Insane Amount of Work for Low Pay and No Respect - Coordinator Smithbucklin Employee Review

1.0
Aug 21, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

If you're lucky, you'll find a kind and genuine coworker. But it's rare.

Cons

As a woman, I was excited to work for a women-majority company. I was massively disappointed to find that the women leaders fill every single negative stereotype for women in the workplace: inability to take accountability, micromanaging, passive aggressive, cliquey, cheap, and two-faced. If you're not any of these things, you won't fit in here. To this list I will add: being obsessed with pointless details that matter to absolutely no one except them. Forcing others to redo their work simply so it's the way they like it makes them feel powerful and important. It's sad, really. This place has the most unrealistic expectations you'll ever encounter. Everyone does work for multiple clients, sometimes as many as 10 clients. In the midst of this insanity, the client leads should be your biggest fans and supporters, acknowledging how much work you do and encouraging you. Instead, everything you do is nitpicked, criticized and constantly told it's not good enough. You're stressed to the max, doing the work of three people, and yet every day you're told you're not doing enough. Everything you do gets picked apart. You'll have so much anxiety doing anything because you know no matter what, the client leads will find something wrong with it and make you feel stupid. All for what? For a spammy email that someone will delete the second it hits their inbox. It's pointless, unfulfilling work.

avatar
Smithbucklin Response
10mo
Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective. We’re committed to creating a culture where all team members feel supported and respected, and feedback like yours helps us reflect and improve; we recognize the importance of continuously evolving as a workplace. We appreciate the work you contributed during your time with us and wish you continued success.

Explore other reviews about Smithbucklin

5.0
Jul 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great work environment Hybrid work schedule - office and WFH

Cons

Low ceiling for climbing the job ladder.

avatar
Smithbucklin Response
1d
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
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
avatar
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.
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All