Does Penguin Random House pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Penguin Random House employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.3 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Penguin Random House . This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Penguin Random House ?

72% of Penguin Random House employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Penguin Random House 3.7 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.0 for culture and values and 3.4 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Penguin Random House ?

Editorial Assistant (50) , Editor (33) , Intern (29) , Editorial Intern (25) , Designer (21) , Publicity Assistant (21) , Marketing Assistant (20) , Publicity Intern (15) , Assistant Editor (13) , Director (13) , Senior Designer (13) , Manager (12) , Graphic Designer (11) , Marketing Coordinator (11) , Author (10)

What are the pros of working at Penguin Random House according to real employee reviews?

"Great benefit as well as perks" ((in 192 reviews)); "The people were great and everyone wants to help you succeed." ((in 141 reviews)); "Very colourful and vibrant office; has a pulp shelf offering free books" ((in 90 reviews)); "Great team and colleagues" ((in 66 reviews)); "Great work/life balance" ((in 48 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Penguin Random House according to real employee reviews?

"Pay was low and that was about it" ((in 129 reviews)); "Poor management and can be improved" ((in 32 reviews)); "Lack of diversity and inclusivity." ((in 22 reviews)); "Long hours running into weekends" ((in 13 reviews)); "You can get a great manager and be the happiest on earth." ((in 13 reviews))

What are employees saying about Penguin Random House layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Penguin Random House layoffs and their outlook for job security at Penguin Random House in 2026.

Penguin Random House reviews

3.9

72% would recommend to a friend

(1,189 total reviews)

Nihar Malaviya

81% approve of CEO

70% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (1,189 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Penguin Random House has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 1,189 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

4.0

Jan 25, 2017

Good place to work, but salaries quite low

Digital manager

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

Good atmosphere, great place to learn and develop, a lot of talent

Cons

Poor salaries, sometimes long hours, difficult to merge Penguin and Random House cultures

4.0

Jan 17, 2017

Managing Editorial

Anonymous employee

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

Penguin Random House is a great place to build your publishing career. The benefits (vacation, insurance, summer Fridays, free books) are wonderful, and salary is competitive (for publishing).

Cons

The culture is markedly different than in other publishing houses here. People tend to eat lunch at their desks, and just work silently - not a lot of camaraderie, but it depends on the group you are in. Promotions don't happen as quickly as in other houses. My experience with management wasn't great.

5.0

Jan 13, 2017

Great company to build a career with

Anonymous employee

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

While nothing is perfect, as a whole, Penguin Random House is a great company to work for. Not the best pay, but great benefits and time off make up for it. Very collaborative and team-oriented environment, plenty of opportunities for learning and development. You can get a lot of exposure to different departments no matter where you are.

Cons

The pay is competitive for publishing, but could be better to help retain valued employees.

Viewing 964 - 966 of 1,189 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

The Business Year

3.5★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at Penguin Random House

Crawfordsville, Indiana: Light Picker/Packer: 1st shift $16.00/hr.

SAP ABAP Developer (Open to Remote)

Staff/Senior Machine Learning Scientist - Pricing/Forecasting (Open to Remote)

Crawfordsville, Indiana: Full-Time Forklift Operator: 1st shift $20.00/hr.

Crawfordsville, Indiana: Light Picker/Packer: 3rd shift $18.40/hr