Our commitment to envisioning inclusive futures for Yorkshire workplaces: Jodie Hill
When I founded Thrive Law in 2018, I did so with a conviction: that workplaces shouldn’t ask people to shrink, hide or conform, but instead should enable them to thrive.
Every November we host our annual summit in Leeds, and last year it was under the banner: Creating Accessible & Inclusive Futures.
This isn’t idealism.
It’s a roadmap for the future of work.
Picture a Yorkshire business where a neurodivergent colleague is not viewed as a “challenge”, but as someone whose strengths are understood and supported.
Imagine a workplace where those navigating fertility treatment -or non-traditional routes to parenthood - are met with compassion rather than barriers.
Imagine hybrid working, accessible design and inclusive leadership as standard practice rather than optional extras.
This is the future we want to build, and our summit is designed to accelerate it.
The momentum is on our side.
Regulation is catching up, technology is expanding the conversation and executive leaders across sectors are beginning to see inclusion as a commercial strategy, not an HR footnote.
Our recent summit in November brought together lived-experience speakers, legal specialists, mental-health advocates and leaders in inclusive technology.
We even had a sensory-friendly space to ensure accessibility for all as part of the event.
And what did we learn?
For Yorkshire businesses - from manufacturers to digital start-ups to global corporates - the path forward lies in three qualities:
Curiosity: Asking what barriers exist, who experiences them and what hidden assumptions need challenging.
Connection: Bringing lived experience into the boardroom and aligning inclusion with business strategy.
Courage: Change requires discomfort. It means dismantling long-held norms and committing to investment, listening and continuous improvement.
Yorkshire has always been a region defined by resilience, innovation and community.
We have never been afraid to do things differently.
That spirit is exactly what the inclusive future of work requires.
To every HR leader, CEO, founder and people-manager reading this: the future isn’t something we wait for - it’s something we design.
And we can design it better, together.
We host our summit every year, and are already starting to plan our 2026 one.
If you’d like to join our newsletter then please drop me an email on [email protected].
We also have a forum on March 6 2026; we’ll be discussing the future of inclusive workplaces at the event.
Visit our events page to sign up for free webinars and express interest in our upcoming forum next month at thrivelaw.co.uk/events/.
We’d be delighted to have you in the room for the forum and we only have a few places left!
Jodie Hill is the founder and managing partner of Leeds-based Thrive Law