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Penguin Random House

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Penguin Random House reviews

3.9

73% would recommend to a friend

(1,191 total reviews)
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Nihar Malaviya

83% approve of CEO

71% positive business outlook

Penguin Random House has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 1,191 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 Medien & Kommunikation industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

1K reviews
2.0
Mar 5, 2014

A disappointing experience

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

While working in editorial, I got to experience the ins and outs of the publishing world - although I was pretty much at the bottom of the food chain, I got a good idea of what working as an editor there would be like. Most of the people were welcoming and friendly and there were good opportunities to go on courses and learn on the job.

Cons

High levels of stress - the particular editorial department I was at works mostly in silence because they have so much to get through. A peculiarly highly strung office culture - I once heard my boss shout at an editor, and I heard that this was considered the norm at RH - the higher up you get, the more you have adults shouting at other adults. However, what I was most disappointed with was what happened after I left - after a mutual decision that the position wasn't a good fit, I moved away - I thought we'd left things on an amicable note and both of my bosses promised me good references with whatever I planned to do next - which seemed fair, since I'd worked really hard. On landing a role I was really excited about, I directed them to my bosses for a reference and then didn't hear from them for six weeks, when they sheepishly admitted they'd given the role to someone else. Baffled, I made contact with a friend of a friend working in HR at the company I was hoping to work with, and she told me that my boss had been tentatively positive but then inserted a few choice statements like "Bright girl but she's bored by admin" - which caused the company to change their mind,since the role was entry level, and involved a degree of administration. Since my bosses had been the ones to state they'd give me a good reference, I thought this was surprisingly unprofessional - if they'd had reservations they should have declined to give a reference at all. So, as a heads up to anyone who worked there briefly and ended up leaving for somewhere else - skip the reference.

2.0
Oct 5, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
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
CEO approval
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

Viewing 1 - 3 of 1,191 Reviews

Glassdoor has 1,555 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.