Joined in 2022 when the company appeared to be doing well, my experience then was that specialists were respected, had ambitious but reasonable targets and there was a great team spirit and camaraderie. By 2023 there was a shift in mood that percolated from top down, increasing focus on journal specialists' individual targets that became progressively unrealistic and major job specification changes that resulted in multiple (poorly organised and executed) training periods, alongside a significant increase in workload. By 2024, the workload was so heavy that it was normal to be unable to clear assigned daily tasks and these would just compound throughout the week. Specialists and managers were burned out and there was no morale left to speak of. Moreover, the increasing focus on use of AI and email templates removed opportunities for creativity and the work became dull and unfulfilling. Such a disappointing end to an experience that began so well.
