Making a difference and improving people's lives is part of the job at Accent Group which has been providing a roof over people's heads since 1966. Today the housing association owns almost 22,000 properties across the north, east and south of the country which are home to more than 40,000 residents. A registered society for the benefit of the community, Accent has plans to build many more homes.

Looking after staff so they can look after residents is a priority for the organisation. It has a dedicated learning and development team supporting employees to reach their potential through internal and external learning. An employee-led health and wellbeing group supports the welfare of staff and there are employee-led business resource groups. These groups give people who share a particular characteristic, interest or background a space to come together, support each other and help drive change.

The company did not furlough anyone during the pandemic, which meant staff felt safe financially. It also increased its employee assistance programme cover to include counselling for all staff, as part of a drive to focus more on wellbeing. As it embraces more agile working practices, it wants to create a culture of trust based on its values of being smart, driven, caring and inclusive.

The association's strategy focuses on delivering quality homes and sustainable communities, a personal customer experience and an inspirational workplace.