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 181 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 92 reviews)); "Great team and colleagues" ((in 65 reviews)); "Work life balance is good" ((in 51 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 141 reviews)); "Poor management and can be improved" ((in 30 reviews)); "Lack of diversity and inclusivity." ((in 25 reviews)); "Career progression is slow." ((in 13 reviews)); "Compensation is low in publishing generally and lack of progression" ((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

73% would recommend to a friend

(1,192 total reviews)

Nihar Malaviya

83% approve of CEO

71% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.0

Culture & values

3.8

Diversity & inclusion

3.7

Work/Life balance

3.5

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 1,192 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).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

1K reviews

2.0

Jan 9, 2020

Bad atmosphere

Assistant editor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Exciting and interesting projects, opportunities to meet interesting people

Cons

Toxic and uncomfortable office environment

2.0

Mar 8, 2019

Dying industry, dysfunctional culture, job insecurity

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great products, easy to be enthusiastic about them

Cons

The industry is a dinosaur, lots of literary snobs in publishing team so anyone outside publishing is a second class citizen. Uncomfortable marriage between Penguin and Random house, lots of politics and a CEO who was in the right l,ace at the right time but shouldn’t be in that job. Restructuring is never far away so a constant sense of insecurity. UK and US arms of company is where the action is, not Australia.

2.0

Mar 1, 2019

Toxic Work Environment

Manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good benefits A bit above average pay for the industry Good training possibilities Free Books

Cons

Toxic Work Environment Many good and intelligent people have left due to poor management Shrinking industry - more work/less pay

Viewing 52 - 54 of 1,192 Reviews

Jobs at Penguin Random House

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Associate Director, Marketing, Out of Print (Hybrid)

Director, Online & Digital Sales (Open to Remote)

Associate Publicist – Knopf Doubleday (Hybrid)

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