Working Families, the UK’s national charity for working parents and carers, has announced that DWF has earned a place on its prestigious list of the Top 30 family-friendly and flexible employers for 2025. Alongside major organisations from the public, private and third sectors, DWF is demonstrating what it means to lead by example in supporting parents and carers across its workforce.

Employers were evaluated using Working Families’ Benchmark, which assessed their performance across four core areas to create a comprehensive picture of how their flexible and family-friendly policies and practices support parents and carers. These areas include:

• Integration into organisational strategy and culture – examining the culture, attitudes and how far flexible and family-friendly practices have become embedded.
• Policy – focusing on the creation, development and deployment of flexible and family-friendly policies and their uptake.
• Consistent practice – assessing how well flexible and family-friendly working is actively supported.
• Evidence and statistics – analysing the impact of flexible and family-friendly working on the organisation and its ability to measure these effects.

Louise Rogerson, Chief People Officer at DWF, said: “We are proud to once again be recognised by Working Families as a Top 30 Employer. Over the past year we have continued to build on our commitment to supporting colleagues with caring responsibilities and family needs. This has included the introduction of paid carers leave, enhanced policies for bereavement and emergency leave, and the expansion of our Family Support Network who have been instrumental in creating resources and hosting events to help colleagues navigate work and family life. We have also launched a new Domestic Abuse intranet hub to raise awareness and provide support for those who may be affected, and we are collaborating with clients, such as through our Carers Week webinar with Hiscox, to share insights and best practice. Being recognised in this way reflects our belief that creating a flexible and supportive culture is not only the right thing to do, but essential to helping our people thrive both professionally and personally.”

The Benchmark, which reflects the experiences of more than 296,000 UK employees across participating organisations, revealed significant trends in family-friendly and flexible working practices. Key findings for 2025 include:

• 94% of employers actively encourage their managers to work in a flexible and family-friendly way.
• 55% go beyond statutory minimums by enhancing carers’ leave, providing an average of 5.3 days.
• 82% plan to include flexible working options in all job adverts within a year to address gender pay gaps and progression, while 80% already provide flexible working information on their websites.
• 98% offer wellbeing support to employees.
  78% recognise flexible working as a means of improving operational effectiveness.

Jane van Zyl, CEO of Working Families, said: “Our Top Employers are a powerful reminder that there are employers who are already forging a path for family-friendly and flexible working that others can follow, safe in the knowledge that not only will their business not suffer, but it will thrive. Supporting carers, finding flexibility in job roles, and encouraging change from the top, as our Benchmark employers do, all add up to create inclusive workforces where everyone is empowered to work at their best.”