Finding a world of elegance and royalty
It was enough for me to simply leave the airport to already feel like I was in another world… not just because the English people drive on the right side of the road, but because of the way they are, how they express themselves, etc. Besides, there are very perceptive differences. It is highly probable that the cause of this is that it’s my first time in London, but you really feel like you are entering another world☺ (I’ll talk about this on another occasion).
When I arrived at Havas UK, my perception did not change completely and I discovered that we are not so different and even less so when we talk about work.
Havas Village or HKX was only inaugurated last February, and just by entering the reception you perceive that smell of new and, even more, the decor still has signs of that previous move …
The Mexico Office is designed in shades of red and white, while HKX is in black, gray and white … the great difference, from the sober and elegance to the colorful. The people are super polite and friendly, that does not change, and the reception is super ad hoc to what you live.
The Havas world’s induction is evidently identical; in other words, the explanation of the objectives, what companies are in HKX, what each specialty does, the benefits as an employee and, obviously, the traditional tour throughout the agency, showing every corner of it, highlighting the elegance of London. A partner of Havas Lofts of Berlin commented that in her country there are not so many divisions o.0, this is not everywhere? (Front Office, Middle Office, and Back Office)
Talking with my guest coach, I realized that we do not have big differences when it comes to the way of thinking, planning, and innovating the area; I really felt we spoke the same language.
I only noticed small differences like workflow and collaboration.
- The Business Manager in Mexico is the Account Manager in the UK, a peculiar aspect of Havas not to use the same name for roles
- In the UK, they have an operations manager who is the head of the whole operative part, including the reports.
Socialyse UK has grown over the last year, according to Kevin, and he believes that this year will continue that trend and I do not doubt it… because it really is a great team and I have only been with them for 4 days.
The atmosphere of the place is very pleasant and sometimes very silent, although, with hours passing I realize that this silence is not exclusive to Socialyse, but throughout the agency. Even if there are meetings or visits in the area, it is generally a quiet environment where you can hear the sound of keys as they write e-mails, whispers between them, and songs by Red Hot Chili Peppers or Coldplay in the distance.
Internal meetings are informal and usually consist of a talk on someone’s desk, over coffee or tea. This differs from Mexico, where we love the formalities of sending a calendar invitation copying to everyone, even if it is not in the mood of the subject.
Something that touched me these past couple of days, and that I was very pleased about, is how they did a tribute to the people who died in the attack on June 3 with a few minutes of silence.
I hope to continue living these great and wonderful experiences and to enjoy world of royalty that is lived in London.
