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 been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Penguin Random House ?

73% 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) , Publicity Assistant (22) , Designer (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 187 reviews)); "The people were great and everyone wants to help you succeed." ((in 137 reviews)); "Very colourful and vibrant office; has a pulp shelf offering free books" ((in 92 reviews)); "Great team and colleagues" ((in 62 reviews)); "Great work/life balance" ((in 53 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 140 reviews)); "Poor management and can be improved" ((in 29 reviews)); "Lack of diversity and inclusivity." ((in 25 reviews)); "long hours which lead to no life" ((in 13 reviews)); "Pay rises and career progression is slow" ((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.

Penguin Random House reviews

3.9

73% would recommend to a friend

(1,191 total reviews)

Nihar Malaviya

83% approve of CEO

71% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (1,191 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 1,191 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

Jun 1, 2020

Trying to be “woke”, but just not...

Sales executive

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

There are a lot of hard workers.

Cons

Very much a culture of trying to be progressive and overly PC, but the lack of diversity was astounding. It also has quite a cliquey culture with some management making mistakes and placing blame on lower level employees. Big blame culture and belittling behaviour.

2.0

Mar 21, 2016

Prestige with a side of exhaustion

Marketing assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great list, great opportunities to meet and work with exciting authors. Lovely London office with a cheap canteen.

Cons

No progression, little autonomy, terrible pay, consistently working overtime because everyone does, no culture of openness or honestly, poor decisions made by senior management with no explanation or opportunity to feed back.

5.0

Nov 30, 2015

Fantastic

Managing editor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Fantastic books, professionalism at all levels, amazing vacation time (4 weeks for starting), not much office politicking, competent employees

Cons

Promotions are slow and raises beyond the standard increase are nonexistent. I've worked here for a few years and am still at the same title I was hired at. HR will lie to you and say that the starting salaries are nonnegotiable...they are. The pay is also low. Too low to raise a family on.

Viewing 40 - 42 of 1,191 Reviews

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