Deloitte named most family-friendly large private sector employer in Scotland

In naming Deloitte as winners in their category, the judges recognised the wide-range of formal and informal support available to every Deloitte employee in Scotland.

These include a Working Parents Transition Programme, offering pre-parental leave coaching sessions, five monthly coaching sessions on the return to work, access to one-to-one external advice on child raising issues and emergency backup care, funded by Deloitte, up to ten times a year.    

Deloitte’s Working Families Network now has over 1,200 members, while every Deloitte employee who becomes a new parent receives a baby clothing gift supplied by a social enterprise.

Deloitte has also introduced an industry-leading Return to Work programme supporting people who have been out of the workforce for an extended period as they return to a professional career, as well as a Time Out initiative allowing employees to take up to four additional unpaid weeks of leave.

Steve Williams, senior partner for Scotland Deloitte, said: “Every day at Deloitte we challenge ourselves to do the right thing, and that is equally important when it comes to how we engage with everyone in our business, as it is to how we engage with our clients. Winning this award reflects the work done by people at every level of Deloitte to make our working culture one that helps everyone get a balance between work and home life that is right for them.

“Doing the right thing supports our business because it means we keep talented people. We have increased our retention rate among mothers. 92 per cent of women and 95 per cent who have taken part in our Working Parents Transition Programme stay with us. Attrition rates for female colleagues at manager level and above have decreased to below the firm-wide average, while our Return to Work Programme has to-date enabled 37 women to re-enter the workplace.

“We will continue to work to make sure our working culture one of the most family-friendly in Scotland.”

Nikki Slowey, co-director of Family Friendly Working Scotland, said: “They are nurturing a new way of working in Scotland.

“Offering flexibility around when, where and how people work helps them feel less stressed and more focused. Once again entries for these awards demonstrated the numerous business benefits of flexible working. Organisations entering the awards told us about increased employee engagement and commitment, reduction in absenteeism, healthier workforces and increases in productivity as a result of embedding more flexible ways of working.  

“However, demand still outstrips supply when it comes to flexible jobs in Scotland, so we hope more organisations will be inspired by our winners and explore what a more flexible, family friendly and inclusive working culture can do for them.”

Family Friendly Working Scotland create and support working change in Scotland that builds economic success and improves the lives of families. The awards are unique in their focus on highlighting employers who have created genuinely family-friendly working and business cultures.

Deloitte’s successful submission to the awards included direct testimony from employees at different levels in the firm, all discussing how Deloitte’s flexible approach and family-focused culture has helped them combine family life and career progression.

Stacey Winters, Deloitte Partner, said: “When I had my children, I found work life balance in London challenging without a family support network around us. Deloitte’s supportive approach meant I could relocate my family to Scotland. It’s been life changing. My kids enjoy more time with their grandparents and I can be more involved in school drop-offs and pick-ups thanks to our agile strategy. 

“It has entirely changed my work-life relationship and makes me proud to work for a firm that just gets it. This award is great recognition of Deloitte’s commitment to be a great company to work for.”

Director Judith Lesar said: “I had been working at Deloitte for around 10 years when a family member contracted a critical illness. At the time, I was on track for promotion and the firm was incredibly supportive allowing me to adopt a flexible working arrangement to accommodate hospital visits as well as relocating offices. Despite the change in my working arrangements, I was able fulfil my career development aspirations, maintain a wide and varied work load and secure a promotion. The flexibility shown by Deloitte allowed me to meet my personal and professional goals and I am grateful for the family friendly working policies the Firm follows when caring for elderly parents.”

Manage Nina Ledlier said: “I work at 65 per cent presence on an ‘Annualised Days’ basis, a contract which Deloitte introduced at the beginning of 2018, and which I was one of the first people in the UK to adopt. Generally, this means that I work four days a week during term time and take more time off during the long summer break and other school holidays. Deloitte was also supportive in securing me a secondment into Learning, working with a team which is geographically spread. This allows me to work more from home, which greatly helps me achieve the balance between professional availability and managing a busy household.”

Deloitte is an accredited Living Wage Employer, a signatory to the Scottish Government’s Business Pledge and supports the Scottish Government’s ‘Fair Work Convention’, which places opportunity, fulfilment, respect, security and employees having an effective voice, at the heart of good modern work practice.