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Discovery, Inc. reviews

3.7

70% would recommend to a friend

(1,554 total reviews)
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David M. Zaslav

69% approve of CEO

51% positive business outlook

Discovery, Inc. has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 1,554 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Discovery, Inc. employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Media & Communication industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews
3.0
Jun 5, 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Excellent benefits package, competitive pay, 401K, world renown company, nice facilities, fair amount of leave if needed, etc.

Cons

As someone else correctly pointed out in another review here, being a young, hot, white woman is your best bet for advancement and good treatment at Discovery. There actually are several ways for almost anyone to move up the ladder- just understand that hard work, dedication, quality of your output, reliability, and experience are not necessarily keys to advancement. Being under 30, "hot", a part of the clique, and willingness to make them think that an entry-level job is your whole life are the keys. Then there is upper and middle management. Directives and standards change constantly, each one deemed vitally important before it's tossed aside in 3 months for a new directive or standard. Processes and plans are introduced without working the bugs out and new systems and procedures are routinely halted just after being launched to undergo debugging or redesign. Organization and doing things right the first time are not priorities. The management staff CONSTANTLY changes and each new appointed higher-up wants to make his or her own rules and procedures with little regard to whether what's already in place works or not. The name of the game at Discovery is poor communication between departments., cronyism, poor treatment of those who make less than 50K a year (you know, the folks who actually make the wheels turn), and no stability in standards and procedures.

2.0
May 14, 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Discovery can and does attract some bright and capable people who find the idea of "working in television" appealing. But, that enthusiasm can quickly tamped down once the realities of working at Discovery are apparent - like the cronyism, office politics and yes man attitude that needs to be displayed for career advancement.

Cons

Constant fear of layoffs and downsizing which all can happen very capriciously and without a lot of warning. This is really unhealthy for productivity. And while the company touts great benefits like teleworking and flex time, they are completely at the whim of your supervisor and aren't necessarily work-life benefits you'll ever actually get to use. And the constant office political maneuvering gets tiring and means very little actual tangible work can get done.

2.0
Apr 16, 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Pay (pre-recession), benefits, on-site health clinic, location, Lifeworks, child care center, people in the trenches doing the real work.

Cons

Incompetent management, deception, complacency with the status quo, lack of inspiration, half-baked products. Television shows have fallen prey to the ratings gods, which are shamelessly pumped out heavily in favor of style over substance. And to think, this was once a highly-respected brand. The company itself falls short of having the right idea as a holistic entity. It fails to deliver when it comes down to brass tax. Seemingly sound ideas based on caring for employees and green-initiatives paint the corporate portrait well in PR releases, but the reality is much different when it comes down to the true value of the worker, where tenure means next to nothing. A lot of hemming and hawing, but no real decisive leadership at the helm. Course correction happens with each bend of the economic wind, rather than sticking to a sensible plan and testing it over the long haul, giving it a chance to succeed.

Viewing 1537 - 1539 of 1,554 Reviews

Glassdoor has 2,051 Discovery, Inc. reviews submitted anonymously by Discovery, Inc. employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Discovery, Inc. is right for you.