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 183 reviews)); "The people were great and everyone wants to help you succeed." ((in 139 reviews)); "Very colourful and vibrant office; has a pulp shelf offering free books" ((in 90 reviews)); "Great team and colleagues" ((in 68 reviews)); "Great team and very friendly" ((in 28 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 137 reviews)); "Poor management and can be improved" ((in 31 reviews)); "Lack of diversity and inclusivity." ((in 26 reviews)); "long hours which lead to no life" ((in 14 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.

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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

1.0

Mar 31, 2026

Wish I hadn’t gone for the role

Assistant editor

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

None I can think of

Cons

Too heavy, unfair system & discriminatory

3.0

Sep 25, 2025

stellar mission, great people, other things lag

Art director

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

Employees are devoted and passionate about books, and making them as good as they can possibly be. They are also engaged and active in corporate culture. PRH has been at the forefront of legal challenges to book banning, which has led to signifcant pushback against censorship nation-wide. Paid time off is better than most places. Hybrid/remote policy is great. They've gone to great strides to take bias out of hiring and interviewing.

Cons

It varies by division/imprint/publishing unit, but hierarchical and management heavy. There are layers of management that are not needed. Innovation for workflow lags behind other industries. Salaries lag and grind to a halt after a certain number of years of service, unless go into management. Limited opportunites to advance and get raises. Yearly adjustments do not keep up with inflation. Work load/life balance gets worse by the year.

3.0

Sep 4, 2025

Good as publishing houses go

Senior rights executive

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

Good team culture, exciting books, good resources e.g. HR team, good opportunities to move around teams and progress. Great colleagues overall.

Cons

Terrible pay, incredibly high work load, total lack of flexibility around office days, sometimes poor management. COMPLETE lack of diversity in the area of class.

Viewing 100 - 102 of 1,189 Reviews

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Wish I hadn’t gone for the role

stellar mission, great people, other things lag

Good as publishing houses go

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