Small and medium-sized businesses are still leading the way when it comes to flexible work, but the proportion of larger firms in the top 100 most flexible employers is creeping up.
Analysis by flexible jobs platform Flexa found that although organisations employing up to 249 staff represented 73% of the top 100 in 2024, with firms with 49 or fewer staff representing 16% of the overall list, larger organisations made up a greater proportion of the list than ever before.
The number of companies employing more than 1,000 people has surged by 80% compared with last year, showing they have warmed up to flexible working.
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Large companies make up 9% of the overall list, with the most flexible large companies including FMCG giant Mars UK, which offers pet-related leave and pregnancy loss leave; British Gas-owner Centrica, which offers flexible working hours; cloud-based integration platform Boomi, which offers compressed hours and remote work; Virgin Media O2, which has a range of family-friendly benefits; and Cadbury and Oreo owner Mondelēz International, which has favourable parental leave options.
Fifty-six per cent of the companies in the top 100 are headquartered in London, but 80% are headquartered in the UK.
Molly Johnson-Jones, CEO and co-founder of Flexa, said: “Office-WFH wars dominated 2023, leading to speculation around the ‘end’ of flexible working. This ranking is proof that flexibility is here to stay. In fact, the vast range of flexible working environments offered by this year’s top 100 most flexible companies shows that flexibility has evolved for the better.
“Genuinely flexible employers stand to gain and retain talent – for whom flexible work continues to be a high priority – and ride out the current economic uncertainty successfully.
“One in 10 of the companies ranked have more than 1000+ employees, discrediting the idea that it’s not possible for large corporates to offer flexibility. It takes dedication, but it is entirely possible for companies of any size to offer employees more choice around ways of working. And employers who embrace flexibility have so much to gain.”
Flexa’s top five most flexible organisations in the UK in 2024 are:
- Locum’s Nest, a remote-first health tech firm where staff set their own hours
- Amplifi, a remote-first data management company
- GrantTree, a tax and grant specialist where staff work 4.5-day weeks
- Austin International, a tech recruitment firm with optional office attendance
- Impression, a digital and marketing agency with flexible hours and family-friendly benefits.
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