The culture is competitive, but not in a healthy way. More in a "I'll tell so and so's boss that you are slacking and get you in trouble" kind of competitive. I have never heard or thought about the phrase "throw under the bus" as much as I have at HarperCollins. Upper management is not concerned with lower level employees or middle management and there is a great deal of dissatisfaction across the board. Now this is not uncommon in corporation, but unlike other places, the higher ups dont seem very happy or satisfied either!
While there are performance reviews, they are never seen by anyone, even if the review is an exemplary one. In fact your boss may tell you, this review will not be seen by anyone.
Internal promotions are usually given to people who get offers to go elsewhere. They are rarely based on merit. If they are, it takes sometimes up to a year to pan out. HarperCollins will not treat you well when you are employed there, but they will beg to keep you there, which is odd.... Also, as many else have noted, HR is somewhat non-existent. Even more bizarre, is that when people leave or are fired, they just sort of disappear. No transparency about staff changes and turnover.
The most troubling thing, though, is that some truly abhorrent behavior is totally acceptable, from sexual harassment to senior level employees actually throwing items (not in a fun way) in meetings. It's not a friendly environment and the majority of those who are in high places are just, well, flat out rude. The company has a rep for being a bad place to work and has for many, many years... and, well, from my experience it's a reputation that proves pretty true. A HarperCollins legend is that no matter what level you come into the company at, you never sit at the table unless you know where you are supposed to sit. And... well it's not just a legend. Someone really will tell you to move because it's his or her seat! It's a place where people snicker, glare, and gossip... and for what? Books that frankly aren't even really that good?
