Sweetwater reviews

4.2

82% would recommend to a friend

(541 total reviews)
avatar

Mike Clem

90% approve of CEO

74% 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
5.0
Sep 26, 2022

Sweetwater is intentional about creating a positive employee experience

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Sweetwater has worked hard in recent years to improve the overall experience for employees. They are highly selective during the hiring process, which helps ensure that only top quality employees get hired. A newly-implemented onboarding program provides touchpoints during an employee's first 90 days so that he/she feels connected to the greater mission. There are lots of amenities on campus, including a hair salon & spa, free medical clinic staffed by an MD & RN, free gym with personal trainer, a full-service diner, coffee shop, free counselor/mental health resources, and more. There are concierge services like dry cleaning and employees enjoy discounts at dozens of local retailers. Employees get regular feedback from managers and there is room for advancement, if desired. Benefits, including health, dental, and vision, are competitive. The 401K match increased not that long ago and PTO was added for full-time employees.

Cons

No company is perfect, but Sweetwater has really worked to make improvements in certain areas, i.e. more diversity in the management team. They are unapologetic about being a high-performing company, which is both a positive and negative.

2.0
Aug 22, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Really nice campus, cafeteria on site and other amenities

Cons

Low pay, incompetent management, no way to grow with company

avatar
Sweetwater Response
3y
Thanks for sharing your thoughts here. As one reference point on your "no way to grow" comment, through July 2022 we've had 244 employees earn promotions within Sweetwater this year. This is a record level of promotions compared to prior years. We always encourage employees to reach out and talk with their managers and HR about their interests in growth. - Jeff Ostermann, Chief People Officer
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.

avatar
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
Viewing 247 - 249 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.