If only management had been effective... - Anonymous employee Elsevier Employee Review

1.0
Aug 8, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Decent benefits, interesting work, and mostly on-par starting salaries with other players in the same industry.

Cons

Substantial raises and promotions were extremely hard to come by (unless you call a 2% raise after a year's worth of 50-60 hour weeks of hard work "substantial"). One could work their tail off for a year under the false premise of a forth-coming promotion for the next year (installed 4 MONTHS after start of Q1), only to be told in Q4 that management had decided to change course and not provide the promotion that had been all but promised. I saw repeat examples of management failing to coach ineffective employees, failing to let go and replace folks who were destroying their respective departments, and other managers who harbored significant favoritism within departments--providing growth opportunities to some who scantily deserved them, while denying those same opportunities to others who truly did deserve them. I witnessed managers committing basic HR errors such as promoting sexist attitudes and discussing religion and personal issues during the course of a business meetings, and not being held accountable after HR department was notified.

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5.0
May 11, 2026
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CEO approval
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Pros

Industry leader Great benefits Incentive trips Invests heavily in its employees

Cons

Processes can be burdensome and clunky at times

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Elsevier Response
2w
Thank you for this balanced and thoughtful review. We're glad to hear that our benefits and investment in people are making a positive impact, those are commitments we take seriously. On the process feedback: Leadership is actively reviewing operational workflows, and the advice to listen more closely to employee feedback is something we're holding ourselves accountable to. If you're open to it, we'd encourage you to bring specific examples forward through your team or people and culture contacts. Change is most effective when it's grounded in the real experiences of the people doing the work, and that means you. Feel free to reach out to us at elseviergdrev@elsevier.com to provide more information Thank you for staying engaged and for caring enough to share this. It matters.
3.0
Jun 5, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The company’s mission is inspiring.

Cons

Poor executive decision making, lack of clear strategic vision.

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