Pros
- Talented team - Interesting event locations - occasional food in the office
Cons
I think the best/most accurate review of the Berman Group would probably be a bit further down the page titled “Sarah Berman and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Company .” But I'm happy to add my two cents to the pile. Simply put, Sarah Berman is a despicable human being who is running her company and, by proxy, her employees into the ground. The company could probably be great - given the hard, working and dedicated talent that somehow she manages to retain - until they realize that they are only there to be abused and flung to and from clients as Sarah's whims demand. Day to day life at The Berman Group is a flurry of overworked millennials, overblown expectations, constant humiliation and psychological abuse. You will be given more assignments than you will ever be able to complete with vague instructions on accounts that you know nothing about and will be forbidden from asking questions or reaching out to the client for clarification. If you are able to, by some miracle, to complete these assignments you will be rewarded by a curt “Thank you” and another pile of assignments that you will be expected to complete by end of day (even if it’s already 5 pm – true Bermanites don’t leave the office until at least 7 pm during the busy season though staying til 9 pm is also common. And it doesn’t matter how late you stay, you’re still expected to be in by 8:30 am the next morning.). This overload of work is a direct result of the office being constantly understaffed due to employees regularly leaving the company. The turnover rate is insane. There is not a single person in the company who is not looking to leave as soon as possible. During my year at the berman group we had over 30 people voluntarily quit because they simply could not take it anymore. And it’s not just the work – once you reach a level where you are interacting with clients and working on significant projects your day to day life will be completely micromanaged by Sarah Berman herself. Who is singlehandedly running the company she built into the ground (though she routinely blames the loss of high profile clients on her employees). There is no middle management, no HR and no office manager. Everything is handled by Sarah, who does not have the time or capacity to truly follow the nuances of each client’s account, but still insists on micromanaging everyones work and blaming you when she misinterprets the client demands – usually to the detriment of the clients needs & goals. Employees are routinely told how ineffective and replaceable they are, usually in front of their colleagues and/or Sarah’s own children. During these “venting” sessions, Sarah will completely unload you – calling you an (expletive) idiot and painting a complete portrait of how terrible your performance is, even if you did EXACTLY what she told you to do. Though usually the abuse isn’t that direct – Sarah is a master at manipulating employees and eating away at your self confidence. To the point where a lot of employees start to think “Well maybe I am as big of an idiot as she says I am.” One of the most often repeated phrases amongst employees is “There’s just no winning, no matter what you do.” And if that isn’t enough, she may even decide that you’re no longer worthy of your salary and just decide to switch you down to hourly – with no notice because usually at that point she’s bullied you hard enough to know you won’t even fight back. Oh, and did I mention she refuses to pay overtime and actively considers withholding final paychecks from employees that have left? Yeah. For real. And it’s been reported – Wage and Hour just has better things to do than go after her apparently. If you do happen to have the misfortune of having to take a job at this company, the one good spot is the team. I can honestly say, with only a few exceptions, that the team is the only way you will ever be able to survive a stint at this company. They are all incredibly smart and talented, constantly going above and beyond for the clients and Sarah herself.. even though the recognition is few, far between and generally limited only to those that Sarah considers to be “her friends.”