suzanne Doyle-Morris has spent the last 20 years using humour and practical takeaways to create memorable events for over 200 private sector & industry membership organisations – most notably in STEM, legal and finance sectors. She’s the author of the newly released ’The Con Job: Getting Ahead for Competence in a World Obsessed with Confidence’ which she wrote based on her experiences coaching and advising organisations on improving inclusion goals. Her PhD from the University of Cambridge focused on the experiences of women working in male-dominated fields and inspired her first book: ‘Beyond the Boys’ Club: Strategies for Achieving Career Success as a Woman Working in a Male Dominated Field’. Along with her second book; ’Female Breadwinners: How They Make Relationships Work and Why They are the Future of the Modern Workforce’ – both been hugely popular with corporate audiences in the way they weave inspiring stories from business leaders with relevant research and tactical advice.
Diana Parkes: BSc, BSc, MBPsS.
Founding Director of The Women’s Sat Nav to Success Ltd.
Diana is a leading authority on women in the world of work, the challenges they face, the reasons for these challenges and the most potent and practical solutions.
Her reputation is built on 20 years delivering exceptional commercial performance in front-line and senior management positions in global organisations including Mars, Coca-Cola, Carlsberg and Glendinning Management Consultants and subsequently as a coach & mentor, psychologist, speaker, author and social entrepreneur.
Since our launch in 2015, MTR Elizabeth line has strived to reflect the communities it serves. Our people are at the heart of what we do and as we have grown, so have our ambitions. As a leading train operator, successful partnerships with local organisations, like Working Mums, has allowed us to extend our reach to groups who may not have considered rail as a career. Our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion contributes to a more positive culture, stronger partnerships and customer relationships, and creates a more dynamic workplace for our employees to thrive.
Diversity and inclusion (D&I) is a high priority at Roche and is the engine of our innovation. We think beyond physical characteristics to the qualities that make each person unique. And we are interested in the whole person, not just a professional persona. We’ve created an inclusive workplace where each individual is respected and can contribute their skills, experiences and perspectives fully. And we find that there is a beautiful correlation between innovation through inclusion and happy employees and workplaces.
Kearney is a leading global management consultancy, helping some of the world’s largest companies to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. For over 90 years, we’ve provided strategic solutions to CEO-level concerns, delivering tangible results through a broad range of experience, but our greatest asset is our people. Kearney is committed to building an inclusive culture, and helping clients achieve long-term growth and performance.
When people from diverse backgrounds and with different points of view work together it creates the greatest solutions. At PwC we’re committed to building a culture that empowers all our people to thrive and feel a sense of belonging. We have a five-point action plan setting out the steps we’re taking to promote diversity and inclusion across the firm, such as encouraging senior level accountability and progression coaching. In the current climate it’s more important than ever for people to use their creativity, authenticity and human differences to be the champions of change.
We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 60 of the world’s most dynamic markets and serving clients in a further 85. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, Here for good. Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges.
Our workforce numbers 86,000 comprising c.125 nationalities, nearly half of whom are women.
We take enormous pride in helping each and every one of our colleagues to fulfil their potential. That’s why we continue to deliver comprehensive learning programmes, while more than 60 country-based employee networks.
Diversity and inclusion are critical to our long-term business success, making a hugely positive contribution to the working environment, and enabling teams to unlock innovation, take better decisions and manage risk.
Why we are sponsoring the award
‘’We believe that Line Managers can empower talent, drive change and develop diverse future Leaders. This is the key to success. It is important to recognise those organisations that nurture the same culture and look after those with a positive footprint to the future of work.’’
Gillian Nissim
Founder, workingmums.co.uk
A former Senior Communications Executive, Gillian has worked at a number of different organisations with very different cultures and attitudes towards family friendly working policies. After the birth of her second child she decided to set up her own company to cater for the businesses who did appreciate the vast experience and high calibre of professionals who had become mums, and wanted to find challenging and interesting jobs that offered more flexibility than traditional office-based, Monday – Friday, 9:00 – 5:00 jobs.
A graduate of Birmingham University, Gillian launched workingmums.co.uk in 2006, which is now the number one job and community site for professional working mothers.
Andy Lake
Director, Flexibility.co.uk
Andy Lake is a specialist in Smart Working, and has worked on dozens of implementations and evaluations across the private, public and voluntary sectors. He is the author of Smart Flexibility management book and numerous other publications researching and providing guidance on Smart Working and on the future of work. Andy has worked as an advisor with the UK Cabinet Office and the European Commission. He is the author of the British Standards PAS3000: Code of Practice for Smart Working, which all UK central government departments and agencies have to follow as they modernise working practices. Andy also runs the Smart Work Network (www.smart-work.net), a peer collaboration network for people implementing Smart Working in their organisations, and in October 2020 launched a European counterpart to this, Smart Work Europe.
Jennifer Liston-Smith
Head of Thought Leadership for Bright Horizons Work+Family Solutions.
For over 20 years, Jennifer has advised employers in banking, professional services, STEM and wider sectors on programmes to improve flexible working, wellbeing, inclusion, family-friendly programmes and gender parity. She is a sought-after speaker, writer, conference moderator and consultant on these topics and more.
Jennifer set-up, and for a decade led, the Coaching & Consultancy side of what became Bright Horizons Work+Family Solutions, defining best practice and ‘next practice’, designing interventions and evaluating their impact and ROI, developing coaches and coaching capability, originating and lead authoring the online Parental Leave Toolkit and Parental Leave Toolkit for Managers.
She now focuses on identifying overarching trends through research, through advising employers and translating these insights into solutions and practical actions. An Oxford graduate, Jennifer holds Masters degrees in both Law and Experimental Psychology and several qualifications and accreditations in coaching psychology and coaching supervision.
David Dunbar
Head of Digital Workspace at the Department of Work and Pensions
David former roles include heading BT’s Flexible Working Services division, which offered a range of managed services around agile working, as well as owning BT’s own internal flexible working programme across 22 countries. He was also Head of Digital Workplace at Nationwide Building Society, responsible for introducing innovative environments and culture change, by bringing together HR, Property and IT to drive change across the organisation. In addition he has delivered consultancy around Digital Workplace, Dynamic Working and Workplace Transformation to public and private sector organisations of all shapes and size.
He is currently the Head of Digital Workspace at the Department of Work and Pensions, the UK’s largest public sector department, where he is responsible for the infrastructure to support new ways of working, for modernising the tools, desktop, and mobile solutions used by around 90,000 employees, and for delivering new office and hub space to support collaborative and agile working.
Dr Clare Kelliher
Professor of Work & Organisation, Cranfield University
Clare Kelliher, BSc, MA, PhD is Professor of Work and Organisation at Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield University. Clare holds a PhD in Organisational Behaviour from London Business School, an MA in Industrial Relations from the University of Warwick and a first degree in management from the University of Surrey.
Her research interests centre around the organisation of work and the management of the employment relationship. She has a long-standing interest in flexible working and recently directed a major project concerned with examining the impact of flexible working on performance, sponsored by seven companies. She has also recently completed a project looking at employee engagement in multi-national organisations, funded by the US Society for HRM Foundation.
Clare is the author of many published papers and book chapters and regularly speaks at national and international conferences. Her recent book, New Ways of Organising Work: developments, perspectives and experiences, co-edited with Julia Richardson was published by Routledge. In 2012 she also published a text book on Strategic HRM together with Katie Truss and David Mankin. She has considerable experience running management programmes and advising organisations both in the UK and overseas. She frequently acts as an external examiner for doctoral and Masters degrees at universities in the UK and overseas.
2019 Top Employer Awards
The Overall Top Employer Award: Vodafone UK
The Working Mums Champion Award: Carolanne Minashi, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion at UBS
The Best For Returners Award: Vodafone UK
The SME Award: Carty Services and Independent Living Fund Scotland
Best for Recruitment & Talent Attraction Award: Arnold Clark
The Innovation In Flexible Working Award: Food Standards Agency
The Career Progression Award: HP Inc UK
The Family Support Award: London Borough of Waltham Forest and Vodafone UK
Best For Dads Award: Aviva
2018 Top Employer Awards
The Overall Top Employer Award: FDM Group
The Working Mums Champion Award: Julianne Miles from Women Returners
The Best For Returners Award: UBS
The SME Award: Radioactive PR
The Talent Attraction Award: Roche
The Innovation In Flexible Working Award: Civil Service Human Resources
The Career Progression Award: FDM Group
The Family Support Award: Morgan Sindall Construction and Infrastructure
2017 Top Employer Awards
The Overall Top Employer Award: Lloyds Banking Group
The Working Mums Champion Award: Dawn Moore, Director of Human Resources at Morgan Sindall
The SME Award (1-25 employees): Cuttsy & Cuttsy Limited
The SME Award (26-250 employees): Genie Ventures
The Talent Attraction Award: Lloyds Banking Group
The Innovation In Flexible Working Award: McDonald’s
The Career Progression Award: Bank of America Merrill Lynch
The Best for Dads Award: Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP
The Family Support Award: M&G Investments
2016 Top Employer Awards
The Overall Top Employer Award: Sky
The Working Mums Champion Award: Jane Magill, Macquarie Group
The SME Award (1-25 employees): Cuttsy & Cuttsy
The SME Award (26-250 employees): Madgex
The Talent Attraction Award: Berwin Leighton Paisner
The Innovation In Flexible Working Award: Vodafone
The Career Progression Award: Sky
The Best for Dads Award: Lloyds Banking Group
The Family Support Award: Carillion Plc
2015 Top Employer Awards
The Overall Top Employer Award: Cafcass
The Working Mums Champion Award: Natasha Clarke, SThree PLC
The SME Award (1-25 employees): Cariad Marketing
The SME Award (26-250 employees): iCrossing
The Talent Attraction Award: Barclays
The Innovation In Flexible Working Award: Cafcass
The Career Progression Award: Bank of America Merrill Lynch
The Best for Dads Award: The London School of Economics and Political Science
The Family Support Award: Centrica plc
2014 Award Winners
Overall Top Employer Award: McMillan Williams Solicitors
Innovation in Flexible Working Award: BAE Systems Maritime Naval Ships
Career Progression Award: A.T. Kearney Ltd
Best for Dads Award: London School Of Economics
Talent Attraction Award: Reality HR Ltd
SME Award (26-250 employees): McMillan Williams Solicitors
SME Award (1-25 employees): Hireserve Ltd
Family Support Award: Bank of America Merrill Lynch
The Working Mums Champion Award: Adeline Ginn of Women in Rail
2013 Top Employer Awards
The Overall Top Employer Award: Atkins
The Working Mums Champion Award: Clare Bishop of Addison Lee
The SME Award (1-25 employees): Mahon Digital Marketing Ltd
The SME Award (26-250 employees): Brand Learning
The Talent Attraction Award: Barclays
The Innovation In Flexible Working Award: Atkins
The Best for Dads Award: The London School of Economics & Political Science
The Family Support Award: Danone
Career Progression Award: Royal Mail Group
2012 Top Employer Awards
The Overall Top Employer Award: Unilever
The Working Mums Champion Award: Natalie Bickford, Sodexo
The SME Award (1-25 employees): Martin Carty Gardening
The SME Award (26-250 employees): Cool2Care
The Employee Engagement Award: The Royal Bank of Scotland
The Talent Attraction Award: CA Technologies
The Innovation In Flexible Working Award: Unilever
The Best for Dads Award: The London School of Economics & Political Science
The Family Support Award: Barclays
2011 Top Employer Awards
The Overall Top Employer Award: John Lewis Partnership
The Working Mums Champion Award: Mia Drennan, Square Mile Connections
The SME Award (1-25 employees): Hireserve
The SME Award (26-250 employees): Duo
The Employee Engagement Award: Prudential
The Talent Attraction Award: Virtual Sales Team
The Innovation In Flexible Working Award: Accenture
The Childcare Award: John Lewis Partnership
2010 Top Employer Awards
The Overall Top Employer Award: Accenture
The SME Award: hr180
The Employee Engagement Award: John Lewis Partnership
The Innovation In Flexible Working Award: KPMG
