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      PLOS

      Engaged Employer

      PLOS reviews

      3.1

      49% would recommend to a friend

      (113 total reviews)

      Alison Mudditt

      72% approve of CEO

      38% positive business outlook

      Ratings by category

      3.7

      Work/Life balance

      3.5

      Diversity & inclusion

      3.3

      Culture & values

      3.2

      Compensation and benefits

      2.7

      Career opportunities

      2.6

      Senior management

      PLOS has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 113 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The PLOS employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Mídia e comunicação industry (3.7 stars).

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Reviews by job title

      113 reviews
      1.0
      Aug 5, 2019

      People are fleeing

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Honestly, very hard to find these days. Historically it was the mission but it’s not really clear what that is anymore.... Some of the people are amazing, have always had incredible colleagues.

      Cons

      Too many to list. Terrible management &; poor communication (it’s the worst kind: pretence of being open & transparent & wanting to hear from staff but then making decisions & never fully explaining or rationalizing them & never responding to concerns raised by staff, let alone addressing them). As a previous reviewer said there is no real strategy or plan for how to move forwards (main plan seems to be to save money by getting rid of people, sometimes with RIFs and sometimes by framing a cull as a reorganization, Sometimes saving money by taking ages to backfill vacancies, all the while talking about some kind of miracle new innovation & related revenue stream - only trouble being no one knows what this is).

      avatar
      PLOS Response
      6y
      Thanks for taking the time to share this, and I’m sorry that your experience feels so negative. We’ve been through a lot of change as we balance mission and sustainability. While we’re seeing the tangible benefits of this, it’s been tough at times. You’re right that we need to further improve how we both share information and respond to staff concerns – we’ve just launched our new staff Change Coalition and are focused on concrete ways to improve the information cascade. We’d love to hear from you if you have specific ideas – we all want PLOS to be somewhere that we feel proud and excited to work.
      4.0
      Aug 5, 2019

      Time of Change

      Analyst
      Recommend
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      We are a small organization with a large industry footprint. Our brand is highly respected and when mentioned, gives librarians gleeful shivers. Each PLOSian plays a large role in the success of the organization and its vision, though we may have our disagreements. Civil debate is welcome and encouraged.

      Cons

      As noted by other recent reviewers, the last few years have been rough. Our org strategy and thus our resources were off course for the better part of four years. Many are still reeling from the resulting layoffs, the extensive change in management, and the same operational problems we've poorly addressed for years. However, change - positive change - is happening, but it may appear slow to staff who've been around for a while.

      avatar
      PLOS Response
      6y
      Thanks so much for the thoughtful comments – I appreciate hearing about your personal experience. We have indeed been through a lot of change in order to both improve our operations and to ready PLOS to meet the exciting opportunities ahead as we push forward our mission to further the reach and impact of science. Your suggestion to better understand what it’s like for our staff is a great one – we’re planning to pilot a reverse mentoring program to do just that.
      2.0
      Aug 3, 2019

      PLOS ONE Cambridge

      Associate editor
      Recommend
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      - The HR Team try to go above and beyond to help people at the company. - The salary is much higher than the standard for this kind of role. - They have lots of meetings which allow you to see what each part of the company is doing, which helps for professional development and to enable people to get an idea of how an organisation like this works. - The management is understanding about work life balance, homeworking is common.

      Cons

      - The work environment is challenging. - There is a lot of micromanagement, but a lack of consistency. - This may be a symptom of the ongoing changes within the company, but there was a lack of clarity over the kind of professional standards which apply to the role, and a fair degree of confusion over what the requirements of the job are. - This company is not for everybody. - There more focus on driving revenue than I was comfortable with in this role.

      avatar
      PLOS Response
      6y
      Thanks for taking the time to share more about your experience at PLOS. You’ve noted a number of opportunities for us to improve how we manage and communicate with staff, and we’re currently focused on a management training program that will help our managers grow into the best leaders they can be. Equipping our managers with effective tools for change management is part of that skillset. Best of luck in your new role!
      Viewing 52 - 54 of 113 Reviews
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      Glassdoor has 124 PLOS reviews submitted anonymously by PLOS employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if PLOS is right for you.