SmartMark Communications Reviews

CEO is neurotic micromanager who changes the job description as it goes to set people up for failure. It is a sad place where employees know to shut the door when she is having one of her temper tantrums. This is a high pressure place to work with no advancement opportunities. Management does not look for talent; she looks for those new to the industry that she is able to control. No one should be treated as she treats people.

I waited years to post this review, because I was afraid of retribution. Why? Because while I worked at SmartMark, and shared my concerns about the reviews of the company online, the CEO went one by one through the reviews and told me how this person was an idiot, this person got fired for cause, this person should never have worked in PR, etc. SmartMark is far and away the worst work environment I've ever experienced, and doesn't even deserve a single star. From the top down, expectations are exceedingly high and when they are not met, employees are repeatedly called out and shamed - and often fired unceremoniously. And I know for a fact that all of the positive reviews were planted by management. Juliet Shavit, the CEO, only trusts a couple of people and antagonizes everyone else. On separate occasions, she publicly called me out (via an email to the entire staff) for: 1. Working late to meet an unreasonable deadline she had set for me 2. Answering a question that was texted to me while I was out sick 3. Giving her a project as soon as possible without fancy formatting, when she'd told me "don't worry about formatting, I need this as soon as possible" 4. Closing the door of my office to get work done while she had a loud conversation right outside my office 5. Using a semicolon instead of a colon She plays very obvious favorites, and spreads her poison down through the ranks. I had a direct report (making me middle management), but I still had to get every single email I sent to any client or reporter reviewed by my supervisor. Employees were shamed for the smallest of mistakes - and then, when they took extra time to ensure the absolutely perfect product that was constantly demanded, were yelled at for taking too long. Juliet uses the fear of getting fired to constantly scare her employees into working themselves to the bone. Then she fires them anyway. She treats human beings like toilet paper. Eventually, I was fired not long after getting a performance-based salary bonus. Why? I was told my position was eliminated - but it was very clear that Juliet had simply decided she didn't want me working there anymore. And because my position was eliminated, as a true final insult, they didn't offer me any severance pay. The pay is terrible, and the environment is way worse. Though I worked here barely over a year, the stress gave me constant trouble sleeping, led me to develop unhealthy eating habits, took an enormous toll on my relationship with my significant other, and drove me to seek therapy. To this day, though I have been happily employed by a good company with a fantastic supervisor, where I am succeeding in my job, for over two years, the smallest things trigger me and make me think I'm about to get fired - thanks to the fear Juliet created in me. She scared me (and many others) away from the PR world. Juliet is a terrible, vindictive, petty, egomaniacal, narcissistic, cruel, sadistic boss and should never be allowed to supervise anyone ever. You deserve better. Anyone deserves better. DO NOT WORK for Juliet Shavit.