Guild Care was proud to be a finalist at the national HR Excellence Awards 2024 in recognition of its transformative HR initiatives. Competing alongside prominent organisations such as Vodafone and Equiniti, Guild Care’s inclusion in the shortlist highlights the extraordinary commitment of the local charity to create a thriving workplace culture.

The HR Excellence Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements and innovations within the UK’s HR profession across a wide range of industries. The ceremony highlighted nominees in diverse categories who are ‘setting new standards and driving positive change in the HR landscape’.

The final awards ceremony took place on 3rd December 2024, at The Brewery in London, where Vodafone was announced as the winner in the Best Transformation Strategy category.

Leanne Jones, Director of HR at Guild Care, said, “While we’re naturally disappointed not to have won, being shortlisted alongside global organisations is an incredible achievement for us as a local charity and we send our congratulations to Vodafone on their success.

“The real benefit of our transformation, however, has been all the positive feedback from our colleagues. I’m incredibly proud of how we’ve overcome resistance to change and re-shaped our charity into a strong, resilient organisation ready to face future challenges together.”

Guild Care undertook an ambitious transformation in response to challenges faced by the care sector during the pandemic. At the heart of the comprehensive transformation was the Ignite values programme, developed in collaboration with all staff through focus groups and consultations. This led to the creation of the charity’s ‘BELIEF’ values: Brave, Engaging, Loving, Integrity, Everyone Matters, and Free to Be Me.

These values are designed to create a positive and inclusive environment for all. Alongside these, monthly performance progress conversations (PPCs) were introduced to strengthen communication, discuss performance, and build collaboration between managers and their teams.

Since the launch of these initiatives, Guild Care has seen a steady rise in staff engagement, attracted a more diverse workforce, and enabled an environment where employees feel valued and heard.

In 2023, Guild Care celebrated its best financial performance in its 90-year history, demonstrating the successful alignment of both culture and organisational goals.

As a finalist at the national awards, Guild Care remains immensely proud of its achievements, and continues to drive excellence in HR and workplace culture.