Running on fumes - it’s gone from bad to worse in such a short time - Customer Care Audible Employee Review

1.0
18 Dec 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Free food, commuter benefits, casual dress code

Cons

Where do I even begin? I’ve been at Audible for almost 4 years, hired during the peak of Covid with the promise of being a permanent WFH agent. Not only did that promise get broken, but we’re now being forced to follow Amazon’s RTO requirement for 5days/week starting 2025. When I mentioned I was hired specifically to work remotely, mngmt will respond like, “Well you were told this is an ever changing environment when you were hired.” Speaking of management, they are completely useless. Audible is so desperate to fill leadership roles that they promote people who are extremely unqualified. Instead of effective leadership, we get individuals who make the workplace worse by mismanaging tasks, act extremely unprofessionally which is contributing to the company’s decline. I know some people that were amazing workers but due to horrendous leadership ended up leaving the company. HR is no better. The last competent HR representative quit last year (G I wonder why), leaving us with the current person, we’ll call her “A”, who is robotic, unhelpful, and utterly clueless. Someone once described talking to her like talking to a brick wall and that their salad had more personality than her. Serious issues raised by myself and others have been swept under the rug due to her lack of professionalism and empathy. It’s no surprise that several employees have either quit or are planning to, due to her mishandling of concerns. When you have someone like that in charge of “human” resources, you end up driving humans out the door. On top of this all, 2 major figures within the company have recently announced their departure in 2025. That alone should speak VOLUMES. This company used to be a great place to work, but it is getting worse and worse with each passing day. I promise you, there are much better opportunities out there. Don’t let the name lure you in. Save yourself the trouble and just stay away.

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Audible Response
1y
Thank you for taking the time to share your candid feedback. We genuinely appreciate your honesty and the passion you've shown for our company's culture and values. We want to assure you that our People Principles remain central to our mission. We encourage open dialogue and welcome suggestions on how we can better support our employees and invite you to speak with your manager or skip-level to discuss your concerns.

Explore other reviews about Audible

5.0
10 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Audible is an Amazon company. I think as a whole, this company attracts people who are kind and fun spirited. Good product.

Cons

Disorganisation. Commute can be hard.

2.0
26 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Pay, health insurance, free lunch, gym reimbursement, course reimbursement

Cons

**Cons** Audible is no longer the company it used to be. It once had a culture that valued independence, flexibility, collaboration, and genuine passion for the work. Over the past few years, it has increasingly adopted Amazon's culture, and unfortunately many of the qualities that made Audible special have disappeared. * Politics have become increasingly important. Employees who excel at presenting and self-promotion often appear to be rewarded more than those who consistently deliver meaningful results. Cross-team collaboration has also become much weaker. * The pressure from senior leadership is relentless. Expectations continue to rise while resources do not. The workload has become overwhelming, leaving many employees stressed, anxious, and burned out. I've seen colleagues take medical leave or leave the company altogether because the environment became unsustainable. * Promotions are extremely difficult to obtain, creating unnecessary internal competition instead of encouraging teamwork. * The mandatory five-day return-to-office policy ("return or resign") significantly hurts work-life balance and feels disconnected from how knowledge work can be performed effectively. * Documentation has become excessive. Employees spend enormous amounts of time writing documents and preparing presentations simply to satisfy Amazon's internal processes rather than creating meaningful business impact. * The workload is so heavy that it's difficult to maintain high-quality work. People are constantly rushing from one deliverable to another, leaving little time for thoughtful analysis or innovation. * Senior leadership often appears unwilling to challenge top-down decisions. Teams are expected to generate endless documents, metrics, and presentations, but much of this work feels performative rather than valuable. * Many managers provide little coaching or support. Instead of empowering employees to own their work, management often focuses on criticism, micromanagement, and rigid processes. Some managers seem to lack the leadership and people-management skills necessary to build effective teams. * Employees are incredibly busy, yet much of that effort doesn't translate into meaningful or lasting impact. It often feels like working endlessly just to keep internal processes moving. * Removing Independence Day as a company holiday was disappointing and negatively affected employee morale. * Company-wide All Hands meetings often feel overly scripted and focused on promoting corporate messaging rather than addressing employees' real concerns. The repeated messaging about how "awesome" everything is can feel disconnected from employees' day-to-day experiences. * Frequent reorganizations create constant disruption. Teams are repeatedly reshuffled, priorities change overnight, and it becomes difficult to build momentum or execute long-term strategies. Overall, the culture has shifted from one built on trust, autonomy, and collaboration to one driven by process, bureaucracy, and constant pressure. For many long-time employees, it's simply not the same company anymore.

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