Does Reed pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Reed employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.9 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Reed. This rating has improved by 5% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Reed?

84% of Reed employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Reed 4.3 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.3 for culture and values and 4.3 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Reed?

Recruitment Consultant (285) , Consultant (74) , Recruiter (71) , Senior Recruitment Consultant (61) , Business Manager (43) , Senior Consultant (36) , Manager (32) , Employment Advisor (25) , Administrative Assistant (20) , Recruitment Manager (19) , Executive Consultant (18) , Teaching Assistant (17) , Area Manager (16) , Resourcer (16) , Sales Executive (16)

What are the pros of working at Reed according to real employee reviews?

"The training you receive is great and you can progress to a certain level." ((in 161 reviews)); "The people are great !! helpful and care about their jobs and the people they place." ((in 119 reviews)); "The team are great at what they do" ((in 64 reviews)); "Great culture and very ethical" ((in 63 reviews)); "The benefits are great, both in work and outside of work." ((in 57 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Reed according to real employee reviews?

"The salary is low and you are underpaid for the hours your work" ((in 64 reviews)); "Pay and Commission stature are low" ((in 41 reviews)); "Long hours if you want to be a high achiever but rewards are high also." ((in 29 reviews)); "Pension isn't the best, has improved but could be better" ((in 17 reviews)); "Some arrogant and condescending men in senior management which is overlooked and generally accepted by all if they are doing well." ((in 11 reviews))

What are employees saying about Reed redundancies in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Reed redundancy and their outlook for job security at Reed in 2026.

Reed Reviews

Compare reviews

4.3

84% would recommend to a friend

(1,753 total reviews)

James Reed

91% approve of CEO

79% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.4

Diversity and inclusion

4.3

Culture and values

4.3

Work/Life balance

4.3

Career opportunities

4.2

Senior management

3.9

Compensation and benefits

Reed has an employee rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars, based on 1,753 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Reed employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Human resources and staffing industry (3.8 stars).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

1.0

2 Apr 2020

Just another corporate. Empty promises, you're a number, not an individual.

Recruitment consultant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

The training is good. They will make you believe you're part of something big.

Cons

Cons? The biggest cons are probably the company motto 'open, fair, honest, we take responsibility' and slogan 'improving lives through work'. Reed weren't open and honest about the fact that they'd been operating with decreased profits for 3 years in a row. Reed weren't fair when letting swathes of loyal, talented staff go during a global Pandemic when they needed leadership, direction and strength more than any other time. Reed didn't take responsibility for the fact that poor business decisions caused them to heamorrage money for 3 consecutive years, instead they chose to try and slip under the radar during the coronavirus Pandemic to let hundreds of staff go with no reason REAL reason and instead got line managers to read from a script. 'Improving lives through work' pushed by the CEO. How are you doing that Mr Reed, when you're taking away the work of your own staff? Finally, it's clear Reed is a sinking ship and you'd do well to avoid this business like the plague. You aren't valued.

Reed Response

6y

Thank you for your review and I'm sorry you view the actions we've taken this way. As with everyone working within the recruitment sector, we find ourselves in a very challenging trading position; exacerbated by the lockdown imposed to combat the spread of Coronavirus. We have had to make some difficult decisions, which have involved the workforce accepting substantially reduced hours and pay, a streamlining of support functions and, continuing existing plans to release some Co-Members in fee-earning roles where they had already not been performing to our normal minimum standards or decline in trading within their specialism. In addition, we have applied the government guidelines in relation to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in good faith and furloughed some eligible Co-Members. Based upon your review, unfortunately, you were not part of this qualifying cohort. Our Global MD has been extremely open and honest in regular Vlogs to the workforce to explain actions taken and why and I am pleased to report that REED remains on a very stable financial footing.

1.0

1 Apr 2020

Worst Mistake.

Senior consultant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

The best thing about Reed is they sometimes give you £5 to spend on your lunch if you win an incentive.

Cons

1. Management having favourites. 2. Bullying is tolerated everyday from management and non-management. 3. Management not having any management skills, with resorting into harsh criticism and no remorse. 4. Targets for call time. 5. Not knowing what to expect, as there is always high tension. 6. Other Consultants wanting you to fail. 7. Over the top corporate. 8. Commission very poor compared to other recruitment agencies.

Reed Response

6y

Thank you for taking the time to give your feedback. I am really disappointed to hear that this is the way you see REED as an employer. I would like to offer the opportunity to you to discuss your feedback with me personally. If you would like to progress this, please do not hesitate to contact me on Karen.Jackson@reed.com

1.0

21 May 2017

Focus on the important things

Sales executive

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Likelihood is that you will work in a great team with lovely people. They all seem to be on the same wavelength - however this could be worrying for the company Good social aspects with paid-for parties and activities Nice location near Covent Garden

Cons

Excessive tracking of the famous call time KPI - this is very outdated and doesn't actually result in any better monetary results. If you have such a great product, sell it intelligently and this will resonate with your customers 'Inner circle' of team leaders - this leads to the sense of you are always being criticised/moaned about and even laughed at Military time-scheduling - to the extent of making up 3 minutes of time at lunch due to public transport issues School-like feel Inconsiderate approach for work/life balance They are very clever to perceive themselves in a way that they are a great company to work for which really cares about the integrity and happiness about their employees - it's all a front

Viewing 1 - 3 of 1,753 Reviews

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Just another corporate. Empty promises, you're a number, not an individual.

Worst Mistake.

Focus on the important things

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