Does Sotheby's pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Sotheby's employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Sotheby's. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Sotheby's?

21% of Sotheby's employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Sotheby's 2.6 out of 5 for work life balance, 2.3 for culture and values and 2.6 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Sotheby's?

Intern (53) , Administrator (23) , Specialist (23) , Floater (18) , Exhibition Assistant (15) , Associate (13) , Internship (13) , Cataloger (11) , Coordinator (10) , Marketing (9) , cataloguer (9) , Manager (8) , Administrative Assistant (7) , Project Manager (7) , Art Handler (6)

What are the pros of working at Sotheby's according to real employee reviews?

"The people are great and working with art is amazing" ((in 58 reviews)); "Colleagues are great and you get to work with wonderful clients and artworks" ((in 52 reviews)); "Beautiful team and great works of art" ((in 17 reviews)); "Great opportunity to get to know the auction and private sale art market at a prestigious art auction house!" ((in 16 reviews)); "Great working environment in the office" ((in 15 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Sotheby's according to real employee reviews?

"pay is low and not appreciated" ((in 78 reviews)); "Management is poor" ((in 48 reviews)); "low salary and not much prospect" ((in 46 reviews)); "Long hours and weekends sometimes" ((in 20 reviews)); "Poor leadership and management." ((in 15 reviews))

What are employees saying about Sotheby's layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed Sotheby's locations?

New York , Los Angeles , Miami , Charleston , Midtown New York , Margate City , Chicago , College Point , Port Chester , Lafayette , Sonoma , Aspen , Seattle , Atlanta , Upper East Side

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Sotheby's

Sotheby's reviews

2.5

21% would recommend to a friend

(650 total reviews)

Charles F. Stewart

12% approve of CEO

23% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

2.6

Work/Life balance

2.6

Career opportunities

2.3

Culture & values

2.2

Diversity & inclusion

2.1

Compensation and benefits

2.0

Senior management

Sotheby's has an employee rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars, based on 650 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Sotheby's employee rating is 29% below average for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

650 reviews

1.0

Jun 9, 2015

Surprisingly Artless Staff

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Access to a stunning array of art and antiquities, as well as an opportunity to bone up on Art History, if so inclined.

Cons

Remarkably toxic environment for those whose parents, grandparents and great-grandparents neither served on the Board of Directors nor spent tens of millions per year at auction. A rigid class system is firmly in place, and the majority of staff aggressively and arrogantly flaunt what they perceive to be their own superiority.

3.0

Jun 4, 2015

Great Experience!

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Amazing environment and people! HR is incredible

Cons

High stress and very demanding workload.

2.0

May 15, 2015

Coordinator

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great Art education with employee gallery walks. Opportunities to move into different areas of the business are possible.

Cons

Disorganized upper management that informs the rest of the business structure. Things are never done in a thoughtful way it is a fire drill mentality. There has also been a push in the recent years to squeeze the lowest level employees overtime and it only has gotten worse over time. The culture is very blame oriented and positive feedback is not a common occurrence. Also there is a great deal of snobbery among many employees but that is par for the course in this business.

Viewing 601 - 603 of 650 Reviews

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