Avantages
The people here are great. Compared to other agencies there is a real lack of ego at R/GA. Everyone is dedicated to doing great work. The cafe in the new office is nice, the prices for lunch are reasonable considering that you're in midtown Manhattan. And the coffee bar is supplied/run by Brooklyn Roasters. There is an exercise room where they offer yoga, pilates and meditation classes throughout the week. There are also 2 showers on the premises.
Inconvénients
At its core R/GA is still an ad agency despite what they say about an agency for the connected age. The clients are demanding and unreasonable and often times I felt like the PMs or the client relations people did not push back because you cannot bite the hand that feeds you. Also despite being a UX designer for dotcom experiences, our work was really dictated by the branding and advertising wing. The new office is open seating, large, and stark. Everything is either grey or white. I think the open office layout is overrated because people are constantly walking around you looking for meeting rooms, there are always conversations happening and it is very hard to focus. The work life balance was always in flux. They were reasonable about leaving in the middle of the day for doctor's appointments or leaving at 5:30 after my child was born. But I there were plenty of times where deadlines were unreasonable and it was expected that you'd work late and weekends.