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 197 reviews)); "The people were great and everyone wants to help you succeed." ((in 135 reviews)); "Very colourful and vibrant office; has a pulp shelf offering free books" ((in 85 reviews)); "Great team and colleagues" ((in 64 reviews)); "Work life balance is good" ((in 46 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Penguin Random House according to real employee reviews?

"The pay is low and raises are below the inflation rate regardless of company performance." ((in 137 reviews)); "Poor management and can be improved" ((in 28 reviews)); "Lack of diversity and inclusivity." ((in 26 reviews)); "long hours which lead to no life" ((in 14 reviews)); "Little to no upward mobility; toxic and ineffective upper management; unlivable wages; sexism and racism throughout even if they cosplay as a progressive and fair company" ((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

(1,188 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 1,188 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 Audiovisual y medios de comunicación 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

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.

2.0

Mar 30, 2014

A Great Corporate Culture Destroyed by a Merger

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

When I first came to Penguin, I was extremely happy with the culture. Everyone was working together and pulling in the same direction.

Cons

Once Random House took over, the Penguin way of doing everything went out the window, even in cases where it clearly outperformed the Random House way. Morale at Penguin is down throughout the company as Random House dismantles everything that made Penguin great.

Viewing 43 - 45 of 1,188 Reviews

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Prestige with a side of exhaustion

Fantastic

A Great Corporate Culture Destroyed by a Merger

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