Sweetwater reviews

4.2

81% would recommend to a friend

(541 total reviews)
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Mike Clem

90% approve of CEO

73% positive business outlook

Sweetwater has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 541 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Sweetwater employee rating is 24% above average for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.4 stars).

Reviews by job title

541 reviews
2.0
Aug 4, 2022

Hostile Middle Management

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Company is always growing. People, excluding middle management, amazing, helpful, energetic and dedicated.

Cons

Loads of literature on 'servant leader' style management is not followed by middle management. Yelling, berating, and irrational focus on the 15% of work that isn't being done flawlessly. No encouragement, only criticism.

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Sweetwater Response
3y
Thank you for sharing your feedback. For clarity, we are absolutely not OK with anyone at Sweetwater yelling at or berating anyone else. This is clearly outlined in our employee handbook and in the anti-harassment training that every employee is required to complete. We also have a Confidential Assistance Request process where employees can report any concerning behavior they have been witness to. I am not aware of any recent complaints filed around the type of behavior that you mention but, rest assured, had they been shared our HR team would have acted swiftly to address them. It is not OK for anyone to be treated this way. Also, we keep detailed track of our attrition rates and the reasons that people list for leaving the company. I can assure you that our attrition rate for women is no higher than that of the total company nor has there been any type of dramatic increase in women leaving. While there are certainly women that have chosen career opportunities beyond Sweetwater, it's simply not accurate that there is a trend in this direction. On the more positive side, there are also many proactive things we're doing in this area - including having a record number of female promotions so far in 2022, placing more highly qualified females into leadership positions (Director level and higher), and investing in additional diversity training efforts. There is of course always more work to be done and we are open to hearing about everyone's personal experience (which is why we do an annual employee survey and exit interviews) but I am also thankful for the efforts our many team members are making in this area. If you'd ever like to talk more about your experience and observations, please don't hesitate to reach out to me or our VP of Employee Wellbeing, Kristal Walker. - Jeff Ostermann, Chief People Officer
3.0
Jul 19, 2022

Ok

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Super nice people to work with

Cons

Very difficult to move up into a better position

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Sweetwater Response
3y
Thank you for offering your thoughts. Through June 2022, we've had 221 individuals earn promotions throughout Sweetwater. This is a record level of upward movement in the company so the growth opportunities are certainly there. If you have questions or concerns about your personal path to advancement, please make sure to speak with your manager or a member of our HR team. We'd be happy to help. - Jeff Ostermann, Chief People Officer
5.0
Jul 18, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I read these recent reviews about the lack of diversity and differences in pay etc etc.. That is all untrue. Being a Sales Engineer requires a certain skill set and knowledge. To suggest that the company seeks out people of a certain color is ludicrous. If you’re given the privilege of attending Sweetwater University and waste your time worrying about everyone else you will not be successful. This is not a job for the faint of heart. You are literally given the ability to run your own shop. And the pay is not taken away when you roll out.. They structure it down over a period of months before you’re living on commission… To the person that wasted his savings all I have to say is you were given an amazing opportunity and to rise to the occasion and you chose to make yourself a victim. You will never be successful with that mindset no matter what your background is. And Sweetwater lays all that out before you get hired. This I know because they moved me from 900 miles away. I worked so many hours in the beginning so I could take advantage of this amazing opportunity and now I’m making more money than I’ve ever made… and btw one of the highest paid Sales Engineers in the company is a man of color.., Yes there was an update to the commission structure but it was a positive change. I am now getting some commission on customers I would otherwise not have gotten a dime on previously. Yes it’s 15% or 10% depending on certain criteria but prior to this change it was either 20% or 0%… Get your facts straight before you post your failures on here. There are so many amazing perks and benefits to working at Sweetwater including health benefits access to a personal trainer and gym, access to mental health counselors and life coaches all for free….

Cons

No company is perfect. Sweetwater is going through a lot of major changes and yes there are growing pains. But despite that we push through it we persevere and we succeed… This company is running lean and mean and is making money when so many others are not…

Viewing 313 - 315 of 541 Reviews

Glassdoor has 571 Sweetwater reviews submitted anonymously by Sweetwater employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Sweetwater is right for you.