Lucion Wins Employee Wellness Initiative of the Year at British HR Awards 2026

Kerren Hayball

27th April, 2026

We are thrilled to announce that Lucion has been named Winner of the Employee Wellness Initiative of the Year at the prestigious British HR Awards 2026.

The fifth edition of the British HR Awards celebrates the teams and individuals who are passionate about delivering a world-class people experience. This year, 474 entries were received from organisations across the UK, and winners were revealed at a celebration event on 22nd April 2026 in Covent Garden, London, hosted by comedian Lucy Porter.

We were named winner alongside organisations including British Heart Foundation (Diversity & Inclusion Initiative of the Year and Not for Profit Initiative of the Year), TSB Bank (Financial Services Initiative of the Year), and EMCOR UK/OCS (Innovation of the Year).

A Strategy That’s Saving Lives in Construction

Our winning submission, “Been There Will Share: A Mental Health Strategy That’s Saving Lives in Construction“, addresses one of the most critical challenges facing our industry. Two construction workers die by suicide every day in the UK, with 81% of our male employees falling into the highest-risk category: men under 50 working in the North East of England, where suicide rates are highest.

Carolyn Cole, Chief People Officer at Lucion, commented:

“Winning this award is a profound moment for everyone at Lucion. It validates the incredible journey we’ve been on together and recognises the courage of every colleague who has embraced this cultural change. From our Mental Health First Aiders sharing their knowledge, to our community groups creating safe spaces for connection, to our leaders championing wellbeing at every level, with Executive Level backing, we’re proving that when it comes to mental health, we’re stronger together.

“What makes this win particularly meaningful is knowing that our approach is making a real difference. Every initiative, every conversation, and every connection is bringing us closer to our vision of a workplace where everyone can thrive, both professionally and personally.”

A Year of Transformation

Since launching “Been There Will Share” in 2025, we’ve fundamentally transformed how mental health is understood, discussed, and supported at Lucion. Built on three essential pillars, Educate, Engage, and Empower, our approach has created genuine cultural change across Lucion.

We’ve trained 58 Mental Health First Aiders strategically placed across all our sites, whilst 100% of our managers have completed Mental Health Awareness as part of our Lucion Lifecycle programme. Our strategy is about equipping our people with the confidence to have meaningful conversations and recognise when colleagues need support.

Phil Coles, Chief Executive Officer at Lucion, said:

“This award recognises something we’ve always believed, that our people are our greatest asset, and their wellbeing is fundamental to everything we do. Under Carolyn’s leadership, we are actively creating an environment where people feel supported, valued, and able to bring their whole selves to work.

“What I’m most proud of is how this has become embedded in our culture. From the boardroom to our offices and out on client sites, we’re committed to being part of the solution to the mental health crisis in construction. This award belongs to every single person at Lucion who has embraced this journey.”

Recognition That Validates Our Journey

Nate Harwood, Founder of New Possible and the British HR Awards, said:

“The UK HR community is truly special, and one we’re incredibly proud to have celebrated and supported over the last five years. What stood out in 2026 was how teams are boldly navigating new frontiers. Congratulations to all the Winners, Highly Commended and Finalists.”

This recognition validates not just the programmes we run at Lucion, but the incredible work our entire team has put into creating a workplace where everyone can thrive, both professionally and personally. It demonstrates that our proactive approach to tackling the stigma around mental health is creating genuine, lasting cultural change.

Join Our Journey

If you want to work with an award-winning employer consciously investing in support and wellbeing, explore our open vacancies or contact our Talent Team at [email protected] to find out what a role at Lucion could look like for you.

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Our Values

About us

Lucion's vision is to protect people and planet. To achieve our vision, we live by five key values, which are there to ensure everyone in our community enjoys playing their part.

1 Trust

2 Integrity

3 Innovation

4 Sustainability

5 Commitment

Trust

We are building a strong foundation of trust with colleagues, clients and wider stakeholders, based upon our experience, knowledge, quality delivery and value.

For our clients, it means they know they can turn to us to deliver the services they need, when they need them and to the quality they expect. For our team, this means we will listen to each other, give everyone a voice and work together to find solutions.

Integrity

We act with honesty, respect, fairness and transparency in all of our endeavours and through all of our interactions.

For our clients, it means using our deep sector expertise to put a close focus on their needs, so they come to us for a solution that acts in their best interests and protects their compliance goals with efficiency and ease. For our team, this means promoting diversity, inclusion and equality in our workplace, and remaining consistent in the quality of the delivery of our actions and behaviours.

Innovation

We welcome and pursue creative ideas that have the potential to make a positive difference to colleagues, clients and the community by raising quality or driving improvement.

For our clients, it means continuing to invest in all aspects of our business offering. Collaboration with them and others, and an openness to learn and absorb new information daily, will ensure they remain at the front of their field. For our team, it means empowering each other to challenge the status quo and seek out new opportunities that will better ourselves as colleagues and an international company.

Sustainability

We are developing our business with environmentally sustainable practices and building long-term trusted partnerships that benefit clients, colleagues and the planet.

For our clients, it means operating in line with UK statutory requirements and ensuring that we continue to improve and develop our environmental, social & governance (ESG), and sustainability procedures and objectives. For our team, it means creating a thriving environment in which our colleagues can grow and encourage one another to make a positive impact on the world around us.

Commitment

We are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of others, colleagues, clients and the wider community, and to striving for excellence in all that we do.

For our clients, it means working for them swiftly, decisively and with effectiveness; fulfilling all of our commitments to them and being dedicated to building long lasting relationships right across our client base. For our team, it means always working as one group to deliver our mission, live out our culture and look after one another.

1 Trust

Trust

We are building a strong foundation of trust with colleagues, clients and wider stakeholders, based upon our experience, knowledge, quality delivery and value.

2 Integrity

Integrity

We act with honesty, respect, fairness and transparency in all of our endeavours and through all of our interactions.

3 Innovation

Innovation

We welcome and pursue creative ideas that have the potential to make a positive difference to colleagues, clients and the community by raising quality or driving improvement.

4 Sustainability

Sustainability

We are developing our business with environmentally sustainable practices and building long-term trusted partnerships that benefit clients, colleagues and the planet.

5 Commitment

Commitment

We are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of others, colleagues, clients and the wider community, and to striving for excellence in all that we do.

We promote a culture of transparency and accountability, where everyone is encouraged to contribute ideas and solutions that benefit both the company and the environment.

Working primarily in the environmental and risk management sectors, we have responsibilities to the environment and the communities in which we work. As we innovate, develop and evolve our business to ensure resilience for the future, we seek to attract and retain the best talent through engagement and our conscious commitment to work sustainably. Our social value policy gives our teams the flexibility to support causes they are passionate about and contribute to meaningful projects. As well as giving you volunteering leave, we provide lots of opportunities to get involved with charity events and initiatives. By encouraging a culture of social responsibility and giving, we not only support important causes but also cultivate a sense of purpose and fulfilment among our staff. Together, we can create positive change and build a better world for future generations.

Company Benefits

Supportive Family Policies

We know balancing work and family responsibilities can be hard. We’re an inclusive employer, so whatever your parenting journey is, we will offer support when you need it.

Discounts & Wellbeing Platform

Our platform, Being Lucion gives you access to discounts and cashback from over 800 retailers, as well as wellbeing resources, our employee assistance programme and cycle to work scheme.

Charity Sports Events

Fancy getting involved in a charity bike ride or a half marathon? We’re always looking at ways we can offer our services or sponsorship to give something back to our people and local communities.

Environmental Initiatives

Each year we take part in World Environment Day initiatives to continue in our mission to protect people and planet, such as planting trees and seagrass as part of biodiversity regeneration projects.

Healthcare Cashback Scheme

Claim money back towards the cost of your essential healthcare including new glasses or contact lenses, dental treatment, physiotherapy and prescription costs.

Reward Bonuses

As a growing company, we are always looking to bring talented individuals into our community. If you recommend someone who joins us, you'll be rewarded every time.