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Penguin Random House

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Penguin Random House reviews

3.9

72% would recommend to a friend

(1,188 total reviews)
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Nihar Malaviya

81% approve of CEO

70% positive business outlook

Penguin Random House has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 1,188 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Penguin Random House employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Mídia e comunicação industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

1K reviews
2.0
Oct 5, 2023
Recommend
Business Outlook

Pros

The benefits are unbelievable. Nearly two months of combined PTO, $1500 annual company contribution to the HSA, over four months parental leave at 100% pay... it's unmatched.

Cons

Pay. After four years, a promotion, and three across-the-board pay band adjustments to keep pace with the industry, I left PRH having reached the lofty heights of making $55,000/year, pre-tax. This is an unlivable wage for anyone who doesn't come from money or who's not partnered with a higher earner, especially in NYC since they're now "encouraging" a return to office. Even before the actions of Markus Dohle and Madeline McIntosh plunged PRH into a storm of VSOs, layoffs, and 2% "COL" (lol) raises, the pay structure and raise procedure was utterly broken and impossible for most to navigate. It's also just quietly implied that you should work until your work is done, whether or not you're salaried or hourly, regardless of how short-staffed your department is or low long the title list grows. This, combined with the practice in my department of individuals not being considered "ready" for a promotion until they're already trained on and doing the 'next step' work for a good long while at their current title and pay grade, meant that basically everyone was underwater and underpaid.

3.0
Feb 26, 2019
Recommend
Business Outlook

Pros

Long-standing reputation Money to buy competitive books Highly organized operations Summer Fridays Holiday blackout Free books

Cons

Merge eliminated much of the Penguin nonfiction side Lack of diversity and inclusivity. Not enough POCs which is a problem across the board in the industry Minimum effort towards diversity awareness— diverse books yes but hardly any diversity within the company especially editorial

2.0
Jul 20, 2017
Recommend
Business Outlook

Pros

Decent benefits, especially vacation time if you can get in Full-Time. If you love books, PRH is the greatest in the game. The best authors, the biggest books. For aspiring publishing professionals, this is the dream. You'll never work on better books anywhere else in your career. Many employees form lasting, lifelong friendships here.

Cons

The company preys on your passion for books and the industry and exploits it to make you feel like you need to stay and that you have no other options. Most entry level employees are on three-month contracts that renew perpetually for years, but offer no benefits, vacation, or sick days. Career development opportunities are nonexistent. Raises small, few and far between. Promotions often long overdue. Many junior and mid-level employees have resigned in the last year because they can't keep waiting around for a minuscule pay bump and a pat on the back when they could take an entry level job in another industry and make 2x as much money. Expect to work evenings, weekends, early mornings and late nights, get emails expecting replies in the middle of the night. No overtime, no lieu time, no reimbursement for mobile costs or home internet even if you're working on your own time and device. HR is a laughingstock. Lip service is paid in big townhall meetings to diversity and employee mental health/work life balance but nothing is ever done. It doesn't appear that managers whose employees report mental health concerns or take stress leave are ever evaluated on whether or not they are fit to lead a team. Clique-y upper management closes ranks and fearful middle managers aren't empowered to stand up for their employees.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 1,188 Reviews

Glassdoor has 1,551 Penguin Random House reviews submitted anonymously by Penguin Random House employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Penguin Random House is right for you.