Skip to main content
Category

News

We’re experience makers

Life is a collection of experiences—some unforgettable, like dancing at Glastonbury to Bruce Springsteen. Legend! Others are mundane, like chucking yet another can of baked beans into your trolley.  

At Home, we’re a purpose-driven, creative bunch who care immensely about people and their experiences. We don’t just work with our clients — we immerse ourselves in their culture. Why? So, we can act with real insight, truly understand their needs, and do right by them. Budgets and deadlines matter, of course, but we go deeper… 

What keeps you up at night?  

What awards are you chasing? 

Do you need to reschedule because of parents’ evening?  

We‘ve got your back! We’re confidants and advocates —and want to help our clients achieve their career goals.  

We’re a proactive, caring team that thrives on thinking on our feet as well as having total faith in our detailed project plan. We find pure joy in ticking off lists, collaborating with our Home team and clients alike, to deliver totally bespoke solutions each time —all while staying calm, collected and dare I say it ‘having craic’. 

Each of us brings a unique style and experience to the table, but one thing stays the same: great results. We love nothing more than spending time with our clients, celebrating wins over coffee (or wine!), and being their trusted partners.  As we know a great experience isn’t just about smashing business objectives—it’s about enjoying the journey with your Home team. Because we believe that when we connect, collaborate, and have fun together, that’s when the magic really happens.   

Be sure to get in contact if you want to find out more about how we can bring great experiences to you, and your people!  

The human side of creativity

In my many years working in the creative industry, I once heard someone say, “creativity is just the fluffy stuff.”

Now it might come as no surprise that I fundamentally disagree! When done well, creativity can be incredibly powerful, especially when backed by a robust strategy. It’s the best way to cut through the noise, drive change, and bring your culture to life. It can create movements and be the difference from landing a message successfully to one that falls flat.

Creativity starts with emotion…

Think back to when you’ve watched a great film or read a book you couldn’t put down. How did it make you feel? You’ve probably felt some level of emotion. You invested in the story and became part of a world outside your own, even if just for a minute. That’s the power of creativity. It makes people feel. And it can create a lasting impact.

Communicating internally should be no different. When people feel something, it creates stronger connection and meaning. Just because you work for a corporate company doesn’t mean the people behind the scenes are corporate too. Employees are real people. We all want to have purpose, feel a sense of belonging, to be heard, and to be valued. We want to know that what we do really matters. Our emotions play a huge part in whether a day at work is a good one or one you simply want to forget. And that comes down to the way we communicate.

At Home, we know that better days mean better business. It’s about making work really work, and that means getting creative throughout the entire employee experience–from hire to retire. It’s about taking people on the journey in new, exciting and innovative ways whilst remaining human and authentic. Whether it’s creating impactful campaigns or helping leaders support and deliver the best employee experience for their teams, the right creative output can connect hearts and minds.

As employee experts, we build high-performing cultures through strategy, creativity, and experience. After all, strategy without creativity is an unexecuted plan on a page, and creative without a strategy behind it will lack direction and meaning. To get the best results, the two go hand in hand when creating impactful experiences your people will love and remember.

That’s where Home can help. Come on in, our doors always open.

We’re Home. The employee experts. 

In May last year, we became part of the PointZeroGroup. We’ve helped lots of organisations with mergers and acquisitions – including the biggest tech merger of all time – but here we found ourselves. Part of a new collective on a new course.

We’ve been in business for 43 years. That’s basically 200 in agency years. We needed to pause and take stock. To consider what we want to be known for – and the magic ember at the heart of Home that needed to be protected at all costs.

We split the team into three: a group to review our brand proposition, a second group to refresh our look and feel and tone of voice, and a third group to redo our (very old and very ugly) website. We love Home. We gave this the attention it deserved. We handled it with care – and we had a great time doing it. And guess what? Each and every one of us bought into our future – and we’re so proud of where we’ve landed. So today isn’t really about a rebrand, or a new website (although it’s REALLY bloody gorgeous, isn’t it?). It’s a line in the sand moment. It’s standing up as a collective of smart, passionate, creative humans. Focused on the future.

Please allow us to reintroduce ourselves.

We’re Home. The employee experts.

Building high performing cultures through game-changing strategy, captivating creative and unforgettable client experiences. Still driven by the belief that better days mean better business.

Bigger. Bolder. Better.

We’re industry leading strategist and award-winning creatives, with world-class client services. Expect transformational employee experiences. Big ideas that break through. And fresh insights redefining work.
So, what are you waiting for?

Come on in. Take a look around. And when you’re ready to make work, really work. So are we.

PointZeroGroup and Home

Bristol based PointZeroGroup has acquired world leading employee experience agency Home.

The acquisition sees Home join a growing network of employee communications and experience agencies in Bristol under the PointZeroGroup banner, further strengthening the city’s reputation as a hotbed for creative brilliance in this field.

The addition of Home to the PointZeroGroup adds employee experience to their service lines for the first time and strengthens their already burgeoning global client portfolio. All group clients now have access to a full suite of employee and candidate propositions.

PointZeroGroup now consist of Home (employee experience and internal comms), RewardPointZero (benefits communications), That Little Agency (social and digital), and BrandPointZero (employer brand). All group agencies are based in Bristol.

PointZeroGroup founder and BrandPointZero managing director Andy Bamford said,

“We have admired Home for a long time. Their work in employee experience and internal communications is second to none and a great addition to the PointZeroGroup. They have built an enviable group of experts that we’re now proud to call colleagues. We look forward to collaborating with the team at Home as we grow together in the coming months.”

Home will continue to operate from their office at Unicorn Park, Whitby Road.

Sarah on The Work Project

At Home, our vision is to make every employee experience a great one.

But, unfortunately, sometimes the feeling we experience before work, especially on a Sunday evening, can be the total opposite. We’ve all had them at one time or another – those pit of your stomach work dreads when we think about the week ahead. Feeling this way is not healthy, and neither does it create a healthy work culture.

So, what exactly is causing people to feel this way about work?

Is it not fully understanding what’s expected of us? The feeling we’re not valued? The worry that we don’t fit in? A manager who just doesn’t listen? Home’s recent piece of global employee experience research – The Work Project – found that all these things and more result in repeated bad days at work. Leading to unhealthy work cultures, where people don’t feel good, and can’t do their best work.

The Work Project found that 1 in 4 people have felt discriminated against at work, whilst 1 in 3 don’t feel listened to. Belonging and listening are two important levers that contribute to a healthy work culture. When they’re not done right, those bad days will increase along with the number of talented people looking for their next job. We need to start listening to people about their day-to-day experiences to understand what’s really happening and where things can be improved.

Work with meaning.

Another key lever is purpose. When we understand the part we play in the wider company strategy, it’s easier for us to find purpose and meaning because we know exactly how we can make a difference. It feels good by bringing out the best in us.

I’ve been at Home for over 20 years and within that time I have experienced several roles from designer to being on the leadership team. No matter how long or little someone has been with you, or what position they hold, everyone matters. As leaders, we need to be human, build trusted relationships and understand the individual needs of others. We can do this by asking the right questions so we can provide a supportive, safe and engaging environment where everyone can thrive, do their best work and have more good days than bad. No more Sunday night dreads.

Zac on The Work Project

This thing called work is where we’ll spend, on average, around 90,000 hours of our life. That’s a whole lotta time. So, don’t we deserve to feel good while we’re doing it?

It’s a rhetorical question, but I’m going to answer it anyway. Yes. Yes, we do. We all deserve to feel better for being in work.

We all deserve an environment, a culture and experiences that make us feel good about ourselves. Because when we feel good, we’re able to be at our best and do our best work.

And when people feel good, organisations do good

Time and time again, we see the data. Organisations that invest in wellbeing create happier, healthier, supported and fulfilled employees. And these employees are more productive, more innovative, better at collaborating, take less sickness absence and are less likely to leave. The investment isn’t just morally sound, it makes perfect business sense. Right?

Well, the stark reality that The Work Project uncovered is that less than 50% of people actually feel their wellbeing is better for being in work.

One of the lucky ones

I know I’m stealing a phrase from Emily’s blog, but I am one of the lucky ones. One of those people whose wellbeing is better for being in work. And no, it’s not a shameless plug for Home. I’ve always felt that what I do gives me a sense of purpose, a social connection, a challenge and all the great feels that come from success.

That was until I was diagnosed with depression in early 2023.

In truth, I knew something wasn’t right with me – and for a long time I did my best to hide it. But being told I had depression confused me; it made me feel broken and a bit helpless. And at that point, I wasn’t reaching for some of the traditional wellbeing plasters, like free fruit, motivational talks on “how to be more resilient”, or branded, reusable water bottles.

What really helped me was a complete culture of wellbeing.

A culture that engrained psychological safety. The safety to speak up, to say, “I need help” and not to feel scared or judged as a result.

It was a culture that understood that life is messy and complicated, and we all need flexibility to how and when we work. Flexibility that empowers us to take care of ourselves and the ‘things’ going on in life.

It was a culture led by leaders who spoke openly about all forms of wellbeing and were comfortable (is anyone ever comfortable?) in being vulnerable themselves – giving me the permission and confidence to be vulnerable too.

Personally, for the first time, wellbeing wasn’t consigned to an intranet page, an annual awareness day, an awkward conversation with a manager that wants to be anywhere but there.

It was completely humanised. Listening and responding to my personal circumstances to put me in the best position to feel good…. to be my best self, again. And in return, able to bring that best self to work, every day.

And am I fixed? No. Because I’ve learned that that’s not how depression works. But, as I keep exploring this journey – and who I am – I know that with the support of my family and my workplace, I am one of the lucky ones.

But luck shouldn’t play a part in anyone’s wellbeing.

Let’s evolve how we think about (and invest in) wellbeing

Wellbeing has become a regular and much needed conversation. As organisations, let’s embrace that conversation, be part of it, listen to the needs of our people.

Because those that take a holistic approach to wellbeing:

  • Creating supportive environments, where people don’t have to hide what’s going on
  • Developing leaders that are equipped with the skills and knowledge to support their teams – and are comfortable being uncomfortable
  • Offering flexibility in how we work, making juggling life and work more manageable

Will see their people become the best version of themselves. And those same organisations will see those people, bring their best version to work every day.

No sticking plasters. This is wellbeing at the core of who we are.

Let’s get to work.

 

Personal note

If you’re struggling with mental wellbeing, please talk to someone. Anyone.

While watching The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse with my son, there was one line that really spoke to me… and I hope it does for you too:

“What is the bravest thing you’ve ever said? asked the boy.

‘Help,’ said the horse.

‘Asking for help isn’t giving up,’ said the horse. ‘It’s refusing to give up.”

― Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse