Ford and Centrica triumph in Working Families awards

Energy giant Centrica, Ford Motor Group and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) are among several major employers who were last night recognised for their commitment to implementing family-friendly working practices. The three are among the winners in this year's Top Employers for Working Families awards , which are organised by work-life charity Working Families and validated by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES). Centrica was rated best employer in three categories: best for flexible working, best for fathers and best for carers/dependent care support. Ford Motor Group was rated best for maternity, while BIS was ranked the best family-friendly public sector employer. Other winners included financial services conglomerate Citi (special innovation), marketing and PR firm Plinkfizz (best recruitment policy) and Royal Bank of Scotland (best emergency childcare). Sarah Jackson, chief executive of Working Families and a judge on the awards panel, said being included on the list required a huge amount of dedication, forward thinking and creativity to find ways to make a difference to the working lives of parents, carers and their families. "This year we were pleased to see real commitment and innovation in industries which traditionally have a large male workforce," she said. "This also carried through to a focus on fathers and paternity – something that is crucial as we move towards balance and flexibility for all." Another judge, Mary Mercer, the principal consultant on flexible working at the IES, said the overall results showed that the part played by line managers in allowing their teams to work flexibly was crucial. "Options for flexible working are not the same thing as opportunities to work flexibly," she said. "We know that flexible working can bring significant business benefits. Few organisations are currently measuring what these are or understanding what they might be in the future." The award for BIS may come as something of a mild embarrassment to the government, after employment relations minister Ed Davey last month announced the government would only extend the right to request flexible working to parents of children aged under 18. The move disappointed flexible working campaigners, who hoped the right would be extended to all workers. Currently only parents with children aged 16 or under have the right to ask their employer if they can work flexibly. At the time, Cary Cooper, professor of health at Lancaster University Management School and also a judge on the Working Families awards, said the government had succumbed to political pressure from employers who were keen to see a reduction in employment law red tape. He said: "Some employers, particularly the SMEs, don't understand what it means – it is only the right to request flexible working, not the right to have it, and it is very reasonable for an employer to say no if they have a business reason."