Strong Financials, But Concerning Trends in Workforce Management - Anonymous employee Elsevier Employee Review

2.0
Sep 18, 2024
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good balance between work and home life

Cons

While Elsevier continues to deliver impressive financial results, with increasing profit margins year after year, the company has implemented hiring and promotion freezes in recent years, despite its strong profitability. The focus seems to be on squeezing the current workforce to maximize shareholder returns, creating an environment where the growth of the majority of the team stagnates. Moreover, Elsevier's hiring approach often results in employees being brought in who may lack essential soft skills, leadership qualities, or cultural fit. This has led to teams that are skilled technically but may struggle with collaboration and communication. One of the most frustrating aspects is how difficult it is to achieve a salary increase or promotion. Even when promotions or raises are given, the increases in recent years has been minimal. There is also a notable lack of female representation in leadership roles, and a company culture that tends to overlook or inadequately address issues raised by employees, While the company's financial performance remains strong, these internal dynamics raise concerns about the long-term impact on employee morale, satisfaction, and retention.

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Elsevier Response
1y
Thank you for your detailed review. We’re committed to sustaining strong financial performance while fostering a culture where employees can thrive both professionally and personally. We understand that while decisions around hiring and promotion freezes may have raised concerns a few years back, we want to emphasize that these measures were implemented thoughtfully. Our goal has been to ensure that the organization remains agile, resilient, and well-prepared for any economic fluctuations, safeguarding long-term job security for our employees and ensuring sustainable growth. We're actively working on refining our hiring and development programs to prioritize candidates with the soft skills, leadership qualities, and cultural alignment that help teams thrive together. Furthermore, we are addressing diversity within our leadership pipeline with targeted initiatives aimed at fostering greater representation and inclusivity at every level. We know career growth and recognition are crucial to employee satisfaction. In recent years, we have implemented new frameworks to make advancement paths clearer and more attainable and are continuously evaluating our compensation policies to ensure fairness and competitive benchmarks across the industry. Overall, we are committed to making strides that both honour our workforce and uphold our reputation as a leading employer. Thank you again for your review.

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5.0
May 11, 2026
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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
1mo
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 20, 2026
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CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Great company -Team has talented, experienced account managers and product experts who know the territory well

Cons

West team management is heavy on micromanagement and sets unrealistic territory targets without rep input — high turnover, and long tenure in company seems to shield this manager from accountability and growth

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