Advo One Limited has been named a finalist in the prestigious Investors in People Awards 2026, shortlisted for UK Employer of the Year.

The recognition follows Advo’s successful retention of its Investors in People Gold accreditation earlier this year. Following the assessment, Investors in People invited Advo to enter the national Employer of the Year awards after its results placed it among the highest-scoring Gold-accredited organisations assessed during the previous 12 months.

Advo subsequently submitted a series of videos outlining its remarkable journey since the pandemic – including the challenges it has faced, the transformation of the business, its achievements and, importantly, how it intends to continue developing its people and culture.

Founded in 1997, Advo entered the post-pandemic period facing a very different business environment. The company embarked on a fundamental reinvention, developing its focus as an HR consultancy and payroll bureau while simultaneously undergoing significant growth.

That growth brought substantial changes to the organisation’s workforce. New employees joined as the business expanded, while acquisitions brought colleagues from other organisations into the Advo family. The result was a changing staff demographic, new skills and experiences, and a rapidly evolving organisation.

For Advo, maintaining a strong culture during that period was not simply about preserving what had existed before. It meant creating a culture capable of bringing together people from different backgrounds, businesses and generations, while ensuring that employees understood Advo’s direction and felt part of its future.

Alison Gill, Hr & Payroll Director at Advo, said:

“The last few years have certainly kept us on our toes. We’ve grown, changed and learnt a lot along the way – occasionally the hard way! But it gave us the opportunity to rethink what kind of business we wanted Advo to be, and most importantly, the kind of place we wanted it to be for our people.”“Advo has changed enormously since 1997 – as the world around us has too! Growth and acquisitions have brought fantastic new people and ideas into the business, but they’ve also taught us that a strong culture doesn’t just happen. You have to work at it, listen to your people and keep improving.”

“Our Investors in People journey has reinforced something we’ve learnt along the way: a great culture is never a finished job. You have to keep listening, learning and working at it – and sometimes admit when you haven’t quite got it right.”

The Investors in People framework assesses organisations across three core principles – Leading, Supporting and Improving – and examines areas including inspiring people, living organisational values, empowering and involving employees, recognising contribution, managing performance, building capability and creating sustainable success.

Gold accreditation represents a high level of achievement within the framework, something few obtain, requiring organisations to demonstrate established and developed practice and advanced performance across the majority of its indicators.

For Advo, the challenge has been to demonstrate those principles while undergoing a substantial organisational shift.

The company’s submission highlighted how leadership has sought to maintain employee engagement while integrating new colleagues, developing existing staff and creating a shared sense of purpose across an increasingly diverse workforce.

It also demonstrated that the company’s people strategy has evolved alongside its commercial strategy. As Advo has expanded its HR and payroll offering and strengthened its position in the SME market, investment in its own people has remained central to delivering that growth.

The company’s continuing focus on professional development, knowledge sharing, employee wellbeing, communication and recognition has helped create a culture designed not simply to accommodate growth, but to support it.

“We certainly haven’t had a completely smooth journey,” added Colin Boxall. “There have been difficult decisions, challenges and moments when maintaining culture has required considerable effort. But those challenges have also taught us a great deal. We have always recognised that our people are our greatest asset.“What makes this recognition particularly satisfying is that Investors in People have seen the journey behind the results. Gold isn’t something you achieve once and then put on a wall. It is about demonstrating that your people practices are working and that you are committed to getting better and also importantly try to have some fun along the way too!”“We are immensely proud of what our people have achieved together, and being named a finalist gives us the opportunity to celebrate our journey.”

Advo’s finalist status places the company among just eight organisations nationally shortlisted for this Employer of the Year category.

The winner of UK Employer of the Year: will be announced at the Investors in People Awards 2026 at Old Billingsgate, London, on 18 November 2026.

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