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Penguin Random House

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Psychologically unsafe and stuck in the past - Data Engineer Penguin Random House Employee Review

1.0
Oct 7, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Having worked in the Data team, I can say I have learned a lot from my peers and they are very hardworking. For such a small team, they are expected to deliver alot and they often do.. unfortunately this can lead to burn out and poor morale.

Cons

PRH has had repeated complaints about being a psychologically unsafe place to work. What do I mean by this? Ignorant, racist and inappropriate sexual remarks are made and shockingly the senior management don't really do anything about it. They have checked out and like to make a 'training day' on how to make work a safe place rather than take real action when incidents occur.

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Penguin Random House Response
2y
Thank you for taking the time to review Penguin - feedback from previous colleagues is always appreciated. Though we’re glad to hear that you valued learning from your peers, we’re disappointed to hear about the experiences you share here. As a company, we are fully committed to colleague safety and wellbeing. Ensuring that Penguin is a psychologically safe and inclusive place to work is a top priority for us. Thank you for taking the time to post here, we wish you all the best in your new position.

Explore other reviews about Penguin Random House

5.0
Jun 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

super friendly work environment, very understanding, very fun

Cons

in consumer marketing department, a large number of people work remotely

5.0
Jun 20, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

• Caring people. Psychological safety is emphasized by people at every level. I feel like leadership at each step of the reporting chain is very approachable and transparent. • Great work/life balance. • There is a lot of openness to trying new technologies or doing different things for such a large and established organization. There is very little "trend chasing," it's more like you're listened to. As the CEO started out as a technologist, he has a realistic view of what new tools (including, but not just, AI) can do for us. • Informal, especially for a company created by the merger of two nearly-100 year old publishing firms and was recently acquired by a nearly-200 year old company. • Company supports learning and development. • Free books! • I care greatly about the company's mission and it's clear how my work impacts the company's ability to execute on it. • Things often move slowly, which is both a pro and a con.

Cons

• Pay and insurance are very average, but I can live with that. This is a much bigger con for employees whose jobs require them to be on-site, especially in e.g. London and New York. • Said learning and development seem to have a ...deliberate pace. While this is fine and what I wanted, other tech people coming in from more "tech-y" organizations mightn't gel with it. • Things often move slowly, which is both a pro and a con.

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