Recognition for best practice from working mums

In a report published last week by Workingmums.co.uk, Centrica demonstrates how companies can better support women and families in the workplace.

Following Centrica’s win at the Top Employer Awards 2015, the company has featured in Workingmums.co.uk’s Best Practice Report 2016. The report aims to show how having a family-friendly approach to working can not only help women better balance work and family commitments but enable businesses to thrive too.

In the Report, Centrica is recognised for its progressive approach to flexible working and family support which enables mums, dads and carers to flourish in the workplace. In particular, the Report highlights Centrica’s pioneering, cross-company returners scheme, HitReturn, which is delivered in partnership with Mars and Vodafone to help people get back into work after a long career break – such as mums returning to work after having a family. This often overlooked talent pool forms part of Centrica's talent attraction and retention strategy, which recognises the importance of having a diverse workforce.  

Alison Hughes, Centrica’s Head of HR Policy & Diversity said: “We understand that our people not only play a vital role in our business, but in the lives of their families too so we’re pleased to be recognised in this report. Our policies and practices aim to enable employees to balance work alongside family commitments as we believe this is fundamental to the long term sustainability of our business and essential for wider society to thrive.

Gillian Nissim, Workingmums.co.uk’s Founder, said: “We are delighted to launch our 2016 Best Practice Report. The best organisations offer policies that take account of the various pinch-points in people’s lives embedded in a work culture that understands that staff work best when they feel that there is some understanding of the challenges they may face when they are not at work.

The report is available to read here.