Startups lead the most flexible companies to work for in 2022
Flexa, a platform for showcasing and discovering verified flexible companies, has revealed the top 100 most flexible companies to work for in 2022.
Flexa, a platform for showcasing and discovering verified flexible companies, has revealed the top 100 most flexible companies to work for in 2022.
Flexa benchmarks the flexible working environments of companies and showcases their workplace benefits to users; providing people with the information they need to find truly flexible careers. The Flexa100 celebrates the companies redefining how we work.
To make the top 100, companies passed an accreditation process and were verified as a genuine flexible employer. During this process, Flexa analyses key markers of flexibility including place of work, hours, frequency of travel, and benefits such as parental leave and dog-friendly offices. These workplace policies were scored against a flexibility index based on over 100,000 data points.
This score was then combined with how well each company performed according to an employee perception index. Staff at each company rated their employer based on key cultural indicators such as: their work-life balance, the support they receive to work flexibly, their working environment, and their ability to access benefits. The combined scores were then ranked.
The most flexible companies to work for are:
- Primary PPA Cover - education consultants pioneering ‘pawternity’ leave
- Locum’s Nest - the healthtech that comes with an office in Cyprus
- (Joint ranking)
- Prolific - digital research platform where every other Friday is a ‘wellness’ day off
- Whereby - video conferencing specialists championing ‘work from anywhere’
- Humn - the AI company where you can take unlimited annual leave
- Word Monster - the healthcare comms agency where overtime is paid - and optional
Key trends
London led the way when it came to flexibility, with 39% of companies listed having their UK office in the capital. Data-tech companies also stood out, accounting for 10% of those named.
The most in-demand flexible policies of the moment include dog-friendly workplaces - something offered by 49% of Flexa100 companies, and letting staff work remotely year round - a benefit on offer at 19% of the companies who made the cut.
Top 3 according to company size
When broken down into company size, the leaders of the pack at small, scale-up, medium and large sized companies are:
Top 3 most flexible large companies
- TELUS International AI Inc. - IT services and customer service solutions
- FARFETCH - Fashion and e-commerce platform
- Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty - Global leader in business insurance
Top 3 most flexible medium companies
- TrueLayer - Global open banking platform
- Elvie - Pioneering women’s health products
- (Joint ranking)
- Unibuddy - Helping universities engage prospective students
- Blip - Software engineering company
Top 3 most flexible scaleup companies
- Whereby - Video conferencing specialists
- ScreenCloud - Digital signage specialists
- (Joint ranking)
- Sales Impact Academy - Sales consultancy and learning platform
- Austin Fraser & Austin Vita - Specialist Tech and Life Science recruitment company
Top 3 most flexible small companies:
- Primary PPA Cover - Education consultants
- Locum’s Nest - Healthtech providing NHS staffing solutions
- Prolific - Digital research platform
Molly Johnson-Jones, co-founder and CEO of Flexa comments, “We couldn’t be more excited to be announcing the Flexa100 for 2022. The companies listed this year are testament to how far flexible policies have evolved. Genuinely flexible working is about so much more than working from home once or twice a week; it’s about providing the choice and freedom that allows individuals to thrive.
“The pandemic gave us a glimpse into how different things could be and employees now want the freedom to choose how, when and where they work. The companies who have made the Flexa100 this year are those who have recognised and responded to that. Companies which fail to evolve will struggle to recruit and retain talent. But today’s list shows that companies of all sizes can embrace this new reality and benefit from publicising their flexibility - rather than keeping it to themselves, hidden on careers pages!”
Sian Keane, Chief People Officer at FARFETCH (ranked #2, large companies) comments, "Being ranked at the top 3 of Flexa's Most Flexible Large Companies is something that makes us very proud and is a statement of our commitment to providing a flexible environment where our people can thrive and succeed. At FARFETCH, our people are at the heart of everything we do, and that mindset, alongside our values, really allows us to build a unique proposition for our people."
Ashley Williams, People Operations at Whereby (ranked #1, scaleup) comments, "Our vision at Whereby is a world where "anywhere" works. We believe the power of distributed work allows our team to work wherever and whenever works best for them. Flexibility is no longer an aspiration - it's an expectation. We're honored to be recognized as one of Flexa's Most Flexible Companies as the world continues to embrace the new future of work"
Jacqui Coombes-Fernandez, Chief of Staff at Brightpearl (ranked #28, overall) comments, “We're over the moon to feature in the Flexa100. We are committed to playing our part to promote positive change so that the tech industry reflects true diversity in society and everyone feels valued, supported, included, connected and with their best opportunity to thrive. Our flexible approach has one goal - to make this opportunity to flourish and reach full potential a reality in tech for all!”