Need to rethink hiring strategies and employee incentive programs - Anonymous employee Elsevier Employee Review

2.0
Oct 14, 2011
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Good benefits - Some motivated management

Cons

- Entrepreneurship is (perhaps inadvertently) discouraged if it comes from non-management; new ideas are not appreciated and get lost in the corporate shuffle. Feeling that you should "know your place." - Low job security - Low morale - Low pay - Sterile buildings - No transparency; always murmurings of changes but little communication. - Promotions are based on "time served" rather than skill level or accomplishments. That, combined with poor employee incentive programs, means there is little motivation to work above and beyond. - Poor strategic decisions from upper management (arbitrary employee title changes meant to give the appearance of "evolving with the times" with no substance behind them, constant re-orgs, and a new project management system designed blindly, without any input from the people who would be using it on a daily basis) - Strategic/organizational decisions are made at a glacial pace and with little communication to non-management.

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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
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
Jun 9, 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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