A leading all-inclusive care home provider has been recognised as a UK Top Employer by the Top Employers Institute for the third consecutive year, highlighting its commitment to creating a workplace where colleagues feel supported, valued, and able to thrive.
Berkley Care Group, which operates twelve homes across England, has earned this prestigious certification in 2026, becoming the only luxury care group to achieve this distinction. The award reflects the care and attention devoted to teams across every home and builds on a series of initiatives designed to foster inclusive workplaces and support colleagues in growing both personally and professionally.
The Top Employers Institute is an internationally respected organisation that evaluates workplaces through its HR Best Practice Survey. The survey assesses six key criteria – including talent acquisition, work environment, leadership development, compensation and benefits, diversity and inclusion, and performance management – across twenty topics, with only organisations meeting the highest standards certified as UK Top Employers.
The recognition reflects the care and attention devoted to colleagues every day. Last year, Berkley relaunched its staff-shadowing programme under the name B: In Your Shoes, giving central team members, including leaders across the business, the chance to step into frontline roles and experience daily life in its homes.
This includes Chief Executive Officer Laura Perry and Chief People Officer Leah-Marie Smith, who regularly spend time working alongside teams. The initiative helps the leadership team ensure group-level decisions reflect the reality of life on the ground and celebrates the dedication of every team member across the homes.
The group also offers enhanced maternity and paternity pay, full company sick pay for clinically necessary surgery or critical illness, and options for buying annual leave. Employees also benefit from a redesigned app providing discounts and perks, while Blue Light Card holders can claim reimbursements to make everyday life a little easier.
Wellbeing remains a key priority. Berkley has Mental Health First Aiders across the business, providing additional support for colleagues and helping to create open, supportive conversations around mental health. Neurodiversity training is now available, and recruitment practices have been adapted to create a more inclusive experience, including providing interview questions in advance and encouraging open, supportive dialogue.
The group has also introduced Earned Wage Access through its partner FlexEarn, allowing colleagues to access their pay at any time throughout the month, rather than waiting for payday. The on-demand pay option gives colleagues greater flexibility and control over their finances, helping them manage unexpected costs and reduce financial stress.
These initiatives help ensure colleagues feel respected, empowered, and able to flourish in their roles.
Berkley’s recognition as a Top Employer follows an award-filled year for the provider across the care sector. The group was named one of the UK’s Top 10 Care Providers in the Lottie Awards, with several homes included in the Top 100. In addition, Carehome.co.uk named Berkley Care Group among its Top 20 Mid-Size Care Home Groups, reflecting consistently high ratings from residents and families and underscoring the group’s ongoing commitment to excellence in care.
Leah-Marie Smith, Co-Owner and Chief People Officer at Berkley Care Group, said:
“Being recognised as a Top Employer for the third year in a row is a truly significant milestone. It is a powerful endorsement of the environment we strive to create where colleagues feel supported and able to grow. What makes this recognition particularly meaningful is that it reflects the everyday experiences of our teams.
Most importantly, this achievement belongs to every single member of our teams across our homes. It is their dedication, openness, initiative, and care for one another, as well as for the people we support, that make Berkley Care Group such a special place to work.”
Berkley Care Group named UK Top Employer for third consecutive year