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      Smith & Wesson

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      Smith & Wesson Reviews

      3.4

      58% would recommend to a friend

      (87 total reviews)

      Mark Smith

      72% approve of CEO

      43% positive business outlook

      Smith & Wesson has an employee rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars, based on 87 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Smith & Wesson employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Manufacturing industry (3.5 stars).

      Reviews by job title

      87 reviews
      3.0
      12 Jan 2015

      World Class Brand - Chasing Share Value

      Marketing department
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      S&W is one of the most iconic brands in existence today. A long and storied past, S&W exudes the cool factor from the moment you enter the fortresses front gate. As a public company S&W offers a very competitive compensation package for senior managers offering a full suite of normal benefits plus 401k match, profit sharing, and shareholder equity opportunities. A solid environment if you're ok with the far right views of the gun trade. Laser beam focus on increasing shareholder equity provides easy insight into what it will be like working for this company. There's a top notch employee Shooting Sport Center and work life balance is good. Time off is encouraged within HR guidelines.

      Cons

      The tight cultural environment makes it tough to fit in if you are an industry outsider. If you're not pro-gun, don't bother. Young CEO is tough and aggressive. Dives in and out of micro management mode across all departments. Will shift gears on a dime and has no problem with slash and burn tactics to meet financial goals. Has built a team of executive minions around him that have learned to say what he wants to hear. Creativity is lacking because of that. Laser beam focus on share price means same for operations and marketing with only the largest segments the market considered with minimal concern for historical brand or breadth of line strength. Sales staff is very knowledgable but sales lead lacks creativity. Barriers between departments are thick and need to be navigated carefully… politics get really interesting here. You'll need to be on your toes constantly to assure your on the right side of the inner circle.

      2.0
      17 Dec 2014

      On a steady decline since the early 2000's

      Office worker
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      You get a good discount on the guns so if you enjoy firearms it's nice. The pay is above average which is by design to outweigh the long list of cons. A lot of the low level teams are filled with great people. It sounds cool to outsiders when you say you work at Smith & Wesson. You will be challenged constantly to do more with less, to focus on meeting goals that are nearly impossible and this will make you a better worker. It will also make you entirely drained at the end of the day.

      Cons

      Leadership is either non existent or clueless depending on work area. The company continues to make changes that severely hurt morale. There is no room for advancement in the company through hard work, anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. If you're the son of one of the higher ups the last sentence does not apply, you can get a job that is several leagues above you as a 'trial'. Constant favoritism towards the front office, you're encouraged to not accept gifts unless your title has 2 or 3 fancy letters in it in which case the sky is the limit. The company only values the stock price and that is all you will hear about regardless of what department you work in. You will be brow beaten and berated to do everything in your power to meet financial goals to make the stock price go higher. Your reward for hard work will be a standard cost of living raise and a short reprieve before the next quarter / fiscal end. Office culture is a lot of ineffective middle managers and a lot of frustrated workers beneath them. Almost everyone has a very dire view of the company as a whole, from the ever changing internal politics to the business decisions to the products being released that no one asked for. A lot of the blind leading the blind. Truly a dire place. Slow adoption of new technology. Everything is done manual because the current 'new' system isn't flexible. Not surprising that a company run by old white men who barely know how to use a cell phone would be so clueless about adopting technology that could dig them out of the informational holes they're in.

      3.0
      2 June 2016

      S&W

      Sales
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      Flexibility, casual work environment, higher than average starting salary, much better than average benefits, good employee discounts, extended holidays over Christmas, on site gym

      Cons

      Low employee morale, bad upper management communication, nepotism, awkward interaction between staff and management, limited growth potential unless you are friends with CEO or related to executives, gossipy, "good ole' boys" club.

      Viewing 1 - 3 of 87 Reviews
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      ReviewsSmith & Wesson reviews

      Glassdoor has 94 Smith & Wesson reviews submitted anonymously by Smith & Wesson employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Smith & Wesson is right for you.