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

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).

Reviews by job title

650 reviews
1.0
Apr 20, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

A goldmine for the resume in regards to brand name and variety of categories, plus great networking opportunities with some incredibly smart and passionate people. IF you must invest time here, think of this place as a stepping stone to your next dream job.

Cons

Toxic company culture due to 1) inept management 2) convoluted company structure 3) high turnover 4) profound understaffing across all departments. This results in a high pressure, finger-pointing, inefficient and politically bitter environment. Talented employees lured by the glamorous facade are exploited and manipulated by given 10x the amount of work they are hired to do for pauper's wages. If you hint at dissatisfaction or request an updated job description for clarity in priorities, you will be punished for "not being flexible" or asked if it's "too much" hinting that you are therefore incapable.

2.0
Oct 13, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Nice young community of coworkers

Cons

- Insane hours (12hr days aren’t uncommon) - Unrealistic expectations for turn around time to volume ratio - wildly understaffed - everyone is doing at least two peoples jobs if not 3 or 4 - very poor work life balance

3.0
Nov 7, 2018

Marketing

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

If you love art and luxury you are surrounded by the best of it. You also get a generous winter holiday vacation and pretty good benefits overall.

Cons

Sotheby's can be an exciting place to work, but the constant departures particularly in the marketing department are really demoralizing. There is also zero transparency when it comes to salary structure, and it is known that if they hire you from outside you make more than the people that started there as young employees.

Viewing 25 - 27 of 650 Reviews

Glassdoor has 878 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.