Pros
I love working in this company because its people. The mentality of Elsevierians includes the high level of tolerance and acceptance. The company is very international, open and free spirited. Most of my colleagues are young and enthusiastic. There are many university graduates, publishers, researchers, scientists etc. We have a number of communities (also LGBT) which regularly arrange fun events. Our main office in Amsterdam has been just renovated and became light and cozy, with plenty of focus rooms and play tables for relax time.
Cons
The way of working in some departments can be old-fashion and receive a great resistance from people to innovation. I worked in 4 different departments and was surprised that the best practices are not easily transferred from one floor to another. Carrier opportunities are somewhat blurry. Layers of unneeded management. The tendency to achieve more with less people, which leads to work overload during peak season and making extra hours without compensation.