Stressful work environment - Anonymous employee SmartStyle Employee Review

2.0
11 Jan 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Consistent hourly pay. Walk out with tips daily. Full access to color product.

Cons

Inconsistent scheduling. I went through about 5-6 managers while employed. None of which knew how to run a store. Most were hired above long term employees and hadn’t little or no management experience. There is a lot of pressure put on stylists to sell retail, however there is not a full retail backbat available.

Explore other reviews about SmartStyle

5.0
17 Nov 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Lenient dress code, ample access to new clientele, video library to expand skills and product knowledge, PTO and benefits

Cons

The salons are almost always short staffed

1.0
26 Jan 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

None, none, none, none, none

Cons

This workplace runs on vibes, guesswork, and unanswered messages. Upper Management had an impressive talent for being completely unreachable while simultaneously expecting miracles. Responses took days — sometimes weeks — but urgency was always your problem. Hiring approvals were blocked or endlessly delayed, leaving teams severely understaffed while leadership sat comfortably on the sidelines asking why things weren’t running perfectly. Accountability flowed strictly downward. Authority? None. Support? Cosmetic at best. Problems were ignored until they became emergencies, at which point they were blamed on the people who had been begging for help all along. Communication was inconsistent, expectations were unclear, and burnout was treated like a personal weakness instead of a predictable outcome of chronic mismanagement. If you enjoy being set up to fail, blamed for systemic issues, and gaslit into thinking you didn’t “try hard enough,” this is absolutely the place for you. Otherwise, save yourself the stress and look elsewhere.

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