This week, senior business leaders from across the UK and Australia gathered at Australia House in London to explore how businesses can drive a global shift in family-friendly working.
he roundtable, chaired by Richard Basil-Jones of the Australia-UK Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by QBE, focused on the evolving role of employers in supporting working families — and how structured certification can raise standards worldwide.
The event marked the UK launch of the Family Friendly Workplaces certification, a framework first developed in Australia to help businesses embed care-conscious practices into everyday operations. Attendees heard from early adopters including QBE, Deloitte, Westpac, and Commonwealth Bank of Australia, who are already leveraging family-friendly practices to attract and retain top talent, strengthen their employer brand, and future-proof their workforce.
Speakers Emma Walsh from Family Friendly Workplaces Australia and Jane van Zyl from UK charity Working Families underlined the urgent need for businesses to support employees with caring responsibilities. From enhanced parental leave to genuine workplace flexibility and care-friendly cultures, these policies are increasingly seen as essential — not optional.
With Save the Children warning of a rise in in-work child poverty in the UK, and data showing the widening gap between work and care, the certification offers a structured, evidence-based roadmap for employers looking to do more.
“Being family-friendly isn’t just the right thing to do socially — it’s smart business strategy,” Walsh noted. “Employers that lead on care consistently outperform when it comes to employee engagement and long-term resilience.”
The Family Friendly Workplaces certification has already helped businesses track progress, close gaps, and identify opportunities for improvement. Deloitte’s own research shows 9 in 10 working parents consider family leave a key factor in choosing a new role — a wake-up call for employers in today’s tight labour market.
Organisations like Westpac, which has positioned itself as a go-to employer for working parents in Australia, show that reputation follows action. As more companies seek to embed care into their culture, the certification encourages a ‘race to the top’, raising standards across sectors and countries.
Both the UK and Australia face similar demographic and economic pressures: soaring childcare costs, a growing number of older workers with care responsibilities, and persistent skills shortages. In Australia, half of over-55s live with a chronic health condition, offering a preview of challenges many countries will soon face.
Family-friendly policies are no longer just about parents of young children — they’re about supporting all carers, tapping into underutilised talent, and building workplaces that reflect the complexity of modern life.
The event also welcomed representatives from the UK Department for Business and Trade, recognising the crucial role employers play in informing future policy. Over the past four years, Family Friendly Workplaces has built a significant evidence base, showing which interventions deliver real impact — insight that now feeds into both business strategy and government thinking.
As pressure builds on employers to deliver on diversity, inclusion and wellbeing, family-friendly practices are emerging not as a nice-to-have, but a necessity. For those gathered at Australia House, the message was clear: supporting working families isn’t just an ethical imperative — it’s a strategic one.
And with growing international collaboration, the hope is that these early adopters will help set the benchmark for a global movement in care-conscious leadership.