Recent re-orgs, layoffs, and out-of-touch management are dragging my department down - Acquisition Editor Elsevier Employee Review

3.0
21 Oct 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great work-life balance, great people, interesting work. Excellent Publishers and Publishing Directors.

Cons

The job is made harder by a bad software system that frustrates and disappoints both authors and employees, but Elsevier has invested so much into it that they keep pushing forward with a bad system. Recently an entire department was laid off and replaced with a new team in India. They have been taking longer than anticipated to get up and running, which has been a huge pain point in our workflows. Upper management is always willing to listen to our input and feedback, but never actually implements it. Answers to tough questions, like those surrounding compensation and layoffs, are always cookie cutter and a lot of talking around the question without leveling with employees.

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Elsevier Response
7mo
Thanks for leaving your review. We take it seriously. With the business world changing constantly and so rapidly, virtually every established business feels the imperative to continuously improve and innovate. For this reason, executives, managers, and employees across our business work hard to figure out how to best and strategically address the genuine needs of our customers and partners globally.

Explore other reviews about Elsevier

5.0
11 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

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
3w
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
9 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Every direct manager I've had has been excellent: supportive, positive, and trusting me to deliver good work instead of micromanaging. Employees tend to stay, which suggests stability even if not everyone gets promotions or significant raises.

Cons

The pressure to outsource as much as possible, which is common at every publisher, leads to frustration. Because promotions or significant raises seem to be rare, you may be stuck in neutral unless you're very openly ambitious.

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