I created this quiz for the agencies so read on and see who wins at each round. (one point awarded for the winner for each criteria)
Round One:
Who has the better office space?
Criteria: location, open vs. cube like, decor, view, snacks, conference rooms.
Location: The winner...HMH (sorry Ascentium, but I know you'll agree with me here) HMH is located downtown right off the streetcar route. It is a super convenient location.
Open vs. Cube like: The winner...Ascentium. HMH has individual offices for most of their employees, and very little open space. Ascentium operates with cube-like desks. After experiencing both environments I found that I prefer the open feeling. To me, it seems to provide more of a community feeling to the office at large, and eliminates any office space jealousy.
Decor: HMH takes all. HMH has some elements about their office space that are more like what I refer to as Advertising Architecture. Each individual office has a glass door and windows that provide a light open feeling. Ascentium had few windows and they were only on one side of the room. HMH also has a pretty glossy (Lattice members will appreciate that description ;) front entryway.
View: Another win for HMH. Operating downtown you just can't beat the view of the Willamette River and Mt. Hood.
Snacks: Ascentium wins this one. They have a full kitchen stocked full of goodies and beverages thanks to Heather for providing them.
Conference Rooms: HMH wins this one. They have nice, decorated, clearly labeled conference rooms. Ascentium's conference rooms aren't bad they are just simply rooms with tables and chairs.
The overall winner is HMH with four points, Ascentium with two points.
Round Two: Work
Criteria: medium, clients, process.
Medium: The winner for this category is hard to pick. Ascentium is largely an interactive focused agency who doesn't do print work at all. HMH is more of a traditional agency offering clients work in print, TV, radio and also interactive. Overall i'd say its a tie. Working at both agencies has given me an understanding of what its like on the production side for each medium. It seems that print is more busy work and interactive is troubleshooting.
Clients: Ascentium takes this one. Not to diss either agency, but I personally find the clients of Ascentium more exciting. HMH does have great clients too, but less that intrigue me. I will say that HMH has profoundly long lasting relationships with their clients which is truly admirable.
Process: Ascentium gets a home run because they have a lot less actual "paper" that gets transfered between employees because their work is digital. HMH definitely has an effective system in place for transferring jobs between employees though.
The overall winner is Ascentium with three points and HMH with one point.
Round Three: Employees
Criteria: age, sex, family feeling
Age: HMH has been in business for a long time and because of that they have a lot of employees who have been here for 10+ years. Ed, their President has been here for 25 years! It says something good about the company seeming how there is low turnover rate. Ascentium's creative department is fairly new to the Portland area, a little over a year, they also have low employee turnover rate, but their employees are generally younger overall. Who wins? So far, Ascentium because by the end of my time there I was felt a sense of belonging. I've only been at HMH for three days so far, but have meet some great people.
Sex: I'm stereotyping here a bit, so I apologize. HMH seems more female dominate where Ascentium seems more male dominated. I believe this comes from the nature of the work. Ascentium has a tech and digital focus naturally drawing in more guys. HMH is more traditional bringing in people from all backgrounds. Who wins? It's a tie. I don't think there really is clear winner because it doesn't matter to me if there are more guys or women working in an office.
Family Feeling: Another tie. Each agency is definitely close knit. It is encouraging to see that within both very different atmospheres the employees are proud to work where they do and are supportive of each other.
The winner: Ascentium with three. HMH with two.
Criteria: location, open vs. cube like, decor, view, snacks, conference rooms.
Location: The winner...HMH (sorry Ascentium, but I know you'll agree with me here) HMH is located downtown right off the streetcar route. It is a super convenient location.
Open vs. Cube like: The winner...Ascentium. HMH has individual offices for most of their employees, and very little open space. Ascentium operates with cube-like desks. After experiencing both environments I found that I prefer the open feeling. To me, it seems to provide more of a community feeling to the office at large, and eliminates any office space jealousy.
Decor: HMH takes all. HMH has some elements about their office space that are more like what I refer to as Advertising Architecture. Each individual office has a glass door and windows that provide a light open feeling. Ascentium had few windows and they were only on one side of the room. HMH also has a pretty glossy (Lattice members will appreciate that description ;) front entryway.
View: Another win for HMH. Operating downtown you just can't beat the view of the Willamette River and Mt. Hood.
Snacks: Ascentium wins this one. They have a full kitchen stocked full of goodies and beverages thanks to Heather for providing them.
Conference Rooms: HMH wins this one. They have nice, decorated, clearly labeled conference rooms. Ascentium's conference rooms aren't bad they are just simply rooms with tables and chairs.
The overall winner is HMH with four points, Ascentium with two points.
Round Two: Work
Criteria: medium, clients, process.
Medium: The winner for this category is hard to pick. Ascentium is largely an interactive focused agency who doesn't do print work at all. HMH is more of a traditional agency offering clients work in print, TV, radio and also interactive. Overall i'd say its a tie. Working at both agencies has given me an understanding of what its like on the production side for each medium. It seems that print is more busy work and interactive is troubleshooting.
Clients: Ascentium takes this one. Not to diss either agency, but I personally find the clients of Ascentium more exciting. HMH does have great clients too, but less that intrigue me. I will say that HMH has profoundly long lasting relationships with their clients which is truly admirable.
Process: Ascentium gets a home run because they have a lot less actual "paper" that gets transfered between employees because their work is digital. HMH definitely has an effective system in place for transferring jobs between employees though.
The overall winner is Ascentium with three points and HMH with one point.
Round Three: Employees
Criteria: age, sex, family feeling
Age: HMH has been in business for a long time and because of that they have a lot of employees who have been here for 10+ years. Ed, their President has been here for 25 years! It says something good about the company seeming how there is low turnover rate. Ascentium's creative department is fairly new to the Portland area, a little over a year, they also have low employee turnover rate, but their employees are generally younger overall. Who wins? So far, Ascentium because by the end of my time there I was felt a sense of belonging. I've only been at HMH for three days so far, but have meet some great people.
Sex: I'm stereotyping here a bit, so I apologize. HMH seems more female dominate where Ascentium seems more male dominated. I believe this comes from the nature of the work. Ascentium has a tech and digital focus naturally drawing in more guys. HMH is more traditional bringing in people from all backgrounds. Who wins? It's a tie. I don't think there really is clear winner because it doesn't matter to me if there are more guys or women working in an office.
Family Feeling: Another tie. Each agency is definitely close knit. It is encouraging to see that within both very different atmospheres the employees are proud to work where they do and are supportive of each other.
The winner: Ascentium with three. HMH with two.
Extra Bonus for HMH:
They have an intercom system! No idea why, but those have always intrigued me. Brings back memories of elementary school.
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