Hostile Middle Management - Marketing Sweetwater Employee Review

2.0
4 Aug 2022
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

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4.0
5 Jun 2026
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CEO approval
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Pros

If sales and music are your drives, Sweetwater is as good as it gets. Management in my experience has been very supportive and development-oriented, creating a positive culture around the company. They have a fantastic training program (albeit intense) that trains on both products and sales methods, so even if you're lacking experience in a given category there's plenty of coaching and training to get you ready for the role. Over time, the position can also be quite lucrative which compliments Fort Wayne's low cost of living well. They also offer relocation assistance since all positions are on-site, and a great benefits package. I've been fortunate to become great friends with many of my coworkers and honestly some days don't even feel like work. Ultimately, with this job you get what you put in, and making a solid living to geek out over music gear all day is a pretty sweet gig.

Cons

The job is very demanding - it's a fully commission sales job that revolves around constant customer outreach via call, text, and email. This means starting out is tough financially, and days are usually long. Try to have a savings cushion before you start, especially if you're moving from another city/state. You also work nights, holidays, and rotate through weekend shifts which won't be new for those who have worked retail before, but it's still a tough adjustment. Starting out I struggled from a social aspect as well. Fort Wayne is a cool city, but it's no LA, NY, or Chicago. Long hours at work make going out and making friends or getting involved in community groups/organizations difficult.

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