York event to assess how redundancy and rising personal pressures are affecting staff performance

Employers across the region are being invited to an event in York to explore how grief, loss and personal crisis are showing up in the workplace and how this is affecting performance, leadership and staff wellbeing.

It comes at a time when businesses are facing unprecedented uncertainty. Recent forecasts from the Item Club, one of the UK’s leading independent economic forecasters, warn that the UK is set to lose 163,000 jobs in 2026, with Leeds alone expected to shed 9,800 roles as economic pressures intensify. The Humber, one of the UK’s most vulnerable regions, is projected to lose a further 2,800 jobs as manufacturing and construction are hit by rising energy costs and global supply chain disruption. The World Economic Forum has also highlighted how today’s overlapping crises are triggering business closures, job losses and heightened anxiety among leaders and staff.

Organised by the Meaningful Business Network, a group established by Enterprise Works and the School for Business and Society at the University of York, the event will look at how these experiences affect staff wellbeing and performance and what they can do to create healthier, more supportive and resilient workplace cultures.

Attendees will hear from Dr Bob Townley, Academic Lead for Employability and Enterprise, and Dr Divya Jyoti, whose research focuses on loss, grief and vulnerability in organisations. They say that in the current climate, earlier experiences of stress, instability or loss are increasingly resurfacing in the workplace, shaping how people cope, perform and lead.

“Businesses are made up of people,” says Dr Townley, “and people do not leave their personal experiences at the workplace door. Yet subjects such as grief, shame and vulnerability are often hidden or avoided in organisational life.

“This event is about creating a space where businesses can openly explore these issues, think differently about leadership and workplace culture and consider how organisations can respond in healthier and more meaningful ways.”

The event will also feature contributions from psychotherapist Brian De Lord, who will speak about shared vulnerability, Liz Awad, whose work explores resilience and crisis through the experiences of refugee women in Lebanon, and Adrian-Paul Liddell of Busy Energy. Mr Liddell will share his lived experience as a local SME owner-manager who has rebuilt both his life, work and business following experiences of loss.

Meanwhile, Demi-Leigh Mitcheson, Head of Employee Experience at engineering component distributor company Accu, will be talking about her role in terms of taking care of people’s personal and emotional needs, with a focus on mental health and wellbeing.

Dr Adrian Madden, a specialist in Meaningful Business research and one of the event organisers, said businesses were increasingly recognising the need for more human-centred leadership.

“For a long time these conversations have been seen as separate from business performance and organisational success, but we know that workplaces function best when people feel supported, understood and psychologically safe.

“This is about encouraging organisations to think more deeply about the role business can play in helping people thrive, even during periods of uncertainty, loss or crisis.”

‘Meaningful Business – Learning from vulnerability: Shame, loss, grief and sadness in the workplace’ takes place on 16th June 2026 at The Guildhall, York.

Meaningful Business events regularly reach capacity, so early booking is strongly encouraged to avoid disappointment. To book your seat for this free event, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/meaningful-business-when-personal-challenges-meet-the-workplace-tickets-1984621297726?