The Newport-based Intellectual Property Office has been named as an employer leading the way in building flexible, family friendly UK workplaces.

Employers large and small from many sectors compete annually to gain a place on the list of Top Employers for Working Families.

Lesley Babb, head of pay reward and diversity for the IPO, said: "People are our greatest asset so we believe that having a culture that genuinely supports modern working families is a fundamental part of a successful organisation. There is a moral case for creating the best working experience for our people. However, there are also clear business benefits from having an inclusive culture where people can bring their whole self to work and feeling empowered to deliver in a flexible way that supports their home life, whilst fulfilling their potential. We have found that levels of engagement are higher in those staff who are able to work flexibly and we retain valuable skills in the workplace."

Sarah Jackson, chief executive of Working Families, said: "Congratulations to IPO whose flexible, agile approach has earned them a much-coveted place on 2017’s list of Top 30 Employers for Working Families. The annual benchmark provides a clear picture, not just of current practice, but also the evolving way in which organisations think about work life balance and flexible working."

The list is compiled by work-life balance charity Working Families.

Employers answer in-depth questions and are scored on four key areas to build a comprehensive picture of their flexible and family friendly working environment. These are: integration which looks at culture, attitude and how far flexibility has become embedded; policy which looks at the creation, development and deployment of flexibility; consistent practice which considers how well flexibility is supported and measurement and results which looks at the effects of flexibility on the organisation, and their ability to understand those effects.