Swatch Group reviews

Lack of career growth and management resistant to change and improvement

1. A fever dream However, that initial excitement quickly faded once the slow season started. There was constant pressure from management to hit KPIs, which was nearly impossible on days when no customers came into the store. You can’t meet sales targets if there are no sales to make. Another challenge was the lack of tasks during quiet periods. In previous retail jobs, slow moments could be used to fold clothes, reorganize displays, or experiment with drinks. Here, there were often long periods with very little to do. Employees could spend hours alone in the store with nothing but the watches on the wall reminding them how slowly time was passing. 2. Customers were... interesting  Dealing with difficult customers was another daily challenge. There seemed to be a high number of unhappy or disappointed customers, particularly when it came to limited edition watches. When customers became angry, the advice from management was often to “just ignore it.” Situations like these can leave employees feeling unsupported when they are the ones dealing directly with frustrated customers. 3. There is not 'work culture' The workplace culture felt toxic at times. Coworkers and managers frequently complained about former employees, which made it clear that gossip was common. When conversations regularly revolve around people who are no longer there, it creates the impression that the same may happen to anyone else. 4. Communication does not exist Upper management would sometimes say things like, “You’re not going to hit the goal this month.” Hearing that from leadership was already demotivating for managers, and that negativity inevitably trickled down to the rest of the employees. Instead of encouraging or supporting the team, it often felt like expectations were set up in a way that made motivation harder to maintain. 5. Forget about feedback Another issue was the training process. Employees could be trained by several different people, each with their own way of doing things. This made it confusing to understand what the “correct” way actually was, since instructions often contradicted each other. There was also very little evaluation or feedback. In many companies, managers take time to sit down with employees to discuss what they’re doing well and where they could improve. Here, feedback mainly came through occasional notes during staff meetings that did not happen very often. 6. Using AI Another change that felt contradictory was the introduction of AI watched while the company was simultaneously looking to hire “creative” salespeople. And has done collaborations with actual artists over the decades. Seeing generative AI introduced in that context felt discouraging and somewhat dismissive of the value of actual creativity and the core of the brand itself. But hey, what do I know? 7. Lack Of Leadership  I expected a long-standing brand to have a more stable and functional leadership structure. Instead, there seemed to be constant turnover at the top. Every few months there were new people in charge...new names, new directions. That kind of instability makes it difficult for employees to feel supported or to trust that concerns will actually be addressed. Leadership consistency matters, especially for the people on the front lines who are responsible for making the sales and keeping the business running day to day.