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      SMG

      Engaged Employer

      SMG reviews

      Worst Place to work - Client Associate SMG Employee Review

      1.0
      Jun 4, 2025
      Client associate
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      NONE - PLEASE RUN !!!!!

      Cons

      This company is a joke. Hands down the worst culture I’ve ever experienced. I dealt with straight up racism in my team, and of course, the People team talks a big game about inclusion and mental health, but they’re not there for you they’re there to protect the company. They don’t care. At all. Not about you, not about your wellbeing, not about what’s actually happening inside the teams. I brought up issues, real serious ones, and was met with blank stares and fake concern. Nothing changed. I ended up with clinical anxiety and had breakdowns just thinking about going to work. My manager was useless and cold. Zero support, zero empathy. You work hard? Doesn’t matter. You do everything right? Doesn’t matter. You will never be appreciated. The culture is pure toxicity cliques, gossip, backstabbing, and a disgusting hierarchy where the worst people thrive. The People team acts like they care in public, but behind the scenes they’re just damage control. Everything is about image. They will ignore or silence you if it threatens their brand. This job broke me. I’ve never felt more isolated, more unsupported, or more dehumanized in a workplace. Nothing good came out of this experience except the fact that I eventually left. If you're considering working here: don't.

      avatar
      SMG Response
      11mo
      Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We’re truly sorry to hear that your time with us left you feeling unsupported, isolated, and unwell. Your reflections raise serious concerns, particularly around inclusion, wellbeing, and how issues are managed, and we want to acknowledge how difficult it must have been to share them. It’s clear that your experience didn’t reflect the environment we aim to create. The role of our People team is to support all colleagues and help build a workplace that feels safe, inclusive, and respectful. We're sorry that this wasn’t what you experienced, and we take that seriously. We know that no organisation gets everything right, and we remain committed to listening, learning, and improving. Feedback like yours, even when difficult to read, is important in helping us move forward and do better. If you would feel comfortable speaking further, we would be keen to investigate further the concerns you’ve raised. We genuinely wish you all the best for the future.

      Explore other reviews about SMG

      5.0
      Apr 17, 2025
      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      People are really engaged and excited to collaborate. The management are really open and honest about the company and always willing to give up their time

      Cons

      Hours can be long, however it always feels like this is rewarded.

      1
      avatar
      SMG Response
      1y
      Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We’re really pleased to hear that you've had such a positive experience at SMG and that our collaborative culture and open communication from leadership have stood out during your time here. We’re especially glad to hear that you feel supported and that the energy and engagement of your colleagues continue to make a meaningful difference, our people are at the heart of what makes SMG a great place to work.
      3.0
      May 29, 2026
      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      - Similar-minded colleagues make an enjoyable work environment. - Flexible working schedule is useful. - Managers offer freedom to develop, and work autonomously. - Good progression opportunities (only if you're lucky).

      Cons

      - The workload is AWFUL. You see it mentioned on almost every review on here, spanning years back, and they provide the same response about how they're working on it or actively looking at it. I can assure you that is a complete and utter lie. They do absolutely nothing to try and make workloads manageable, as they are constantly trying to cut costs, streamline teams, and most recently force redundancies and pay freezes. They may act performative on LinkedIn professing how much they care about your wellbeing, but they most definitely do not take any steps to make the job manageable within the time you have, and therefore everybody is stressed out and overworked. (I am sure they will provide the same banal AI-generated response here about how they're committed to making workloads more manageable, or something along those lines. Don't believe them.) - Base salaries are not competitive (partly why there's such high turnover). £33k for a Senior Executive role in London is terrible. You will also struggle to progress from there in most teams. - Disorganisation. Processes are convoluted, tedious, and waste lots of time. Too much admin & trivial nonsense is a large reason why the workload is too high (they have no idea how to solve this by the way).

      1
      avatar
      SMG Response
      2d
      Thank you for taking the time to share such detailed feedback and for your contribution during your time at SMG. We're pleased to hear that you valued the support of your colleagues, the flexibility available, and the autonomy provided by managers to help people develop in their roles. Creating an environment where people can do their best work is something we deeply care about. We also recognise the concerns you've raised around workload, processes, and remuneration. We understand that these areas can have a significant impact on employee experience, and we're sorry to hear that this was your experience during your time with us. As our business continues to evolve, we regularly review how work is prioritised, how teams are structured, and how our processes support people in delivering great work as effectively as possible. We appreciate you taking the time to share your perspective and wish you every success in the future.
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