The UK's national charity for working parents and carers, Working Families, has announced that Gowling WLG has been awarded a place on its prestigious and competitive list of the top family-friendly and flexible employers.

Now in its fifteenth year, employers large and small from across the public, private, and third sectors compete annually to gain a coveted place on the charity's list of Top Employers for Working Families.

Employers were assessed using Working Families' Benchmark and were scored on four key areas to build a comprehensive picture of their flexible and family-friendly policies and practices that specifically support parents and carers.

Sally Glarvey, Head of DE&I and Wellbeing at Gowling WLG, said: "At Gowling WLG, we aim to creature a culture that fosters inclusion for all our people and allows them to thrive, so we're extremely proud to have been included as a Top 30 Employer for Working Families.

"A central way we achieve this is through our employee networks which are open to everyone and provide education and awareness on certain issues, as well as providing feedback to the firm. One of these is our 'Family Matters' network group, which offers support to people with family or caring commitments outside of work to help them achieve a better work life balance.

"Thank you to everyone in HR and across the firm who contributes to supporting our colleagues with caring commitments, and congratulations to the other companies who have been recognised in the list."

The Benchmark—which captured the experience of over 402,000 UK employees across the organisations that took part— highlights trends in flexible and family-friendly policies and practices. This year the key findings include:

  • 85% of Benchmark employers carry out a job analysis on some or all roles to determine the options for flexible working prior to advertising
  • 90% of Benchmark entrants provide training for managers to develop and lead flexible teams, up from 84% in 2023.
  • Nearly all Benchmark employers (96%) actively encourage their managers to work in a flexible and family-friendly way.
  • 96% of Benchmark employers have strategic plans to support family-friendly working.
  • 62% of Benchmark entrants offer paid carer's leave, with 45% of participants offering five days of paid leave.

Jane van Zyl, CEO of Working Families, said:

"It's inspiring to see our Benchmark employers leading the way in flexible, family-friendly workplaces. With 85% starting with job design for flexible roles and 96% having strategic plans for family-friendly support, they're making flexible work a reality. Nearly all provide line manager training and encourage managers to work flexibly, showing a strong commitment to inclusive work environments."