Toxic work environment especially for female engineers - Software Engineer Elsevier Employee Review

2.0
23 Sept 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Stack is interesting and you are allowed to use the latest. 10 Development Days per year in which you can study what you like. Flexibility in working hours unless you have a manager that micromanages you. Plenty of opportunity to invest in your skills. Truly a global company as your colleagues are from all over the world.

Cons

Culture is toxic especially for female engineers. As it is a global company, most of your colleagues will come from less progressive countries and hence it shows in their attitude towards their female colleagues. Female engineers get paid less, overlooked for promotions, constantly have to proof themselves while the male engineer get promoted for their potential. Middle management is not qualified to lead due to the Peter Principle (usually males mid thirty with no soft skills or any experience to manage). Higher management seems to care about shareholders only and not about their people and looks the other way.

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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
1w
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.
3.0
10 Feb 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Decent benefits, reasonable job security and mobility

Cons

Management is a mess. They are constantly shuffling around leadership and department/reporting structures, and it has serious ramifications on morale and cross-function collaboration. I was a part of a well oiled machine for many years until Elsevier acquired our product and pretty much ruined everything that was great about within 5 years. Their priorities have not aligned with customer needs, and it became increasingly difficult to provide value to our customers. Elsevier provides more roadblocks than solutions from a product management perspective.

10
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