Good Employer Guide 2026: What does the data say?

The construction industry talks a lot about skills shortages, an ageing workforce and the race to attract the next generation, but what does it actually mean to be a good employer in a sector under constant pressure?

Between 2024 and 2029, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) estimates that around 240,000 extra workers will be needed to meet demand, but getting there will require companies to raise the bar when it comes to recruitment and retention.

Building surveyed 52 firms of varying sizes and specialisms, covering diverse regions, to create the Good Employer Guide, showcasing exemplary company policies and how businesses are supporting their people. The firms surveyed range in size from AtkinsRéalis, which has 10,279 staff, to Centrespace Design with just 10 employees.

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Together, the data offers a sector-wide snapshot of how construction companies are striving to be good employers against a backdrop of increasingly selective talent and fierce competition, both within the industry and against other sectors.

Work-life balance

While the hiring challenge is well documented, the bigger story lies in how employers are reshaping the working experience. One outcome of the covid-19 pandemic was a renewed focus on work-life balance. While all survey respondents bar one offer a form of hybrid working (allowing staff to work from home for at least one day each week), the most common specific approach within this was an expectation of three to four days in the office.

Among its benefits, allowing staff to work from home has placed an emphasis on the importance of family, which is also reflected in 87% of survey respondents offering enhanced maternity benefits to some or all of their staff, with 85% offering enhanced paternity benefits. This is an increase on last year’s survey, where the figures were 80% and 78% respectively. 

Meanwhile, consultant XCO2 has implemented a nine-day fortnight, reducing hours by 10% without affecting salary, demonstrating its commitment to a healthy work-life balance.

Gleeds has a “family-comes-first” policy, offering 39 weeks of parental leave to all primary parents in its 1,364-strong workforce, consisting of 26 weeks at full pay, followed by 13 weeks at half pay.

Meanwhile, consultancy Bailey Partnership has introduced a “fertility journey policy” that offers paid time off for fertility‑assisted treatments such as IVF, IUI, and egg or embryo freezing. This leave is available to both the person undergoing treatment and their partner.

However, employers also recognise the importance of leave unrelated to parental duties, with 75% allowing some or all of their staff to take a sabbatical/career break. For example, RED Construction Group awards its employees a choice between one month of paid annual leave or an extra month’s salary after 10 years of service.

Spotlight on equality, diversity and inclusion

Just as work-life policies are evolving, so too are efforts to build more inclusive teams and to pursue more accurate data tracking to identify ways to boost representation, particularly at higher levels.

The findings from a survey by the Supply Chain Sustainability School – a virtual learning platform part funded by the CITB – revealed that female representation fell from 29.1% in 2023 to, a year later, 28.8%.

However, the average percentage of female staff reported by our respondents ranged from 11% to a high of 58% at Plan A Consultants, landing on 35% as a mean average across all the companies in the guide – a 5% increase on last year’s figure. At least 50% of employees at Centrespace Design, Barr Gazetas, Corgan and Seven are female.

Ridge and Partners, which employs 1,045 UK staff, reported that 31% of its workforce are female, with women making up 33% of its apprentice and graduate intake over the past two years. It said it hopes to “create the conditions for more women to progress into mid and senior-level roles, where the gap is most pronounced” by “widening entry routes, working with schools and universities” and offering development coaching for women in leadership.

Meanwhile, ethnic-minority staff make up on average 18% of our respondents’ workforce – which is proportionate to the UK population overall, and triple the industry average. At William Hare, employees from ethnic-minority backgrounds make up 80% of the 982-strong workforce; this figure is 50% at Centrespace Design and 40% at Corgan and QAD Architects.

Minority representation can be boosted by participation in positive action schemes such as the 10,000 Interns programme, which offers paid summer internships to black university students and recent graduates across various sectors in the UK. Bailey Partnership said it has welcomed eight interns since 2022 through the scheme and has committed to recruiting at least two new employees from underrepresented backgrounds annually to its team of 168.

The Good Employer Guide 2026 builds on our 2025 edition, which featured 45 companies. This year we feature 52 firms, among them many firms not previously included, and also asked respondents to report their neurodiversity figures for the first time. Although the vast majority (69%) of participants do not track the number of neurodivergent staff members, many emphasise that supporting differently abled people is integral to being a good employer.

When it comes to supporting people with disabilities other than neurodivergence into employment and in the workplace, respondents have contributed less detail. Despite 24% of the UK working-age population meeting the legal definition of having a disability, only a minority of firms in our survey employ more than 10% disabled staff. This disparity suggests that disability inclusion remains a blind spot, even among firms otherwise committed to equality.

Approaches to inclusion can be seen in Ridge and Partners’ specialised neurodiversity support, which includes offering reasonable adjustments, creating quiet zones within their offices and providing office guides specifically designed for those with anxiety or sensory sensitivities. Meanwhile, Bailey Partnership strives to ensure fair access during the hiring process by using accessible interviews and anonymised recruitment. Its healthcare coverage also extends to hearing care, which is commonly not covered under the private healthcare benefits offered by employers.

Wellbeing and community

Fostering a communal sense of belonging and inclusion among colleagues also requires an emphasis on strengthening the overall employee experience. This year’s entries came from 33 consultants, 11 architects, four contractors, two manufacturers and two clients. They boasted an array of wellbeing initiatives, with all firms but one formalising their commitment to wellbeing through specific policies and frameworks. Some eye-catching wellbeing initiatives include providing access to platforms such as Calm (Ridge and Partners)  – a meditation and sleep app – or arranging one-off visits from companies that bring therapy puppies to workplaces (XCO2).

Several companies provide a generous ratio of mental health first-aiders for immediate support, while also organising major events aimed at boosting wellbeing and implementing mindfulness within the flow of the working week. For example, design consultancy Elliott Wood provides a quarterly Me Day to all team members to focus on health, wellbeing or voluntary work, while multidisciplinary group DB3 has a Wellbeing Wednesday – a monthly two-hour extended lunch break.

While the vast majority of participants have wellbeing policies that provide physical, psychological and social support, several firms have also highlighted financial support as a pillar of good employment. Rider Levett Bucknall gives its 1,040 employees access to the Octopus Money Coach app, which provides one-to-one financial guidance, rental deposit loans, group income protection and season ticket loans to help with commuting costs.

For many participants, wellbeing also encapsulates the social aspect of their staff members’ working lives, where community can be fostered through workplace culture. Equals Consulting took its 44 staff members away to Lisbon for its most recent annual trip, where the team took a class in baking pastel de nata as well as a boat tour.

Boosting staff morale also takes everyday forms that are simpler to implement consistently. This can be seen in Whittam Cox Architects’ provision of a games and puzzles zone for low-pressure stress relief or in employee-owned RHP’s approach to “spending a lot of time together”. Its social committee organises a variety of events from crazy golf to lunchtime sketching and bake-offs for charity.

Participants have also emphasised physical wellbeing as key to a happy workforce. Consultancy Exigere supports a weekly running club, yoga and spin classes, and a company football team, while architecture firm Corgan offers all its 27 staff members private healthcare, including dental and eyecare benefits. Private healthcare benefits are offered to at least some staff by 96% of our listed employers.

Working practices and social impact

But benefits alone do not define a good employer. Increasingly, built environment firms are turning to ISO and B Corp certification to show they meet rigorous standards of governance, sustainability and social impact.

According to our latest data, 90% of firms are certified by ISO, B Corp or another independent body – which is a rise of 12 percentage points from last year. This year, 35 companies have proven that they operate to internationally upheld ISO frameworks, while seven have B Corp accreditation.

Being certified by ISO verifies that a company follows a specific set of operational rules, while being B Corp accredited means a firm follows a legally binding, purpose-driven philosophy to consider its impact on its workers, community, environment and customers. Achieving these standards demands considerable commitment from employers. B&M Construction Consultants reported that it underwent a “rigorous” but worthwhile 18-month process that demanded “transparency, tenacity and time” to reflect on and reaffirm its core values.

Meanwhile, MSMR Architects has held a triple ISO certification since 2019, including standards relating to the assessment of business, environmental and safety risks. Thomas Sinden stands out for aligning its strategy with a specialised ISO standard that specifically addresses the management of psychosocial risks and mental health in the workplace.

Several employers in their submissions to the guide refereed to feeling part of an industry responsible for creating the environments in which we live, work and play, there is also an innate sense of duty to do so in a way that mininises harm to the planet. LSI Architects, Exigere and Elliott Wood are all certified carbon-neutral organisations, while several other firms have set out a commitment to achieving this goal in future.

Spotlight on early careers and training

All Good Employer Guide participants are doing their bit to make the built environment more accessible by creating entry-level pathways into work. AtkinsRéalis, for example, has 1,913 staff on entry-level training courses, made up of 667 apprentices and 1,246 graduates.

But, as the industry knows all too well, retention is as vital as attraction – so once new recruits become established staff members, they still need the opportunity for personal and professional growth. All the firms in our guide have outlined a duty of providing further training and CPD opportunities to their staff. The average number of training hours per staff member ranges from 10 hours annually to Corgan’s average of 95 hours.

Corgan supports its employees through their architectural registration with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and celebrates the achievement of this “significant milestone” with a one-time bonus of £2,000. It also pays for 50% of fees associated with ARB and RIBA registration as well as covering 50% of LEED accreditation exam fees and time off to take the exam, after six months of employment.

Consultant Potter Raper sets a requirement for staff to complete a minimum of 20 hours of training a year, but notes most staff go beyond this as learning opportunities are available across a wide range of platforms such as online professional development provider MBL, lunch and learn seminars and conferences.

While there is no precise formula for attracting and retaining talent, the numbers show us where progress is being made and where there are still gaps to close. The annual staff turnover in this year’s guide ranges from the Sheridan Group’s 0% to 27%,.

But building a future-proof, resilient workforce remains a collective effort and requires each player to contribute policies and practices its peers can learn from. It is also important to remember that behind every percentage point is a person balancing work, family, ambition and everyday life. The built environment is ultimately a people‑centred industry, shaping how people live, work and move through the world, and the way the sector treats its own workforce should reflect that.

In an industry that is under constant and increasing pressure, employers that choose to lead on investing in their people will not only strengthen their own organisations but help set a new standard for the sector as a whole.