HiThrive's SHINE Advanced Award Revalidated for Another Two Years
We're delighted to share that HiThrive has successfully revalidated our SHINE Advanced Award, securing recognition for another two years. The Shine Team reviewed our updated application and the progress we've made since our original award, and we're proud that our continued investment in good workplace practice has been recognised once again.
Revalidation isn't just a formality — it's a chance to show that the standards we set two years ago weren't a one-off. They're embedded in how we run HiThrive day to day. In this post, we'll look back at what's changed since our original Advanced accreditation and why staying involved with SHINE still matters to us.
What is SHINE and Why Does it Matter?
SHINE is a movement that empowers organisations across the North East to implement sustainable, people-focused practices. The programme is structured around five beams of good practice, which act as a blueprint for fostering long-term success and employee well-being. These beams are:
Valuing the Workforce
Promoting Health and Well-being
Effective Communication
Building a Balanced Workforce
Demonstrating Social Responsibility
Holding Advanced status means demonstrating exemplary performance across all five beams — and revalidation means proving we've kept that standard up, not just hit it once.
Building on Our Five Beams of Good Practice
1. Valuing the Workforce
We've kept investing in the things that make our team feel recognised, including performance-based rewards, transparent progression pathways, and our annual recognition events. Over the past two years, we've refined these initiatives based on direct employee feedback, making sure recognition stays meaningful rather than routine.
2. Promoting Health and Well-being
Employee well-being remains a cornerstone of how we operate. We've continued our wellness workshops and confidential counselling access, and we've kept our financial well-being support running too, from cashback on medical expenses to financial literacy sessions. As pressures on people's finances and mental health have continued, we've made sure this support stays visible and easy to access, not just something we mention once and forget about.
3. Effective Communication
Our internal app and regular feedback sessions are still central to how information flows at HiThrive. What's changed is how seriously we act on what comes out of them — employee suggestions have shaped real decisions, and we've made a point of closing the loop so people can see their feedback making a difference.
4. Building a Balanced Workforce
Inclusivity continues to shape our hiring and our day-to-day culture. We've kept a close eye on making sure opportunities within HiThrive are genuinely open to everyone, and that this commitment extends beyond our own walls into how we engage with the wider community.
5. Demonstrating Social Responsibility
Our partnership with a local school continues to be one of the projects we're most proud of, helping young people build skills for the workplace. We've also kept up our work with local charities and our focus on eco-friendly practices, because giving back to the North East isn't a campaign with an end date — it's part of who we are.
Why Revalidation Matters
Earning an award once is a great moment. Keeping it is a different kind of achievement, and one we don't take for granted. Revalidating our SHINE Advanced Award confirms that the culture we built isn't fading with time — it's growing. We'll continue displaying our SHINE logo and poster with pride, and we're looking forward to championing the SHINE community as ambassadors for the next two years.
Join the Journey
If you're a North East SME thinking about your own workplace culture, SHINE is well worth exploring. Improving your work environment isn't just good for morale — it's a meaningful way to build resilience and long-term success.
At HiThrive, we're proof that people-focused practices pay off, twice over. Here's to another two years of building a brighter workplace, together.
Follow our journey and the wider SHINE community on social media — find the Shine Team at @NorthEastCA on Facebook, @northeast_CA on Instagram, @NorthEast_CA on X, and on LinkedIn at the-north-east-combined-authority and shine-north-east.
