Mary Kay reviews

Well if you found this review buried among all the happy Orwellian life is wonderful at Mary Kay propaganda congratulations you’ve accomplished a small miracle. The truth is Mark Kay propagates a very cult like atmosphere and the cool aid here is poured very thick. The word ponzi is never spoken in the marble and glass halls of the corporate office. The party line is god first, family second and career third but that applies only to the sales force and it’s really just more propaganda. The only way to earn even a very modest living as a Mary Kay consultant is to push your career status to Sr. Director or above. Turnover in the sales force is typically over 50% a year. Half the company’s income is from China and the other foreign subsidiaries. My best suggestion is to do a LOT of research before taking the plunge as a consultant. Corporate employees in the IT departments are expected to work sixty plus hour s week if necessary in order to meet arbitrary deadlines. The FTE development staff is the best, many are brilliant at what they do and to retain them Mary Kay pays absolutely huge profit sharing bonuses every year. If you don’t have a conscious and don’t mind working for a company that exploits a sales force of brain washed women or working for callous and egotistical managers whose technical expertise was obsolete before main frames were replaced by PCs Mary Kay can be a lucrative place to work. Be warned though that stress levels are very high and morale is low. Upper management rules with an iron fist through sycophantic and incompetent mid-level managers who hand out arbitrary discipline freely to maintain an atmosphere of fear and urgency among the rank and file. Also many US jobs at Mary Kay are being moved to China so job security is tenuous at best.

Too much disingenuous "fake it til you make it" attitude and butt kissing in the corporate office. Worked with a handful of managers with integrity and good intentions. In my experience, most managers, directors and VPs (and above) "manage UP," looking out for their own self interest rather than looking out for their direct reports. Gossip, backstabbing and drama are par for the course. Difficult to know whom to trust. Everyone is distrustful of HR. Culture has slowly dissipated since Mary Kay Ash's passing.