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Penguin Random House

Is this your company?

Fun job with great coworkers and free books, but with low pay - Anonymous employee Penguin Random House Employee Review

4.0
Apr 15, 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Colleagues are very friendly and down-to-earth, and everyone genuinely cares about the company, their jobs, and the books we all work to produce. There are usually lots of free books available on take-shelves throughout the offices and you get a great discount on books you have to buy. Great time-off policies, and decent healthcare benefits.

Cons

Deadlines can be a little hard at times, and interdepartmental communications leave a lot to be desired. The low wages make it difficult to live in New York City.

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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