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 205 reviews)); "The people were great and everyone wants to help you succeed." ((in 140 reviews)); "Very colourful and vibrant office; has a pulp shelf offering free books" ((in 90 reviews)); "Great team and colleagues" ((in 67 reviews)); "Great work/life balance" ((in 50 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 130 reviews)); "Poor management and can be improved" ((in 29 reviews)); "Lack of diversity and inclusivity." ((in 25 reviews)); "If you are paired with a difficult manager, your life will be a waking nightmare." ((in 13 reviews)); "Limited career progression" ((in 12 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.

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Penguin Random House

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

Ratings by category

4.0

Culture & values

3.8

Diversity & inclusion

3.7

Work/Life balance

3.4

Senior management

3.4

Career opportunities

3.3

Compensation and benefits

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).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

1K reviews

3.0

Sep 17, 2016

Overworked and in upheaval, but not alone

Associate editor

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

Everyone is amazing, such a welcoming and warm group - like family Exciting projects and talented authors Open door policy with higher-ups West Village adjacent location is wonderful - so many lunch choices!! (Too bad they are moving the office to midtown in 3 years)

Cons

Layoffs have caused distrust and feelings of helplessness People rarely say what needs to be said about issues with poor management Overwhelming workload with no overtime pay

2.0

Sep 16, 2016

Poor management, terrible culture, free books.

Programmer manager

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

Free books from the pulp shelf Insight into a publishing company wishing to re-shape itself as a media company

Cons

Staff very secretive and embrace that culture - openly working on "secret projects" which everyone knew about anyway. Lack of HR support provided to staff and managers. Managers don't know enough about staff, too self interested. Only willing to employ on FTC, I was told in interview that this would convert into a permanent role. No, instead they continuously renewed probation period. No investment in staff. No induction process that is helpful to someone from outside of the publishing industry. Many staff and former colleagues unhappy with management structure and style, but unwilling to leave due to the prestige of working for the worlds biggest publisher - hence lots of underlying resentment.

3.0

Sep 15, 2016

Penguin Random House

Financial analyst

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

Overall a good company with good benefits and management.

Cons

Decision making can sometimes be slow.

Viewing 1000 - 1002 of 1,189 Reviews

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Jobs at Penguin Random House

Reno - Material Handler - 2nd Shift - Mon-Fri. $19.35/hr.

Reno - Material Handler - 1st Shift - Mon-Fri. $17.20/hr.

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

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

Part-Time Weekend Warehouse Only - $18.00/hr.

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Overworked and in upheaval, but not alone

Poor management, terrible culture, free books.

Penguin Random House

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