Houseful

What does being an aspiring leader mean at Houseful? 🤔 This is a topic Housemates ask themselves during our Houseful Aspiring Leaders Programme… This programme has been designed in house, and is all about self-leadership being the most important place to start; ‘In order to lead others, we must learn to lead ourselves first.’ Self leadership: Actively developing a confident sense of who you are, taking ownership of your actions (#OwnIt), understanding your impact on others and being intentional as to where you are going. It is designed for those who want to elevate their career and progress at Houseful (whether they choose to go down a Senior Individual Contributor route or a People Leader route) they are equipped with the tools, behaviours and knowledge to develop their emotional intelligence, self-awareness, self-development and self-management in order to actively unlock their future potential. 🚀 To close the programme after four months together, Emily Wilson, Senior Talent Development Partner (and Coach) asks our CEO, Charlie Bryant, and Leaders across the business in different roles to share their learnings and experiences. 🎤 After Housemates have completed the programme, they are set up with leadership mentors from across the business to support them in their ongoing personal and professional development whilst they put their learnings and commitments into practice. 🤝 The next cohort are about to begin their journey on the programme... ------ Here are a few of our favourite insights from our most recent cohort(s): ✅ 100% of those who have been on the programme would recommend it to others  ✅ 100% said it has exceeded or met their expectations  ✅ 100% will commit to continuing to take their learnings into action 🗨 ‘I'm so grateful to have had this opportunity and I can already see the benefits in my day to day interactions. I’ve met some great people and I hope to continue to grow the relationships!’ 🗨 ‘This course is excellent. There is loads of research being done that is then adapted to help meet Houseful's goals and objectives.’ 🗨 ‘I’ve learnt there will be many leadership paradoxes that we will have to face and navigate and that taking action leads to change. Which is why I’ve already started taking action on my commitments’ If you’d like to join a company of forward-thinking leaders, check out our live roles: https://lnkd.in/dhu4eAtz 🔗

How do we retain and attract more diverse talent in the tech industry? It’s something close to our heart as a business and next week, our Head of Talent Acquisition, Sandy Lacey-Aberdein, will speak on this topic at RecFest UK 2024. Sandy will be part of a panel discussion, covering: ● Best practices for attracting diverse talent in the tech industry focusing on ethnicity and gender ● Overcoming common barriers and biases in the recruitment process ● The role of leadership and organisational culture in fostering diversity and inclusion ● Innovative approaches to building diverse talent pipelines ●The impact of diversity on innovation, productivity, and company culture If you’re in Talent Acquisition you can register for #RecFest2024, or follow our charity partner Tech She Can to #changetheratio

HouseProud is excited to share an update on our recent activities during Pride and beyond. We are the LGBTQIA+ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Network (DEICN) for Houseful, and in the second week of Pride month, we focused our activities on #BeingTheChange and demonstrating how we can embody the positive transformation we wish to see. Last week, we released a HousefulShort video to our entire organisation, highlighting our initiatives as a network, centred around our four pillars: 1️⃣ Inclusive Leadership We aim to engage senior leaders and managers in fostering an LGBTQ-inclusive culture. 2️⃣ Equitable Policies and Benefits We are reviewing all our policies and benefits to ensure they are inclusive and equitable for LGBTQIA+ employees, ensuring they feel represented and supported in the workplace. 3️⃣ Engagement and Support Across the Employee Lifecycle We are examining how we engage and support LGBTQIA+ employees at each key touchpoint throughout their career journey, from attraction and recruitment to exit. 4️⃣ Improving Our Data We are enhancing our LGBTQIA+ data collection, monitoring, analysis, and reporting to better understand representation and prioritise initiatives based on data. In addition, HouseProud members came together to share personal stories, aiming to raise awareness, advocate for colleagues, and educate the broader organisation. We discussed our everyday experiences as LGBTQIA+ individuals in the UK and provided resources for further reading on the community's current challenges. This week, our focus is on #BuildingTogether, creating connections, and celebrating the ties that unite us. Stay tuned for next week’s update on our continued efforts!

We're so proud to continue our partnership with Future Frontiers, and grateful for the opportunity to make a positive impact on a young person's journey.

To improve the representation of women at a senior level at Houseful we’ve recently created a Women in Leadership programme. Earlier this week, six participants from that programme attended the Financial Times Women in Business Summit where they had the opportunity to expand their minds and perspective with speakers ranging from Harriet Harman KC to Nicola Downing, CEO Ricoh Europe. The theme of the day was ‘Power and parity: Rewriting the rules for the future’ and topics varied from navigating disruption to when CEOs should become activists (and when they shouldn't!) to why women in their midlife are quitting the workforce at the peak of their careers. The summit explored the most effective policies, strategies and initiatives to close the gender gap and improve female representation in the highest echelons of society and business. Here’s how Anastasia Brenikov, Houseful Director of ESG reflected on the day: “A fantastic day at the Women in Business Summit, an opportunity to listen to high-quality discussion and debate on critical topics that impact us all. I particularly enjoyed hearing from Harriet Harman on the obstacles she overcame as an MP in the 80s (when less than 5% of the parliamentary representatives were women) and getting an overview from Kathryn Britton on how recent data shows us that women leaders' responses to disruption is to identify the opportunity. It was also a meaningful pause in the rush of every day to spend time with my colleagues, some seriously talented women who continue to inspire me (and who are also a really good laugh!). With so much work to do on gender equality, it's important to have women around you who make you smile and remind you why the work is worth it“

As promised, we're excited to update you on the activities of HouseProud, our LGBTQIA+ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Network (DEICN). This week, HouseProud is focusing on #SettingTheBarHigher. After collaborating closely with Crisis, the Houseful team has gained valuable insights into the challenges of homelessness and its underlying issues. Our journey has taught us how to be effective partners in addressing this critical area. We were particularly moved by the disproportionate impact of homelessness on the LGBTQ+ community, compelling us to take further action. Our commitment to making a difference led us to partner with Stonewall Housing, the leading national charity supporting LGBTQ+ individuals across the UK who are experiencing homelessness or living in unsafe conditions. On Thursday, we hosted a 'Lunch on the House' event for all Housemates in collaboration with the team at Stonewall Housing. This was our first collaborative event, but it certainly won't be our last! Dozens of Housemates attended and learned about the impactful work Stonewall Housing has been doing since 1983, having supported over 42,000 marginalised and vulnerable LGBTQIA+ individuals. After the presentation, we shared a meal, and many Housemates generously donated their lunch money to support Stonewall Housing's incredible cause.

June has arrived, bringing with it the month of Pride. You may have noticed that the branding for Houseful, Zoopla (part of Houseful), and Hometrack (part of Houseful) has been updated with some vibrant colours to show our support for the LGBTQIA+ community. Houseful is proud to stand with our LGBTQIA+ colleagues, consumers, customers, and partners. While this display of support has sparked controversy in the past, we remain steadfast in our commitment to allyship. However, we have heard your feedback requesting greater transparency about our ongoing efforts beyond June. Even when our logos return to their original designs, our support remains unwavering. Within Houseful, a dedicated group of LGBTQIA+ members and their allies have formed a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Champion Network (DEICN) called HouseProud. In the coming weeks, we will share more details about our activities during Pride Month and our continuous efforts beyond it. This week, we will be focusing on #SettingtheBarHigher, and how we might drive progress and strive for better for the LGBTQIA+ community. On Thursday we will host a ‘Lunch on the House’ with Stonewall Housing. Next week, we focus on how we might #BeTheChange and show up to be the positive change we want to see. The week after, we will focus on #BuildingTogether and creating the connections we need to thrive as a community, alongside our allies, for we believe that more connects us than divides us. In the final week of Pride month, we will focus on #KnowingOurAudience, and how we can better understand and support our LGBTQIA+ community at Houseful. Keep your eyes peeled! And for all the Zoopla mobile app users out there, when you download the latest version of the app, you can convert the Zoopla logo to its more vibrant Pride version by accessing the ‘Account’ screen and selecting ‘App icon’. Find out more about diversity, equity and inclusion at Houseful: https://lnkd.in/eqmd578u

How we do things at Houseful is as important as what we do. Ensuring that we’re showing up for people and the planet is not only core to our culture, embedded into our employee behaviours, but also a critical step in ensuring the business is set up for success in the future. We’re proud to share the progress we’ve made over the last year in our 2023 ESG report, with particular highlights including: - Leveraging Hometrack (part of Houseful) data to grow its portfolio of energy performance products including its EPC data solution. Over time, this will help improve the quality and energy efficiency of the UK’s housing stock. - Our employees delivered over 750 hours of career and skill development support to children from low-income families through its partnership with education charity Future Frontiers. - Zoopla (part of Houseful)'s joint research with Crisis supported their efforts to encourage the Government to increase local housing allowance in line with inflation - these changes were announced in the Autumn statement and have positively impacted 1.6 million households. Across Houseful, we also raised over £70,000 for Crisis to help those at risk of or facing homelessness right now. For more on our ESG commitments, achievements and framework - take a look at the full report: 

Following the recent festivals of Ramadan and Eid, our Bridge champion network at Houseful hosted a special Snack time so that colleagues could learn more about these celebrations from those who celebrated these events. Our Bridge champion network has prioritised raising awareness of cultural celebrations to those in the business with a view to creating a more inclusive environment for all of our employees. To anyone who celebrated Eid last week, we'd love to hear how your celebrations went. #housefulbridgenetwork #inclusion #lifeathouseful #houseful

We’re delighted to be partnering again this year with Future Frontiers for the 3rd year running, as part of our Change for Tomorrow and Houseful Community Coaching Programme. Future Frontiers is an award-winning education charity which works with schools and businesses across the UK to provide a programme of coaching and access to professional role models to disadvantaged young people aged 14-16. Last year’s cohorts proved to be extremely successful: 98% of students felt clearer on what they need to do to achieve their ambition and our 55 Housemate coaches all said they would recommend the sessions to their colleagues. On 26th March, Houseful coaches and students from Langley Park School for Boys celebrated the completion of our spring cohort! 14 Housemates delivered 88 hours of careers coaching; working hand in hand with 15 students to help them navigate the different career opportunities available to them. Here is how one of our coaches - Pritesh Patel - described his experience:  “A genuine opportunity to make a positive impact on a young person’s journey. Future Frontiers provided me with an amazing platform to help students map out their career path and mentor them through this pivotal time. The experience has been incredibly rewarding and being able to help to inspire the next generation of young professionals has been priceless. A fab organisation helping to create our future rising stars.” We will be working with a further 3 student cohorts in 2024, so watch out for more Future Frontiers & Houseful partnership posts. #futurefrontiers #lifeathouseful #changefortomorrow #changetheratio #careersintech