Last year, we undertook a project to complete the self-assessment available from Family Friendly Workplaces.

The report is designed to help organisations identify areas for improvement to enhance their inclusion, gender equality, and wellbeing at work. The results allow those who achieve minimum standards across all six categories to apply to become certified.

We’re delighted to share that the Biochemical Society passed the assessment, achieving some of the highest scores since launch of the scheme in the UK in April 2025. While we will not be continuing to certification, we’re proud of our achievements that have led to this result. Our policies in place, such as enhanced maternity pay/leave, enhanced paternity pay, adoption and shared parental leave, and flexible working options and benefits, along with many other benefits offered led to our scores in each of the six categories.

Ellen Dougan, Governance and EDI Officer, has used many of the benefits available to staff and shared her thoughts: 

"Having a workplace that is family-friendly, particularly through flexible hours and carers leave, has allowed me to manage my caring responsibilities alongside my work. This has made it possible for me to remain focused and effective at my job whilst feeling supported and valued."

The assessment confirmed we’re already doing many things right to foster a family-friendly workplace, and we remain committed to continuous improvement in this area. We will use the insights from this report to further enhance our practices to continue to support our employees now and in the future. 

Discover more about our commitment to EDI.