Sotheby's reviews

2.5

21% would recommend to a friend

(651 total reviews)

Charles F. Stewart

12% approve of CEO

22% positive business outlook

Sotheby's has an employee rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars, based on 651 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).

Reviews by job title

651 reviews
2.0
Dec 9, 2024

Archaic

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Incredible access to art and the art market - notoriety

Cons

Outdated, no growth, autocratic, terrible salary

1.0
Dec 8, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Beautiful art and nice colleagues

Cons

If you’re looking for a front-row seat to a soap opera disguised as a marketing department, you’ve come to the right place. Under the iron (and inexplicably unchecked) rule of the management this team has become the corporate version of a suburban PTA clique. Forget qualifications or merit—your best shot at a job here is to have babysat their kids, lived or worked on their street, or been the subject of a recommendation from their yoga instructor. It’s a spectacle of favoritism so brazen that it’s almost impressive. Employees with actual expertise are routinely sidelined by a rotating cast of “consultants” whose only credentials appear to be knowing the management’s Wi-Fi password. Interns? Same deal. If you don’t share a postcode with them, don’t bother applying. Despite a growing chorus of complaints and employee surveys so damning they could double as crime novels, HR and Compliance have perfected the art of turning a blind eye. Whether they’re overwhelmed or complicit, we’ll never know. All I know is, this fiefdom continues to operate unchecked, morale is at rock bottom, and the marketing team’s turnover rate could rival a revolving door at a Vegas casino. A word of advice to HR: Your silence isn’t going unnoticed. Fix this now, or the next time someone submits a survey, it might just be addressed to a labor tribunal. And hey, while you’re at it, consider hiring people based on talent and experience rather than proximity to the managements garden gnome.

3.0
Dec 4, 2024

Hard place to work

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great art, beautiful luxury items, lovely location

Cons

Unfair expectations by management, some underqualified people in senior roles, lots of people who are only here because their parents know the right people

Viewing 70 - 72 of 651 Reviews

Glassdoor has 879 Sotheby's reviews submitted anonymously by Sotheby's employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Sotheby's is right for you.