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Fiona Caines
In Culture

Death to the age of beige

Ai generated content. Tentative employee communications awash with corporate jargon and intentional ambiguity. Businesses all look the same. Sound the same. And feel the same. We’re living in the Age of Beige.

It’s easy to find that all a bit dull and dismiss it as harmless, if not somewhat boring. But here’s the kicker. It’s causing a total disconnect between employee and employer, and that makes this a commercial issue. Because let’s face it – beige is never going to help you to attract, retain or engage top talent.

So what’s going on? I don’t think you need me to tell you that we’re living through some of the most turbulent times we’ve ever seen. And it’s caused fear. It’s made businesses tentative. They’re looking down the barrel of a constant stream of bad news, from environmental crisis, to conflict, to Trump, to AI. It’s a lot. And with media hype swirling around how businesses are positioning their approach to DEI, flexible working and other people factors, businesses are hoping to stay out of the spotlight. But here’s the problem. These are the very issues your people are grabbling with every day – and they’re looking to you for the answers for how to feel, how to interpret it, what to say.

That is coupled with  a crisis of Trust. The Edeleman Trust Barometer shows that trust in businesses globally has dropped 3 points in the last 12 months alone. 68% worry that business leaders purposefully mislead them. And is it any surprise? When we sugarcoat bad news, exaggerate good news or worse, say nothing at all . How many times have you heard ‘we’re not a political organisation’? I’m afraid not having a stance on something, is having a stance in itself.

So, with all of this swirling around, businesses are turning beige. We’re using corporate jargon. Leverage. “Delighted to announce”. Seamless. I could go on.

And we’ve got vanilla values too. Trust. Integrity. Respect. Shouldn’t that be a given? Did you know that 60% of the FTSE 100 have the same values? How could that possibly true when we’re talking about banks, retailers, engingeers – each with distinct cultures, and let’s not forget, real life messy human beings.

So my question is, do your people really talk like that? And is this generic language really shifting your culture? Didn’t think so. And it’s such a missed opportunity. Defining the cultural fabric of your organisation changes the mood. It changes behaviour. It changes leadership style, and most crucially? It boosts performance. The Clearing did a study a few years back in FTSE 100 companies and they found that the companies with the most differentiated values were outperforming those whose values were more generic. Now tell me again this isn’t a commercial issue?

The good news is, we can all do something about it. And creativity kills the beige. So I hope I can inspire you to do just these four things in our crusade against the Age of Beige…

  1. First up. Let’s do a little beige audit. How beige are you? Hold up the mirror to the employee experience you’ve built. Is it differentiated? Does it feel uniquely you? How?
  2. Next up – consider, what do you want to be famous for? You can’t do everything at once. So have you decided to have an amazing onboarding experience? Is your L&D offer world class? Are your values yours and yours alone? Take your pick.
  3. What do you stand for? What’s your north star? What’s your personality, your fingerprint. The way you talk, the way you walk. This is the magic you want to weave through every touchpoint of your employee experience. Something for people to connect to.
  4. This one is really important. What’s stopping you? A lot of what I’m saying here isn’t rocket science. So why haven’t you done it so far? What’s getting in your way? And what’s going to be different this time?

Start now. No more Age of Beige. Find some personality. Be brave enough to stand up and stand out. It starts here. It starts now.

 

Fiona Caines
In Culture

The post baby career drop off that’s damaging your business

Maternity leave. It’s a big topic – and rightly so. Great strides have been made to protect parental leave because we know doing so has positive impacts on both parent and child – not to mention creating a fairer and stronger economy. But here’s the thing. We’re missing a crucial part of the story. The moment the mother returns to work.

The data is screaming at us. 

“85% of mothers leave the full-time workforce within 3 years of having their first child. 19% leave altogether” – Careers after babies 

“a quarter of a million mothers with young children have left their jobs because of difficulties with balancing work and childcare” – the Fawcett Society 

“43% of highly qualified women with children are leaving careers or off-ramping for a period of time.” – Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg 

That’s an alarmingly sharp drop off point. And expensive too. Because the average cost of replacing an employee in the UK is c. £25,000 per worker. And for senior roles, this number can range from £40,000 to £100,000. – Payfit 

So what’s going wrong? Companies have detailed policies and procedures around maternity leave. Because let’s face it, it’s a protected characteristic. They have to. The returning period? Not so much. From my friends alone I heard stories of mothers returning to work and finding they had no desk. Returning to work to find their mat cover is sticking around. Returning to work in a new role with no support. If it were an onboarding experience, you’d be horrified. But because it’s a returning staff member, it’s seemingly overlooked. You might ask, “why don’t they say something?” – but that misses the power dynamic of how it feels to return to work after prolonged leave. If I could describe my own experience, it feels something like this… 

The dichotomy 

I had so much to say, and at times, not much confidence to say it. 

I had days of big, bold ideas, and other days on minimal sleep where I’d seemingly lost the ability to use the English language.  

I had fresh eyes to reenergise the team and push for better, and I had moments of enormous doubt. 

It’s a unique feeling: knowing your worth and ability and wanting to be treated the same as before, at the same time as feeling your whole world has shifted and wanting that to be seen. 

And that’s not to mention the new financial burden of childcare, the dreaded nursery phone calls and the seemingly ENDLESS nursery bugs (hand, foot and mouth AGAIN?). 

Honestly? I wouldn’t have had the bandwidth or the confidence to complain. I’m lucky I didn’t have to. 

Businesses, you have a choice.  

Do nothing. See a dip in confidence, a drop in performance, building resentment and in the worst circumstances, a great team member gone. Or? Intervene. Build an offer that makes you famous, elevates your business and empowers amazing talent that you can’t afford to lose. We know it works. A recent EY study found that coaching for women returners resulted in a retention rate of 90%. Huge.  

So where to start? 

  • Create a proactive plan 

Collaborate with your team member to build a plan that works for them. Let them guide the pace, how many days, and what information they want when. Agree it in advance and check in to keep things on track. 

  • Reonboard 

A lot can change in a few months. Start from scratch. Refresh on the business strategy, priorities and cultural levers such as values and behaviours. Do a specific spotlight on the things that have changed since they’ve been off. 

  • Spot opportunities 

If your team member feels up to it, think about something specific that they can own and run with. You’ve got fresh eyes, so use them! Give them a special project, with review points and team members to collaborate with. A sure fire way to build confidence and give ownership. 

  • Make feedback the norm 

“Well done” goes a really long way. Make sure you positively reinforce the good things you see, and give constructive criticism where it’s needed. So often managers tip toe around returning employees, and that’s not helpful for anyone. Communicate. 

  • Returners interview 

Agree specific junctures for a ‘returners interview’ a 1:1 check in on how it’s going. Think exit interview – but much more useful – because you can shift your course, make changes in real time, and feed what you learn back into your returners plans for future employees. 

I’m confident with the right intervention we can make that drop off point a thing of the past. I’m making it my mission. So if you’d like to talk about what the returners experience looks like in your organisation, or if you’re in the post mat leave trenches and just want to talk to someone who’s been through it. I’m all yours. 

Fiona Caines
In Culture

Industry experts: the strategy team that gets it

Strategy. It’s a bit of a scary word. And it’s even scarier having it in your job title. It’s almost as if people expect you to be an academic. Someone who deals in theories, studies, stats and technicalities. Not words I’d always use to describe myself. My specialist subject on Mastermind would be Ru Paul’s Drag Race Seasons 1-17. Just for context. 

So when I’m looking to hire a strategist, academic isn’t top of my list. I’m looking for someone who can do big and small. Someone who can look at the broader picture, identify where people want to go, and build the path to get there, but is equally happy to roll their sleeves up and write that CEO communication, leaders toolkit or launch plan. 

That’s probably why I’ve ended up with somewhat of an anomaly in the Strategy team at Home. Every single one of us comes from an in-house background. All industry experts. Home is the only agency we’ve worked in. We’ve got a financial services whizz, a real deal professional sportsman come engineering pro, a charity sector and government expert and my own background in fashion retail and tech.  

But it’s not that sector experience that makes our work pack a punch (although it certainly does help). It’s the fact that we too have been Heads of Internal Communications or Heads of Employee Experience. We’ve sat in your seat. We’ve negotiated for more budget. We’ve influenced the CEO and turned the complex into the engaging. We’ve sat on panels and watched agency pitches, just like ours. We’ve navigated the pull between HR/Marketing and anyone else who takes an interest in our world. We get it.  

And that’s my favourite thing about our team. Throw any circumstance our way and it’s likely we’ve done it before. If we haven’t, we know just how to work it out. Combine that with the creativity of our studio and you’ve got something really special. You’re not finding that anywhere else. 

But don’t just take my word for it – here’s what the team had to say.

“Confession time. I was deeply suspicious of agency strategists when I sat on the other side of the desk. How can they know my company better than me? Because let’s be honest. We don’t. That’s not the value we add. What we bring is all the lived experience of an in house professional, a view from across multiple industries and a healthy distance and perspective. That leads to fresh perspectives on the most entrenched of problems, a passion for raising up our professional community and solutions that are practical to deliver.” – Caroline Tierney  

“Your mission is our mission. We’ve walked in your shoes and we share the same passion. But don’t think of us as advisors. We’re the do-ers. The roll your sleeves up and jump right in-ers. The ones who uncover the insights you need, bring your people’s voice to life at the highest table, and deliver the strategy that gets you from where you are, to where you want to be.” – Zac Costello

“Making change in a business is tough. Whether you’re struggling with a cynical workforce, restrictive budgets, or overly technical line managers, I’ve been there myself, probably multiple times in my rather squiggly career. I know there are few quick fixes to making meaningful, lasting change, but I also know that no problem is unfixable. And that’s what we do – zoom out to find the story behind the problem, then zoom back in to create practical, realistic solutions.” – Lauren Owen

Turns out, Home is where the industry experts are. Fancy throwing a challenge our way? We’re ready when you are. 

Fiona Caines
In Culture

Death to vanilla values

Vanilla values breed vanilla companies. Want to be great? Start by standing for something. 

Values are what we believe – they guide the way we think, the decisions we make, and the actions we take. They’re the foundation of a strong, high-performing culture—not hollow slogans on a wall. 

Yet, insights from The Work Project reveal a blunt reality: while most organisations claim to champion values, only 54% of people believe they’re genuine.  

And It’s easy to see why  

Because you’re not saying anything different. Nearly two-thirds of the FTSE-100 use the same values: integrity, respect, customer-centricity, innovation, and excellence – with collaboration also being thrown into the vanilla mix. 

And the problem is that these overused terms have become cliché and lifeless, losing their impact. And when values feel generic and disconnected from the reality of your culture (i.e. Your actions don’t match your words), employees stop paying any attention to them. 

For some of the most overused values, such as trust, integrity, respect, it feels like we’re setting a very low bar. Aren’t these just the minimum standards we should expect? Just think about if a person introduced themselves as someone who had never robbed a bank, would you applaud their integrity? Of course not. So, why do you expect people to be inspired by these low-level expectations? 

The corporate smokescreen 

It’s clear that instead of using values as a decision-making and cultural tool, organisations are using them as a front for their corporate image – to project a picture-perfect persona. 

But the reality is, by sticking to the status quo – following the crowd instead of choosing to stand up for what you believe in – your highly-polished persona is simply blending in.  

And that’s going to be a problem. Because in our society’s growing demand for something more, the values of the places we work at, the brands we buy from, and the business we invest in is coming into sharper focus. 

  • 58% of people wouldn’t work for a company that doesn’t share their values (LinkedIn, 2023). 
  • 90% of consumers prefer brands aligned with their values (Yotpo, 2023). 
  • 91% of investors prioritise corporate values alongside traditional factors like dividends (Schwab Modern Wealth Survey, 2022). 

People care about this. And being vanilla is going to do nothing to attract the best talent. It’s not going to inspire and drive greater performance. And it’ll never enhance your reputation. 

It’s time to add some spice and say death to vanilla values.  

Making values your differentiator  

For values to be impactful, they need to be authentic, reflecting the realities of who you are today and driving the behaviours that will help you achieve your big ambitions. 

Here’s how:  

1 – Define your intent 

Before diving in, define what you want your values to do. Stand out in the market? Attract a target audience? Drive business critical behaviours? 

All are valid but having a clear statement of intent will help you stay focused and enable you to question if your values are noise or adding genuine value. 

2 – Find your unique culture 

Your values should reflect your culture and be rooted in who you are today.  

Talk to people to understand the qualities that make you unique.  

At the same time, think about your future goals. Identify any gaps between your current culture and the behaviours needed to reach those goals. Aligning values with your ambitions ensures they stay relevant and drive success. 

3 – Inject creativity 

With a clear picture of who you are and where you want to go, it’s time to create your values. And creativity will be a differentiator from the same old cliché words. Because if you’re saying the same thing, you may as well not say it all! 

We recommend aiming for between 3-5 values. This ranges makes them broad enough to cover key behaviours whilst still being concise and memorable. 

And whether you opt for singular words or short phrases, focus on language that feels distinctive, emotive, inventive, or even unexpected. 

Adding a visual identity can bring your values to life, reinforcing the characteristics of your culture, building an emotional connection and ensuring consistent communication – making your values more memorable, tangible, and engaging. 

4 – Lift off 

Ahead of launch, test your values with a small group of people to make sure they’re clear, believable, and applicable to roles. 

After making any adjustments, it’s time to share them. Whether through a big-bang launch or a more subtle rollout, values should be visible at every level—from company-wide communications to team meetings. 

And Employee Champions can help spread the message, from the ground-up, building credibility and serving as role models for your values. 

5 – Long-term value 

For values to be truly effective, they must live beyond the launch, becoming part of everyday actions. 

They should be visible and felt at every employee touchpoint, from hire-to-retire. If not, people will see them as the same empty words and lose interest… or worse. 

To get started, make use of existing data such as onboarding feedback, engagement insights and leavers interviews to pinpoint any priority areas. From there you can begin to align your processes with your values, creating an authentic experience. 

It’s time for a change 

Nothing great ever came from staying in your comfort zone.  

And whether you’re just starting to define your values or need a complete overhaul, we’ll make your values more than just words on the wall.  

It’s time to break the mould. To make your people stand up and pay attention. To shift behaviour. And drive performance. 

Let’s make work, really work. 

Fiona Caines
In Communications, Culture

The science behind happier teams and stronger performance

Let’s go back in time. Let’s head to the 2000’s. The millennium bug wasn’t that big after all, “Who let the dogs out” somehow didn’t make it to number 1, and Gladiator was packing out cinemas everywhere.

But there was also a group of researchers visiting 60 different companies. And while we were watching Russel Crowe scream, “Are you not entertained?”, those researchers were silently listening to meetings, scribbling down every single word.

What they did afterwards was analyse their transcriptions looking for positive and negative words. And what they found was that companies with the greater financial performance had a 3:1 ratio for positive communication.

Meaning, that for every one piece of constructive feedback (or criticism), there were three examples of recognition, encouragement, or positive reinforcement.

What’s more, in teams that were achieving extraordinary performance, their ratio was closer to 6:1!

Words build worlds.

As leaders, what we say matters.

Positive communication can have an enormous impact on the motivation, emotional wellbeing, psychological safety and problem-solving ability of our teams.

It’s no secret that happier people are more productive. In fact, it’s been proven.

The Lasado Ratio – as this piece of research is called – highlights a way that we can use communication to create a more positive experience for our people. An experience that leads to greater happiness and satisfaction. That, in turn, translates into stronger performance.

So, you’re saying there’s a secret formula?

Not exactly. As with every piece of research there are several more papers that ‘debunk’ the theory, the results and the science behind it.

But whether you believe in the perfect ratio or not, communication remains an essential leadership skill. So, how do you want to use that skill – to create a cloud of criticism, fear, and defensiveness? Or to support, enable and inspire people to be their absolute best?

There’s only one real winner.

Five ways to start using positive communication

One of the best things about communication is… it’s free. But it does take a conscious and continual effort. So, how can we make positive communication a part of our day-to-day?

Manage your own emotions

I’m sure we’ve all been told at some point, “watch out, they’re not in a good mood”, before stepping into a leadership meeting. How did that make you feel – nervous, anxious, confused? Not exactly a positive experience.

So, let’s not be that kind of leader. We all have ‘off’ days – we’re all human – but don’t let those negative emotions spread across the team.

As a leader, your wellbeing is just as important as that of your team, so if you find yourself feeling low, take the time to recognise what you’re feeling; change what you can; and prioritise the things that you enjoy… turning those off days, into better days.

Catch people doing it right

Praise and recognition are a huge part of positive communication. So, catch people doing a good job and let them know about it.

Find the times that they’re living your values; appreciate the small acts that often go unnoticed; and let them know how they’re making a difference to the organisation.

Set the tone

You lead by example. You set the tone. So, make it a positive one. At your next meeting, start by showing your genuine appreciation for people’s time. Be inquisitive about people’s thoughts and reactions and invite them to contribute. Celebrate milestones. And instead of focusing on what went wrong, turn them into learning opportunities to ensure success next time.

Offer support

Being positive doesn’t mean saying ‘nice’ things – the things people want to hear. It means supporting people, showing up for them, and empowering them to succeed.

Things will always go wrong. But when we use positive communication, we can reframe challenges and problems as opportunities. And, as a leader, you role is to enable people to learn from the experience and support them in understanding what we can do differently the next time.

Actively listen

Communication is two-way. So, when you’re inviting ideas and asking questions, be ready to listen to and acknowledge the response. And remember, your body language is just as important as the words you speak.

Keep it going

The world is changing, and so are expectations of leaders. But why do we keep developing our leaders in the same old ways?

It’s time to evolve. It’s time to give our leaders the skills and tools to drive the culture that will power people and businesses forward.

Get in touch. And let’s get to work.

Sarah Richards Gill
In Culture

The Mother of all career opportunities

According to a recent study by the Fawcett Society, the UK’s leading charity campaigning for gender equality and women’s rights, 1 in 10 mothers with under-fours quit their jobs due to childcare pressures. This certainly rang true in my experience. Having three young children and a husband who works away most of the week, I had myself pretty much put my own graphic design career as an employee behind me, opting instead with going after the odd freelance job that I could work on any time of day or night to fit around busy family life.

Agency life as I remembered it (pre-covid and pre-children) was an extremely tough gig. I had experienced a few unpleasant situations in my career so far, with many unpaid, exhausting all-nighters, difficult team dynamics and unrealistic deadlines. When I started out in the industry it was considered to be just part of the job, and with a family to support thrown into the mix, it would have been near impossible. The study suggests that less than a third of working mothers with children under the age of four have the flexibility of working arrangements they need, so it’s no wonder a lot of my friends gave up their jobs to bring up their children, or did a complete career U-turn altogether.

Whilst being fortunate enough to be offered regular freelance work, I had always felt slightly short changed that I wasn’t properly part of a team, especially during events like the Christmas party or general work nights out. I expect lots of freelancers would agree that it’s a lonely old gig working for yourself. It was during a brief conversation with the Creative Directors about Home’s recruitment plans whilst freelancing with them that I started to consider how I might return to work as an employee now that my youngest was approaching school age. The team was one of the most flexible and most creative that I had ever worked with and their client list and portfolio was extremely impressive.

One of the hugely beneficial outcomes of the pandemic from my perspective, is the progress made with regards flexible working. Finally it was viewed in a positive light by both employers and employees and a lot of the team at Home were working part-time from home. I decided to bite the bullet and stick my hat in the ring while the company were on a recruitment drive to see where it would lead.

If I’m completely honest, I was expecting to be offered a part time, flexible working contract at best, but what happened next was a complete game changer. Home went above and beyond (as they always seem to do!) with the holy grail of employment contracts if you’re a working parent – part time, term time only. Opportunities like these are almost unheard of outside of the education sector, but there’s no reason why they shouldn’t become mainstream in other sectors as well. One small change to the ‘norm’ could have a huge impact on recruiting and retaining the right team.

I’ve been a permanent member of the team since April 2023 and am genuinely loving every second. I am absolutely certain that it was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my career so far and long may it last – I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity. Honey, I’m most definitely Home!

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