Is Smithbucklin a good company to work for?

Smithbucklin has an overall rating of 2.7 out of 5, based on over 468 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 12% over the last 12 months. 30% of employees would recommend working at Smithbucklin to a friend and 44% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Smithbucklin have been left by employees working as Director , Senior Manager and Operations Associate .

Does Smithbucklin pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Smithbucklin employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.6 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Smithbucklin. This rating has decreased by 11% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Smithbucklin?

30% of Smithbucklin employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Smithbucklin 2.7 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.0 for culture and values and 3.4 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Smithbucklin?

Coordinator (28) , Senior Associate (25) , Associate (19) , Senior Coordinator (18) , Manager (16) , Senior Manager (13) , Director (12) , Operations Associate (12) , Membership Associate (10) , Executive Director (9) , Membership and Operations Associate (9) , Event Coordinator (6) , Account Manager (5) , Marketing Associate (5) , Marketing Coordinator (5)

What are the pros of working at Smithbucklin according to real employee reviews?

"Great people to work with and develop your skills." ((in 48 reviews)); "good benefits" ((in 29 reviews)); "The staff for the most part is great and overall there is a great culture that is promoted here." ((in 20 reviews)); "There are countless opportunities to make a difference in your clients, the people you work for and in yourself." ((in 15 reviews)); "I made many close friends and learned a lot from all the clients I worked on over the years." ((in 13 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Smithbucklin according to real employee reviews?

"Managers do not train you and dumb loads of work on you." ((in 23 reviews)); "No work life balance" ((in 16 reviews)); "70 hrs EACH week and was not compensated beyond my salary (a con)." ((in 12 reviews)); "All upper management has been at the company for over 20 years." ((in 11 reviews)); "executive leadership closely monitors and controls every aspect of their employees' work." ((in 8 reviews))

What are the top reviewed Smithbucklin locations?

Chicago , Washington , Saint Louis , Chesterfield , Alexandria , Poland , Raleigh , Bethesda , Tampa

Smithbucklin reviews

Employee Churn & Burn Factory - Event Coordinator Smithbucklin Employee Review

1.0

May 17, 2023

Event coordinator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

in-building cafeteria with great food options.

Cons

Training: there is no training at all. everyone is expected to train themselves without guidance or support, while projects are thrown at them. If you do not know how to do something it is counted against you as a failure. Managers: Lack of transparency and a tendency to scapegoat, micromanage and belittle employees. Managers held employees to higher standards than they did themselves and often publicly called subordinates incompetent. Workload / Work-life Balance: there is none. employees are slotted to 5 or more clients with each client having the work of at least 2 people. with so many tasks, it can be difficult to stay on top of things and you are constantly told to be a team player, or that everyone else has the same amount of work so why can't you keep up? In this environment, it is impossible to complete everything in an 8 hour day and if you do not you are written up. Hybrid - Work Environment: the managers have a list that gets printed from the building every week and tells them who shows up and who doesn't. If you do not show up you are written up, however, write-ups are not done for everyone. Mandatory in-office days are only enforced for some employees, favoritism is a factor here.

Smithbucklin Response

3y

Thank you for sharing your feedback. We take all reviews seriously, especially negative ones because it is not the work environment we want to perpetuate at Smithbucklin. We offer a robust three-week orientation schedule for all new employees, followed by unit and client training for several weeks. In situations such as this, we encourage any employee with concerns around orientation, training, and workload to engage in an open discussion with their reviewing supervisor, HR business partner, or senior executive to identify solutions or changes. We also survey employees three times a year and take action based on feedback; we look forward to reviewing and responding to our May 2023 employee survey.

Explore other reviews about Smithbucklin

5.0

Jul 8, 2026

Client accountant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great work environment Hybrid work schedule - office and WFH

Cons

Low ceiling for climbing the job ladder.

3.0

Jun 14, 2026

Senior associate, marketing

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

1. Gaining experience in marketing, communications, editorial operations, project management, time management, organizational skills, and interpersonal communication, which can help you become more competent in those areas, learn what you're good at, like and dislike, progress your career with the company, or use the experience to pursue another role that fits your goals. 2. Working a hybrid schedule with the ability to handle your work on a computer is a great lifestyle and flexibility advantage. Working adjacent to Downtown Chicago is an incredible experience that can bring even more lifestyle, professional, and personal opportunities. 3. Networking and getting to know a diverse group of people in the company and your department is great for relationship building, both professionally and socially. 4. Smithbucklin provides a robust onboarding and professional development program, providing support for advancing your career, feeling more comfortable at the company, and pushing you to grow.

Cons

1. Workloads can be overwhelming if not properly managed. Managing tasks for several clients at once demands a higher level of time management, organization, consistency, and interpersonal communication tolerance (for a great number of meetings, emails, and messages) that seem to be quite challenging for many associates. But if you ground yourself and continue to become efficient at your workflows, you can handle it. 2. Performing work across different clients makes it hard to focus and specialize. You may be more of a generalist starting, but by discovering the industries, clients, and type of work you like, you may be able to carve out a path you want. 3. The work itself, which can consist of executing digital marketing, comms, or editorial operations tasks, can seem underwhelming, and the learning curve may take time, but the tasks themselves are not necessarily difficult.

1

Smithbucklin Response

4w

Thank you for your feedback. We're glad you valued the professional development opportunities, hybrid work environment and collaborative culture. We appreciate your time with us and wish you success in your future endeavors.

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Smithbucklin

Employee Churn & Burn Factory - Event Coordinator Smithbucklin Employee Review

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