Stink Studio and global HR and payroll platform, Rippling, present real-life HR horror stories – from the famous story of a man who brought an “emotional-support clown” to his dismissal meeting to previously unknown tales, such as the guy who used the company photocopier to scan his feet for his “online profile”. The OOH campaign is Rippling’s first-ever UK campaign with Stink Studios as its official agency of record.

The juiciest thing to happen to HR and Payroll flips the traditional narrative around workplace gossip. While HR is often seen as the keeper of office drama, Rippling reframes what’s really worth talking about – not who did what at the Christmas party, but the tools that actually make work better. Because the real story isn’t the latest workplace scandal – it’s that with Rippling you can onboard an employee in 90-seconds, run payroll globally, and eliminate the administrative tasks that eat into your day. 

To develop the stories, Stink Studios mined the HR community for true stories from offices around the world, engaging with online forums, professional groups and even its own internal HR team. They developed ten stories inspired by real events, working with Animade to design bespoke 3D miniatures that bring each execution to life.

The campaign launched in the UK on April 9 across major London placements, including a takeover at Liverpool Street station, as well as out-of-home, taxi wraps, radio, digital and social channels, and a dedicated website, inviting people to submit their own HR faux pas.  

“It was fascinating fishing around for the most outrageous HR stories and using these moments of office folklore to highlight the tools that really give the HR community something to talk about,” stated Kat Thomas, creative director, Stink Studios.

“HR teams have seen and heard it all, and while workplace stories will always have their place, the more compelling story today is that a platform like Rippling exists and genuinely delivers. By removing complexity and administrative burden, we enable HR and Finance teams to focus on what really matters, their people and the growth of the business. That’s the real ‘tea’ worth sharing,” added Fi Welsh, EMEA marketing director, Rippling.

Credits:
Client: Rippling
Creative Agency: Stink Studios
Media Agencies: OneScreen & StackAdapt
Animation Studio: Animade