The worst manager I have ever worked for - Casual Sales Associate Swarovski Employee Review

1.0
Jan 3, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I have always been a loyal customer and loved Swarovski and its products which is why I chose to work for the company. The staff discounts are very generous and I made some great friendships.

Cons

I worked at the Macquarie centre boutique and the head manager was extremely unpleasant to work with. She would always complain about her workload, vent to the causals about her personal issues and gossip about other co-workers. On my first day of the job, she "warned" me about another co-worker who I hadn't even met and told me many negative things about her which I found out to be completely untrue. She was clearly unable to give instructions without raising her voice and was always late to the job. She was contastantly angry, patronising even Infront of customers and many times very racist. There were many instances where she called my co-worker a "westerner" and also complained how she hated serving "blondies" because they were "entitled and pretentious". She also said something along the lines of "he probably does that in his country" in a very patronising tone after man who looked middle-eastern took a while to understand our exchange policy, of course this was not to his face. She also forced me to go get her a coffee during work hours and told me that I was lucky that she wasnt sending me on my actual lunch break. Once a few co-workers started standing up for themselves, the manager slowly started to cut their shifts regardless of their good kpi records and eventualy stopped giving them shifts all together saying we were "overstaffed" but then hired new associates once they quit. She also wouldn't let me sell a few items which would've made a difference to my KPI as she needed to put them on hold for an onseller she had contact with, which then of course, boosted her KPI. The only time she was was good to work with was when she knew the AM was coming so she was on her best behaviour. All this is to name just a few of the many negative experiences I had at this store. HR also turned me away saying that there was no "substantial evidence" and that there was little they could do. What is the point of having a HR if "there is nothing they can do"? This company does not care at all about their employees and have nothing good to offer except their staff discounts. I have previously worked for their competitors Pandora and Tiffany and co. all up to year and more and these companies are by far a more pleasant company to work for with managers who can actually demonstrate the work that is required. I would advise anyone and everyone not to work here. This is the worst company and store I have ever worked for and I regret ever applying for this postion.

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Swarovski Response
6y
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. At Swarovski, we truly value constructive employee and customer feedback, both positive and negative. Our hope is to make each individual employee, from our stores to our corporate offices, feel that they are valued, and Glassdoor is a platform that helps us understand what our employees are thinking. We have read your review and we are sorry that you felt at Swarovski you had the “The worst manager I have ever worked for”. At Swarovski we have an open-door policy and encourage our employees to reach out to a member of upper management or HR to make sure their concerns and ideas for the betterment of the company are addressed and handled strategically and effectively in a timely matter, as only with constructive feedback from our current and former employees as well as our customers can we improve and remain relevant in today’s everchanging world. Please be assured your review will be shared with Global HR and Upper management and looked into. Once again, we want to thank you for taking the time to leave a review and wish you much success in your future endeavors.

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Cons

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Pros

Strong level of autonomy as a Store Manager to drive the business, implement strategies, and influence sales performance Opportunity to develop leadership skills through team coaching, training, and performance management Emphasis on client experience and building meaningful in-store customer relationships Creative freedom to execute sales-driving initiatives and local events Hands-on ownership of business results, which can be very rewarding for self-motivated leaders

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Limited support from regional and district leadership, particularly in satellite locations, which can feel isolating High turnover due to relatively low pay for Crystal Experts and Assistant Managers Budget constraints make it difficult to recruit and retain experienced, high-performing talent Teams may require significant development due to lower wage tiers, increasing workload and pressure on management Store conditions in some locations feel outdated, with limited investment in remodels or upgrades Compensation structure for hourly roles does not always align with expectations or workload

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