Thinking of working for Elsevier? Think again. - Anonymous employee Elsevier Employee Review

1.0
28 Nov 2020
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The CEO is Likable. The CEO is unaware of abusive Employee treatment by poor Management at Elsevier - Aries location

Cons

We were a small privately run company of under 100 employees until Elsevier took over. We've lost a third of employees to attrition for the toxic workplace environment and mistrust created by the Managing Director. We've seen new hires walk right the job without notice because of the toxic workplace environment. Nobody trusts the Managing Director as we've witnessed direct targeting and abuse of employees under her leadership directive. We've known an aged employee forced into retirement. The Managing Director tries to sweep her actions under the rug thinking nobody's paying attention to her mistreatment of employees. She denies it but we've seen it. The Managing Director practices double standards, favoritism, creating poor employee relations. Morale is at rock bottom. We've seen the Managing Director promote her friend to run the client services department, although that entire department had vocal concerns when the Managing Director talked with them. She still promoted her friend, uncaring of those employees' concerns. Co-Workers are leaving at an alarming rate with the uncertain future and toxic cutthroat workplace. Nobody trusts HR to go to as they are not out for us. We've got a choice to leave this toxic workplace for other jobs or to Unionize for protection against this poor management Elsevier has in place.

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Elsevier Response
5y
Thank you for your review. However, we are concerned to hear the description of an organization or a work environment that’s different from ours. It is troubling for us to know that an Elsevier employee feels let down by their leaders and by HR. We take your review seriously but there’s the need to delve more into the issues highlighted in your review. We have taken the action to investigate the issues raised and we are also exploring ways to foster engagement within the team. Our recent employee opinion survey shows strong positive momentum in how people experience working at Elsevier, but it appears that hasn’t been the case here. We want to ensure that Elsevier is a place where all employees trust leaders and feel supported by our HR team. We want our organization to continue to be a great place for all our people to work, where our employees feel valued and have equal opportunities regardless of where they’re located. If you prefer, feel free to reach out to us at elseviergdrev@elsevier.com to provide more information. Again, thanks for your review.

Explore other reviews about Elsevier

5.0
11 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

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
3w
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.
4.0
9 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Every direct manager I've had has been excellent: supportive, positive, and trusting me to deliver good work instead of micromanaging. Employees tend to stay, which suggests stability even if not everyone gets promotions or significant raises.

Cons

The pressure to outsource as much as possible, which is common at every publisher, leads to frustration. Because promotions or significant raises seem to be rare, you may be stuck in neutral unless you're very openly ambitious.

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