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 49 reviews)); "Good Benefits" ((in 28 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 16 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 22 reviews)); "Old management way of thinking" ((in 21 reviews)); "No work life balance" ((in 17 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 10 reviews))

What are the top reviewed Smithbucklin locations?

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

Smithbucklin reviews

Decent Workplace with Room for Improvement - Operations Associate Smithbucklin Employee Review

4.0

Sep 21, 2023

Operations associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Decent work-life balance: It's your own boundary to set, but no one gives out their personal information for work purposes. It seems like you can absolutely turn off your computer after hours and have real peace. Inclusive Environment: I felt very welcome and safe. Supportive Supervisor: My supervisor had my back when dealing with difficult members/customers. Office Space: Having my own space was a plus, and some cubicles had amazing views. The building itself is aesthetically pleasing and pleasant to work in. Friendly Atmosphere: Everyone was kind and willing to help. Benefits: They offer solid health and dental insurance. Gym is available. Shuttles are offered if you commute into the train stations.

Cons

Restrictive Schedule: The requirement of 3 days on-site (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday) felt unnecessary, especially when the job could be done entirely from home. Challenging Interactions: Members of organizations could be aggressive and unnecessarily rude. Overworked Employees: Many employees seemed overburdened with too many commitments. You may have to work on more than one client at a time, which can be difficult considering you will have two supervisors who may not know what workload they are giving you in total. Low Entry-Level Pay: The starting salary for entry-level positions was NOT competitive, particularly given the exhausting nature of the work (starting at 42-45k). IT Responsiveness: IT can be VERY slow to respond to inquiries. Best to just show up personally. "Quick to Promote" Structure: While they boast about rapid promotions, it felt like a way to avoid paying employees their true worth. Lengthy Training: Training took months, which was frustrating, especially when much of the content was repetitive from previous job experiences. No Vision Insurance: Unfortunately, they do not provide vision insurance, which could be a drawback considering its affordability.

Smithbucklin Response

2y

Thank you for your review! We're happy to hear about your positive experience with our people and culture. We are deeply committed to the health, well-being, and professional growth of our employees. Our comprehensive employee perks and competitive benefits are designed to address both your current and changing needs. We enable professional development while at work, and a sense of security so you can enjoy your life away from work. Our hybrid work model enables the benefits of social interaction, energy, and team effectiveness three days a week while offering flexibility to work virtually two days per week. We also conduct market assessments of positions and salaries and adjust an employee’s salary if needed to remain competitive within the association industry. We encourage any employee with concerns around workload, promotion, or compensation to engage in an open discussion with their reviewing supervisor, HR business partner, or a senior executive to identify solutions or changes.

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.

Smithbucklin Response

3d

We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. We're glad you enjoy our work environment and hybrid flexibility. We appreciate you sharing your perspective on career growth.

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

1mo

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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Jobs at Smithbucklin

Membership & Operations Associate

Membership & Operations Senior Associate

Membership & Operations Senior Associate

Membership & Operations Senior Associate

Membership & Operations Coordinator

Smithbucklin

Decent Workplace with Room for Improvement - Operations Associate Smithbucklin Employee Review

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