Newcastle-based Percy Hedley Foundation supports people with complex disabilities through education, care and lifelong learning. To support its workforce’s financial wellbeing, the charity’s HR team introduced a welfare loans and grants scheme, offering interest-free loans and non-repayable grants for staff facing hardship. The charity also committed to becoming a real Living Wage employer and enhanced its benefits package. The measures have improved engagement, reduced turnover and delivered powerful staff feedback.

Northumbrian Water Group’s initiatives – which include its Joining Forces with Water venture – have helped increase armed forces hiring by 200 per cent. The company’s buddy programme provides mentoring, and the firm has strong partnerships with the Catterick and Colchester resettlement hubs. The firm supports reservists and Cadet Forces Adult Volunteers, and is supporting a UK NATO‑aligned Special Forces exercise, sharing its expertise while learning about security resilience from military partners.

The rolling stock repair and maintenance firm’s expansion over the last decade through acquisition-led moves created an inconsistent employee experience. In response, the company’s people team introduced a strategy to transform leadership capability and create a consistent and values-led employee experience. The move delivered more than £800,000 in people-related cost improvements across 2025, created a more equitable workplace and helped the organisation achieve the first profit-making year in its history.

The fertiliser maker introduced a number of measures to support its near 150-strong Teesside-based workforce. Acknowledging increasing operational pressures, changing employee expectations and evolving risk factors, the business rolled out moves including Bluecrest health assessments, Bupa Dental and Hinge Health, a musculoskeletal programme and wellbeing committee, mental health first aiders, financial wellbeing initiatives and benefits resource TotalRewards. Data is used to track and influence decision-making, with feedback captured and shared.

Family-run tea, coffee and sweet treats firm Ringtons introduced an interactive employee platform to boost communication and staff engagement. Known as The Hub, the venture has centralised business messaging and reinvented peer-to-peer recognition across its 600 workers and 20-plus sites, boasting an active user rate of around 90 per cent. The Hub has significantly improved engagement, accessibility, cross-functional visibility and dramatically increased recognition, strengthening both culture and employee connection.

Northumbria University’s People and Organisational Culture team is transforming lives through a supported internship programme for young disabled people, which it says is a first of its kind in the North East. The multi-partner initiative has achieved exceptional outcomes, with more than half of participants moving into paid employment and none becoming NEET. Recognised as a gold standard by DFN Project SEARCH, the programme has been replicated regionally and nationally.

Hospitality operator The Inn Collection Group built its own employer brand. Led by its people team, the venture was rooted in feedback gathered from workshops with ten per cent of its 1300-strong staff. Five brand pillars were showcased across social media, with TikTok generating 59,000 views. Direct hire rates additionally rose to 13.24 per cent, with vacancy coverage exceeding 96 per cent and 14 hires coming from newly-activated attraction channels.

Law firm Clifford James redesigned its people systems across organisation design, skills, performance, succession and recruitment. The transformation achieved rare rigour for an SME without an HR function, delivering 100 per cent competency alignment; accelerated new starter performance; improved hiring quality; seven per cent revenue growth; and an eight per cent reduction in settlement time. Underpinned by empathy, honesty, integrity and professionalism, the firm has strengthened clarity, capability and culture.

Pressure sensing product maker Senstronics has undergone an operational and cultural transformation. 2026 marks a significant period of growth as it prepares to increase output to between 300,000 and 500,000 per year, achieving output levels of three million by 2030. As it embarks on its ‘3 in 30’ project, it has invested heavily in leadership, establishing a framework in which people are equipped to drive accountability and deliver transparent expectations.

Since 2022, KAEFER has maintained a pledge to ensure at least five per cent of its workforce is employed in earn-and-learn roles, with 205 apprentices and trainees engaged across the business in 2025. The firm expanded its investment in 2026, through the launch of more than 90 additional earn-and-learn opportunities across a broad range of roles and trades. The moves have embedded talent development into the heart of workforce planning.

Darlington Building Society previously launched a partnership with the North East Autism Society, which has led to gold accredited employer status, 100 per cent colleague autism awareness training, branch environment improvements, quieter hours and sensory support for members and staff. Additionally, the high street mutual’s commitment to diversity in leadership now sees women make up 50 per cent of its board and 55 per cent of its senior leadership team.

Newcastle International Airport’s people team has been transformed over the past 15 months, moving from a transactional function to a true partner. The creation of a people strategy with business leaders – backed by new systems – has enabled the team to support delivery of a business plan and safety, growth and exceptional customer experience priorities. The shift has increased the focus on employee voice, engagement, inclusion, wellbeing, recognition and talent management.