Pros
High-level: The offices and the overall culture at H&S are probably the most attractive feature about the agency. The location is easily accessible and the offices have a colorful open floor plan. The cafe's are always stocked with coffee, and free food is always in abundance often leftover from meetings, office gatherings, and team lunches. Overall, the employees are friendly and easy to talk too. The large portfolio of clients and capabilities makes H&S a great place to learn and grow within the industry. Senior Leadership/Mid-Level: There are some talented mid-level & senior leaders at H&S that exude industry knowledge and experience. If you are lucky enough to work with them, they have much to offer a team and clients. Learn from them! However, these individuals are FEW and FAR between and often spread thin. Agency Capabilities and Resources: Surface level, H&S offers an abundance of capabilities and resources to its clients, more so than most other agencies. H&S has a robust process that definitely produces (some) high-quality work that garnishes a good reputation within the Pharma Ad world.
Cons
Size: H&S has rapidly expanded over the past couple of years. While the agency occupies a large space, it has noticeably become over crowded as more people are hired. In addition to the close proximity that employees are now forced to sit in, it is nearly impossible to reserve a conference room for team/client meetings unless you book them a week in advance or pester an admin to barter for you. This is frustrating because it becomes difficult to do your job if you don't have any space to conduct work in, and consequently suggests a poor reflection of your ability to do your job to your managers. The office is often very loud, the bathrooms are dirty, and always full. The temperature in the office jumps from freezing to HOT randomly depending on where you are, and the AC is turned off at 5/6pm....but don't expect to leave that early. With the influx of new business, the agency has felt like a revolving door as of late. New faces come and go, and the old ones stay the same. There does not seem to be much longevity unless you are comfortably mid-senior level. Work Ethic: As mentioned, the agency has gotten so big and is so dedicated to adhering to its "agency process," that employees have become co-dependent on one another to get work done. Everyone does the bare minimum of what is expected of them in their role, and everything else is expected to be done by another. Overall, Account Services experiences this most, especially junior account members. If you are junior level account, expect to have the largest workload with the least reward or compensation. Account members are expected to run projects, maintain all finances, be a pseudo copywriter, be a pseudo art director, psuedo admin, psuedo strategist, psuedo project coordinator, and expected to help manage/maintain the client relationship. While all of this to some degree is expected of an account member, the level of involvement of AS at H&S is absurd when compared to other agencies, and UNHEALTHY. Creatively, the agency boast some impressive talent but often recycles these ideas or themes across brands and becomes stagnant. Senior Leadership/Mid-Level: As mentioned, there are some truly talented mid-senior level managers and leaders at H&S. They are personable, intelligent, and have a lot to offer. However, they are FEW and FAR between and are often spread thin. Further, there are MANY mid-senior level managers/leaders that are in positions they do not qualify for at the agency. Many of these individuals have been tenured at H&S for many years, or have been recently hired with the influx of new or growing business. If these are your managers or supervisors, working conditions can be very difficult and toxic. If you are junior level these conditions are worse. These managers overall lack the knowledge, skills, and ability to effectively run a team and manage a client, and this becomes apparent when their roles and responsibilities befall their junior reports more so then themselves. They often will micro manage, ineffectively communicate internally and externally with clients, and will seek scapegoats instead of taking any ownership. They will spend more time reprimanding individuals for mistakes instead of challenging them to improve. This is both debilitating and detrimental. Agency Structure: As the agency has gotten so large, it has essentially been split in two with the addition of a second agency president. Certain accounts befall the supervision of each president, and one is certainly regarded more highly than the other (when in-fact it makes no difference than then who you report too). However, this creates a noticeably schism-ed atmosphere within the agency and the various teams. It's cliquey. It's unprofessional. Opportunity for Growth: H&S promises they can offer a robust atmosphere to nurture and grow individuals' careers. This is not true. There are annual reviews and 'learning sessions' that everyone partakes in, but at the end of the day your ability to advance your career falls on your manager...please see note above. There are multiple hires and resignations it seems each week, and I find it hard to believe it is just "agency life." People are often asked to work on multiple brands, or on understaffed teams, leading to long hours and a horrid work-life balance at times. While a lot of this is circumstantial based on an individual and the team(s) they are one, it seems to be a widely shared pattern among the agency. Overall, H&S is a reputable agency with a lot to offer its clients and employees, but like any workplace has it's areas for improvement. Depending on what you are looking for, I would think twice about employment here.