Reed Elsevier Group Reviews

Former Employee – worked at Reed Elsevier Group full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – Great benefits, work/life balance. Advancement can happen if you play the politics right and are ambitious. Flexibility allows for internal job switching if an opportunity comes.

Cons – My personal experience was bad because I worked for the American publishing division which was eventually sold off. The division I worked for was in sale mode for nearly four years, and that meant very little investment in technology or business expansion. Overall, the senior management seemed directionless and inaccessible. There was little or no communication between the various divisions.

Former Employee – worked at Reed Elsevier Group full-time for more than a year

Pros – Editorial group was a pleasure to work with.
Enjoyed the "family-oriented company" atmosphere.
Company sponsored events for employees.
On-site cafeteria.

Cons – Ongoing restructuring led to disorganization and confusing strategy.
Difficulty in synching product delivery with IT.
Unprofessional behavior from manager was never addressed by HR.

Advice to Senior Management – Micromanaging never leads to a positive product outcome. Suggest stepping back and letting editorial staff do his/her job.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Reed Elsevier Group as a contractor for less than a year

Pros – Facilities, good IT department, international atmosphere and welcoming people. Good possibilities to enter an International career in Publishing Bizz.
Elsevier offers you international experience and looks great on your resume. I had some mixed experience with the company but with the right team and structure you would probably learn a lot.

Cons – MATRIX fixed company, not suitable for Interns with low academic background. Be more than just pro active, because their might not be any guarantee for you to have a plan.
The HR department is not flexible so be sure you have a very clear (written) contract before you begin, to the details about what you are obligated to!

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Reed Elsevier Group full-time for more than 8 years

Pros – Reliable, stable. Better than average benefits (health, etc.). Some opportunities for advancement. Professional, positive overall culture. Welcoming of thinkers, planners and problem-solvers.

Cons – Rather bureaucratic and prone to red tape. Too focused on communication via e-mail and meetings, less on actual actions and executions. Executive management very disconnected from business units under them, and more administrative and operational than able to harness strengths and able to get better depth for better results.

Advice to Senior Management – Seek out advice from middle management and actual employees that do actual work. Clear red tape. Do away with 'design by committee' mentality. Implement small, focused teams with power (funds, resources) to innovate and build on ideas.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Reed Elsevier Group full-time for less than a year

Pros – HMO, 24 leaves in a year

Cons – Leaves not convertible to cash, no allowances.

Advice to Senior Management – Allowance, leaves must be convertible to cash.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Reed Elsevier Group full-time for more than a year

Pros – Good Salaries, development, company's potential

Cons – the bureaucracy sometimes could be difficult.

Current Employee – been working at Reed Elsevier Group full-time for more than 7 years

Pros – Good people with good opportunities for growth

Cons – Not interested in products we produce

Advice to Senior Management – use more incentive based pay at lower levels

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Reed Elsevier Group as a contractor

Pros – Non-pressured work environment
Employees are respected
Global view
Many long-time employees
Family feel in some areas
OK benefits and perks

Cons – Non-pressured work environment
Too quiet and staid in some areas
Sub-par pay
In some areas too much management turnover
Technology not advanced

Advice to Senior Management – Need to move into the 21st century

Current Employee – been working at Reed Elsevier Group

Pros – A good work and life balance

Cons – Dissatisfied salary level compared with other companies in the industry.
Sometimes more talk than work.
Product launching is sometimes not very pragmatic.

Advice to Senior Management – Better salary level
Being more pragmatic when launching new products.

Current Employee – been working at Reed Elsevier Group

Pros – The company has a big footprint in many markets and is moving toward some new and exciting technologies/products. It is trying to promote cross fertilisation across its many businesses so there is often an opportunity to work in a completely new field if it is of interest to you. Also, the overall work/life balance is strong.

Cons – The corporate functions are generally quite removed from the day-to-day activities of the many businesses it owns. This means that it often acts more like an investment management firm rather than a head of a unified company. The CEO is very distant and culture/leadership from the top is not strong.

Advice to Senior Management – Work to better integrate the group, creating an environment where corp managers are eager to engage you and offer innovative ideas. This will also increase communication, making it less necessary for us to provide you with the great amount of data you require which burdens the businesses more than previous CEOs.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend