Beyond the rainbow banners and parade floats: nine major Leeds employers reveal how they build psychological safety, flexible working and genuine inclusion.
Leeds Pride remains a jewel in the city’s crown – a colourful annual showcase of unity and diversity across West Yorkshire. But once the confetti is swept away and the banners come down, what does inclusivity actually look like behind closed doors?
From zero-debt law qualification routes to tech-sector neurodiversity support and shift-worker accessibility, we spoke to nine major employers shaping Leeds’ business landscape to uncover their real-world D&I practices.
Introducing our nine organisations:
- Yorkshire Building Society (YBS): Yorkshire Building Society is one of the UK’s largest mutual financial institutions, serving millions of members through a nationwide branch network and regional support hubs.
- Clarion Solicitors: Clarion is a prominent, single-site Leeds law firm providing full-service legal advice to regional and national businesses from its city-centre office.
- Evri: Operating out of its headquarters in Morley, Evri is one of the UK’s largest parcel delivery networks, employing thousands of shift-based, operational and corporate staff across the region.
- Genio: Based at Leeds Dock, Genio is a fast-growing EdTech company creating accessible learning software used by educational institutions worldwide.
- Squire Patton Boggs: Squire Patton Boggs is a full-service global top-50 law firm, operating across 40+ international offices with a major commercial hub in central Leeds.
- Leeds Building Society: With its headquarters in the heart of the city, Leeds Building Society is a major member-owned financial institution serving around a million members across the UK.
- Addleshaw Goddard: Operating a major commercial office in Sovereign Square, Addleshaw Goddard is an international law firm delivering complex legal services across the globe.
- Leeds United Football Club: Based at Elland Road, Leeds United is one of the region’s largest cultural and sporting institutions, employing hundreds of permanent, operational, community and matchday staff.
- Asda: Based at Asda House in Leeds, Asda is one of the UK’s leading supermarket retailers, employing thousands of corporate, depot and store colleagues across the region.
What is the baseline for inclusivity today?
Credit: Yorkshire Building Society
Creating an inclusive environment is relatively straightforward when a team shares a single office space. The real test comes when an organisation includes not only city-centre desks but also regional branch networks, busy parcel depots, retail stores or a 37,000-capacity stadium.
For the region’s major mutual financial institutions, the challenge begins with making sure branch and contact centre staff feel as valued as corporate teams.
Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) focuses on delivering equitable experiences across all working models.
“Our ‘Ways of Working’ framework is built around being customer-first, delivering high performance together, and enabling colleagues to work in the way that helps them perform at their best,” said Amy Thirtle, Senior Manager, Culture and Inclusion at Yorkshire Building Society.
“All colleagues have equitable access to technology, learning, wellbeing support, career opportunities, and inclusion initiatives, whether they are serving members in a branch or working in an office or hybrid role.”
Meanwhile, Leeds Building Society views workforce inclusion as a direct extension of its regional community mission.
“Inclusion isn’t just a programme at Leeds Building Society – it’s how we make decisions, support our colleagues, and serve our members every day,” says Geraldine Kemp-Klotz, Chief People Officer at Leeds Building Society.
“We became the first organisation to retain the Inclusive Employers Gold Standard, and we’ve been listed as One to Watch in The Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality. For us, a diverse workforce helps us better understand our diverse member base. We ensure our early careers activity creates inclusive pathways into financial services by targeting work experience towards those who need it most, including people from ethnic minority backgrounds, carers or those who received free school meals.”
If you’d like to find out more about some of the early careers programmes, check out our guide to some of the best schemes in Leeds.
Out in Morley, parcel giant Evri manages one of the country’s largest logistics networks, employing thousands of shift-based, operational and corporate staff. Bridging the gap between the warehouse floor and the corporate suite is a central focus.
“Inclusion can’t be designed around office-based employees and then adapted for everyone else,” said Aaron Collishaw, a senior member of Evri’s HR team. “For us, that means providing mobile access to key communications, learning and wellbeing resources, listening to colleague feedback from across the business, and creating experiences that work for both operational and corporate teams.”
Credit: Asda
Similarly, retail giant Asda, based at Asda House in Leeds, manages a vast workforce split between corporate teams, distribution depots and front-line store colleagues.
“Every colleague should feel supported, listened to and able to be themselves, whatever role they do and wherever they work,” said an Asda spokesperson.
“For us, that means investing in colleague wellbeing, creating opportunities to learn and grow, and making sure colleagues have a genuine voice in shaping the business through regular feedback, our Colleague Circle, and our colleague-led inclusion networks.”
For major local institutions like Leeds United Football Club, moving beyond surface-level perks means offering support that spans office teams, Foundation staff and evening matchday stewards.
“The new baseline is no longer about surface-level perks – it is about meaningful wellbeing support, flexibility, inclusive policies, clear opportunities to learn and develop, and a culture where people feel valued,” said Jade Brown, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Lead.
“We recognise that employees often spend more time at work than with the people they love most, so we want our support to feel practical, personal and meaningful – from employee assistance schemes and staff café discounts to structured loyalty schemes and EDI awareness days.”
Down at Leeds Dock, EdTech innovator Genio creates accessible learning software for higher education institutions worldwide. Operating a remote-first model across a 150-strong workforce, the business approaches inclusion by tackling regional isolation.
“Over 50 miles away is what we consider remote,” says Mark McWhirter, Lead Platform Engineer, at Genio. “We always make sure things are online-first if possible – virtual meetups and socials – but when colleagues want to come to Leeds for events like Pride, there is budget available for their trains and accommodation. It is vital that everyone has equal access to participate.”
For international legal practice Squire Patton Boggs, building a baseline for inclusivity in 2026 means connecting modern workplace trends with long-term career growth.
“The most significant shift in 2026 is that early-career support, wellbeing, professional development, AI readiness and retention can no longer be treated as separate priorities,” says Patricia Walsh, Global Chief Human Resources Officer at Squire Patton Boggs. “They are increasingly interconnected and require a more holistic approach to attract, develop, and retain future talent.”
Belonging from day one
Credit: Clarion Solicitors
A culture of inclusion can’t just be words in an employee handbook – it has to be something a new starter feels from the moment they walk through the door.
At Clarion Solicitors, the onboarding experience intentionally puts humans at the centre of the process.
“On day one, it’s the behaviours of our people that make the biggest impression,” said a member of the Clarion team.
“Every new colleague takes part in a culture induction introducing our values and our BeingOne inclusion strategy. We don’t assume onboarding ends after week one – structured entry interviews take place several weeks in, followed by stay interviews down the line to ensure people feel supported long-term.”
Across town, global top-50 firm Squire Patton Boggs keeps its regional roots firmly anchored in central Leeds. Here, day-one belonging is driven by visible leadership representation.
“Induction requires a personalised and highly interactive support programme where the new starter feels welcomed and wanted,” said Patricia Walsh.
“They will see diversity represented in positions of influence and leadership at the firm, and they will hear from colleagues with a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives and life experiences. Most importantly, new starters can see how they can make a meaningful difference to their team and the wider business, giving them a strong sense of purpose and belonging from the outset.”
Credit: Asda
International legal practice Addleshaw Goddard integrates visible signals and partner advocacy from day one.
“New starters experience our culture in practice from their first day,” said Richard Fisk, Pro Bono and Senior Inclusion Manager at Addleshaw Goddard.
“In most offices, they will see visible signs of our inclusion work, from gender-neutral bathrooms to communications on communal screens during campaign periods like Pride or Black History Month. Crucially, inclusion is championed by senior leaders. Our partner-level Inclusion Partners and local Inclusion Advocates speak at team meetings and host ‘inclusion corners’ for open discussions on particular challenges.”
At Leeds Building Society, preparation begins before day one, ensuring hiring managers are equipped to deliver a warm welcome.
“From their first day, we want colleagues to feel that inclusion is part of how we work,” said Geraldine Kemp-Klotz.
“Throughout the year, our six inclusion forums bring this to life through events, learning sessions and shared experiences. We also make sure new joiners are encouraged to have a buddy and complete 30- and 90-day surveys so we can actively listen to their early feedback.”
Credit: Leeds United
At Elland Road, the team at Leeds United makes sure that it understands accessibility requirements long before day one via health questionnaires, allowing reasonable adjustments to be put in place ahead of time.
“On day one, new starters receive an in-person induction where they meet the People, Safeguarding and EDI teams, take a tour of the stadium and offices, and meet key colleagues,” said Jade Brown. “Inclusion is experienced through practical support, personal connection, and ensuring everyone has the exact equipment they need from the outset.”
For YBS, practical workplace adjustments start on day one through a dedicated Accessibility Passport. The scheme allows colleagues to document specific support needs and working preferences upfront, removing the awkwardness of having to repeatedly ask for adjustments when changing managers or teams.
How employees are given a voice to drive change
Credit: Victoria Baker
Internal diversity networks can risk becoming social committees if executive leadership doesn’t hand them real authority. However, these examples show how employee resource groups are actively rewriting corporate policy from the ground up.
At Asda, five core inclusion networks – covering Accessibility, Ethnicity, LGBTQ+, Wellbeing and Women in Asda – are led by ten colleague co-chairs across stores, depots and Asda House. Supported by senior leader ambassadors, these networks directly inform business decisions.
“Feedback from colleagues across our stores, depots and home offices has played an important role in shaping a number of changes,” said a member of Asda’s ED&I team.
“One example is our enhanced family-friendly policies. Colleagues told us about the importance of greater support during key life moments, so we strengthened maternity and adoption pay, extended paternity leave and support for kinship carers, and enhanced our pregnancy loss policy to reflect the realities of modern family life.”
At Leeds Building Society, employees’ lived experiences influenced brand new health policies. “A strong example is the work we have done around menstruation and menopause support,” said Geraldine Kemp-Klotz.
“Following feedback through our colleague networks, we introduced practical changes, including period products across all sites, menstruation advocates and manager learning resources. We were proud to become the first financial services organisation to achieve Bloody Good Employer status, recognising our commitment to open conversations around reproductive health.”
A similar focus on health support took place at Leeds United following staff feedback and insights from their Great Place to Work survey and EDI working group.
“One clear example is the creation and implementation of our menopause policy, introduced alongside a menopause awareness workshop delivered by Spire Healthcare,” said Jade Brown.
“The workshop gave employees the opportunity to ask questions and receive advice from healthcare professionals, while helping managers understand how to provide practical support. Following survey feedback, we also enhanced our sickness policy, updated our family-friendly policies, and completed pay reviews to support fairness.”
At Clarion, a single colleague sharing their personal experience with fertility treatment sparked a firm-wide movement. The firm listened, adapted its benefits framework and went on to achieve formal recognition as an accredited Fertility Friendly Employer, complete with trained workplace champions and dedicated leave.
Credit: Evri
A similar bottom-up shift happened at Evri. Direct feedback through their Armed Forces Network led to the launch of a formal policy granting military reservists up to 10 days of unpaid leave annually for service commitments. Survey responses from female operational staff also directly prompted company-wide menopause guidance and support channels.
At Squire Patton Boggs, parental support has evolved based on employee input. Its dedicated Fertility Treatment Policy offers paid leave for assessment and treatment, anchored by MyFamilyHub – a centralised resource providing practical guidance on everything from parental leave options to looking after elderly relatives and bereavement.
Addleshaw Goddard’s networks have directly reshaped support and healthcare access offered by the firm across its UK offices.
“Feedback from colleagues with disabilities and neurodivergent conditions led directly to the launch of our central workplace adjustments portal, where staff can request specialised software, hardware or tailored working arrangements,” said Richard Fisk.
“Our LGBTQ+ network led the rollout of comprehensive Transitioning Policies alongside gender-neutral facilities, while our gender balance network drove our Fertility Treatment Policy and Parental Pods – peer-coaching groups for returning parents that we are expanding to support parents of neurodivergent children.”
In the tech space, Genio’s employee networks double as internal sounding boards for executive leadership. When an organic women’s group highlighted a gap in mid-life health support, management collaborated with them to launch formal menopause guidance. The firm’s Pride group actively advises the wider business on public messaging regarding LGBTQ+ and trans inclusion, ensuring corporate stances reflect authentic staff values.
Rethinking physical and flexible workspaces
Credit: Yorkshire Building Society
When it comes to the physical workspaces themselves, inclusive design is no longer just about wheelchair ramps and compliance checkboxes. It’s about accommodating different working styles, sensory preferences and real-life commitments.
Modern open-plan offices can be sensory overloads for neurodivergent staff. In response, YBS, Leeds Building Society, Clarion, Addleshaw Goddard, and Leeds United have all adapted their physical environments to accommodate diverse sensory and religious needs.
“Listening to colleagues helped us make practical changes to our workplaces,” said Geraldine Kemp-Klotz at Leeds Building Society.
“Our equality data disclosures led to introducing fidget tools in communal meeting spaces and developing an inclusive meetings checklist. We’ve also created dedicated facilities for returning parents to express breast milk, complete with dedicated fridges for safe storage or personal medication.”
At Elland Road, Leeds United has extended these physical adaptations to both staff and supporters. “In response to feedback, we have installed multi-faith rooms, quiet rooms, and a matchday sensory room at Elland Road, available on both matchdays and non-matchdays to create spaces that are supportive of different needs,” said Jade.
Credit: Richard Walker/ImageNorth
YBS has similarly trained branch and office staff on the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower scheme, ensuring non-visible conditions are recognised and respected across its network.
Flexibility has also evolved beyond simple work-from-home days – a perk that isn’t viable for depot staff, branch teams, store colleagues, stadium stewards or customer-facing roles.
“Flexibility means different things in different roles,” said a team member from Asda. “For office-based colleagues, that may include hybrid working and flexible arrangements to support childcare. For store colleagues, it can include part-time working, job sharing, adjusted hours and other flexible options where operationally possible.”
At Leeds United, managing flexible working requires balancing office duties with the fixed demands of the football calendar. “Because roles across the club are so varied, we take a department-led approach,” said Jade Brown.
“This includes remote working options where appropriate, time off in lieu, and flexibility around working patterns, alongside evening and weekend training sessions so matchday stewards can access continuous learning.”
“Within tech, flexible working is a massive retention driver,” explains Mala Benn, Head of Engineering at Genio. “We have engineers working term-time-only or four-day weeks. Because we manage work via quarterly outcome-based goals, it’s about what you deliver rather than presenteeism. That culture is why our engineering team has achieved exceptionally low turnover while retaining senior women in tech.”
At Leeds Building Society and Addleshaw Goddard, flexible working conversations are handled individually based on life stage and role requirements, making sure that shift-based workers in contact centres or operational teams can access adjusted hours or varied rotas.
Eliminating bias from the hiring process
Credit: Evri
To build a genuinely diverse workforce, Yorkshire’s leading employers are dismantling traditional recruitment barriers long before candidates arrive for an interview.
Clarion and Genio both lean heavily on anonymised application reviews and technical assessments, ensuring candidate evaluations focus entirely on skill and potential rather than background, age or gender.
Addleshaw Goddard has overhauled its legal recruitment funnel to widen access to the profession.
“Removing bias from recruitment is a core part of our social mobility strategy,” said Richard Fisk.
“In 2020, we removed A-level requirements and introduced contextual recruitment to assess achievements in light of personal circumstances. We use blind screening at the initial stage, replaced video interviews with voice-only interviews to remove visual bias, and run established Solicitor Apprentice and Business Services Apprentice programmes alongside partnerships with 10,000 Black Interns and Stronger Together in Leeds.”
Leeds Building Society, YBS, Leeds United, and Genio actively reduce candidate interview stress through transparent processes and pre-interview preparation.
“We share behavioural interview questions with candidates in advance so everyone has a fair opportunity to prepare and demonstrate their skills,” explains Geraldine Kemp-Klotz. “All hiring managers undergo inclusive recruitment training, and we track candidate progression through every stage to identify and remove potential barriers.”
Leeds United similarly employs diverse interview panels, flexible online or in-person formats and transparent recruitment guidelines to level the playing field for candidates across all departments.
YBS has similarly removed arbitrary degree expectations for non-specialist roles and enforces balanced shortlisting for all senior executive appointments, while Asda opens accessible development routes via apprenticeships ranging from Level 2 right up to Level 7 across stores, depots and home offices.
Real inclusivity happens all year round
Credit: Victoria Baker Photography
If Leeds’ top employers prove anything, it is that workplace inclusion cannot be treated as a seasonal marketing campaign tied to a single weekend or even month.
Authentic inclusivity is built through the quiet, unglamorous work that happens behind the scenes: writing flexible shift policies, funding peer support groups, adapting office lighting, providing free period products and listening when employees speak up about their lived experiences. By embedding inclusion into their day-to-day operations, these businesses are proving that West Yorkshire remains one of the UK’s most forward-thinking regions to build a long-term career.
Details regarding workplace policies, staff network structures, and recruitment practices were supplied directly by representative organisations. Operational details and formal benefits frameworks remain subject to internal review. Always consult official employer career portals for live vacancies and current policy guidelines. Cover image credit: Leeds Building Society
