AtkinsRéalis named in The Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality 2026

Our UK business has been named in The Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality 2026, one of the UK’s most established benchmarks for organizations making meaningful progress.

It’s the fourth year in a row we’ve been recognized, and that matters more than any single listing would. This isn’t a pledge you sign or an award you win with a well-written submission. The list is assessed by Business in the Community, and it looks at how organizations embed gender equality into how they recruit, develop and support their people. It’s a competitive process, and staying on it depends on being able to show consistent progress over time.

So what has actually changed over the past twelve months? Some of it is structural. A lot of it is smaller than that.

Fairer hiring, and clearer routes to senior roles

We’ve introduced behavior-led interviews to support fairer assessment, and expanded targeted development and career workshops to help more women progress into senior roles.

Reverse mentoring has played a part too, giving senior leaders direct insight into lived experiences across the business. It’s a simple mechanism with a real effect. It changes what leaders know, not just what they intend.

The small moments where bias shows up

Some of the most useful work has been in the detail. Behavioral nudges are now built into key decision points, helping line managers make more consistent and balanced choices at exactly the moments that are easiest to overlook.

Using data to find barriers, not just report on them

We’re using data more deliberately: not only to report on progress, but to identify patterns and act on them. That shift is what moves the conversation from intent to action, and it’s how we find where barriers still exist rather than assuming we already know.

Everyone Belongs, in practice

Everyone Belongs is now more than a phrase. It shapes how teams work, how policies are applied, and how we think about intersectionality across the business.

Inclusive design is becoming an established capability, influencing our projects, our work environments and the communities we serve. The aim is simple: remove barriers where they exist, and make it easier for people to do their job and progress.

Support at the stages of life that matter

Over the past year, hundreds of colleagues, including a large number of line managers, have completed menopause training, alongside the introduction of additional support services and clearer guidance. It’s one example of making support visible and accessible at the point it’s needed, rather than something you have to go looking for.

Flexibility remains a core part of how we work, with continued focus on how roles are designed, how opportunities are shared, and how progression pathways are made more transparent.

Checked by people outside the business

Alongside The Times listing, we’ve maintained our Menopause Friendly Employer accreditation and been reaccredited as Clear Assured Platinum Standard. The independent assessment is the point. It’s harder to convince someone outside your organization than someone inside it.

“What really matters to me now is how we keep building on this momentum. The real opportunity is in continuing to weave inclusion into how we work every day, in our projects, our relationships with clients, and how we support each other. That’s where it starts to feel natural, and where it can make the biggest difference.” - Rebecca Crowther, ED&I Lead, UK & Ireland

There’s still more to learn about what works best in practice, and much of it will keep depending on feedback from colleagues and the experiences people share. But being recognized again shows the direction is right, and that progress is being built in a way that can last.

Did you know all our job opportunities are flexible working? Find a role with us today.