Swarm Agency Reviews

3.3

61% would recommend to a friend

(22 total reviews)

Tom Ellis

65% approve of CEO

56% positive business outlook

Swarm Agency has an employee rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars, based on 22 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Swarm Agency employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Media and communication industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

22 reviews
2.0
17 Apr 2016

Good place to learn, but beware of leadership mix

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I put together my final review through the following attributes: Office/atmosphere/culture: 4 stars. Swarm is in a great space in West Midtown. The atmosphere is relaxed and fun, and clients love to come visit. The culture is that of a family, especially since the agency sits at around 20-25 employees. Fun team and coming to work is fun. Lots of fun lunch outings, the occasional lunch-and-learn, etc. Client mix and the work Swarm does: 3 stars. Aaron's and Homesmart dominate, as well as a handful of other clients. Hopefully Swarm can continue to diversify and pick up clients in different sectors. It seems Swarm is going in the direction of more marketing projects vs. web development projects, which is a good idea for them since web dev projects haven't always been estimated out well and end up losing money. Swarm is a good place to learn before moving on to something else.

Cons

Leadership: 1 star. The current leadership recently lost its oldest and most experienced leader. I suspect he left because of disagreements with the rest of the leadership team, who I would say is cliquey, immature, impulsive, competitive to a fault, self-centered, clueless, wishy-washy, or passive-aggressive, depending on who you're talking about. Communication/teamwork/stability: 2 stars. Leadership doesn't seem to be dialed into work on a day-to-day basis and are typically out pitching new business. The majority of the work is being held up by a few standout rock stars, who are overworked but also the work-hard/play-hard types. There is a lot of nervousness about who will be next to be let go after a couple recent shockers.

1.0
3 Nov 2015

Typical Agency Environment

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

If you are looking for an "in" into the Atlanta agency space, Swarm is as good a place to start as any. With the high turnover, you shouldn't have a problem getting on if you are patient. You will make connections here as the turnover rate around you will give you opportunities when you inevitably leave. All the standard "hip workplace" items are here: beer carts Fridays, free breakfasts for those who make it in before 10am and whatever else is trendy (Daily standups, a creative/collaborative space, etc). If you think you have an idea they can monetize, leadership will listen. The direction changes daily as a result though, so please buckle up. If you are willing to work 60 hours a week and agree with the direction du jour, you will do great here.

Cons

If you read through the other reviews on this site, you will think you are seeing either strong outliers, fabricated reviews or disgruntled employees. The reality is it is a mixture of all three. The truth is, this is a small company with high turnover and no real roadmap for where it wants to go. The senior management team that is currently in place have all come from another agency where they were bounced. The CEO is young and energetic which is a good thing. The downside is his success at a young age has left him with tunnel vision and a mistrust of anyone who questions him. There is a definite "hire" and "fire" knee jerk reaction to everything. It was unclear to me as to whether it was a result of cashflow issues or a lack of mature vision for where the company needed to go.

avatar
Swarm Agency Response
10y
Thank you for your feedback. One of the things that Swarm values most is "Continuous Improvement." We are constantly pushing ourselves to be better and to make process changes to improve our service. During our interview process, we make it clear that we want self-motivated, eager to learn people who are willing to try multiple things to improve their skills. We then provide them with the tools and mentors to do so. We are very transparent with our vision and any changes to that vision along the way. We have daily standups and quarterly town hall meetings where we share all this and urge the team to come with good (hard) questions for senior leadership to clarify vision with. We have never laid anyone off for financial reasons in the history of Swarm. We do, however, recruit people from other agencies as most agencies do. We recruit the best, whether candidates are currently at other companies or if they have been laid off - not because they have been "bounced out" of other agencies. If you share our values (Accountability, Service, Continuous Improvement, Quality and Community), you are probably a great fit and will thrive at Swarm.
1.0
10 Dec 2014

I learned one thing

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You feel as if you're among pals at work - relaxed environment, informal conversation

Cons

I would consider upper management to be the worst individuals I've ever worked for.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 22 Reviews

Glassdoor has 24 Swarm Agency reviews submitted anonymously by Swarm Agency employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Swarm Agency is right for you.