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Penguin Random House

Is this your company?

A job like no other / but industry-wide low pay and no work-like balance culture - Marketing Associate Penguin Random House Employee Review

4.0
Nov 22, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- You work with some of the best people (passionate readers, compassionate, enthusiastic) - You work with books!! And with some of the amazing authors who write them - Ability to take on a lot of tasks and wear many hats -working remotely

Cons

- A note on the above -- you're pretty much obligated to take on a lot of tasks and wear a lot of hats because 1. job descriptions are vague 2. they expect you to take on the work of 2-3 people since companies in the industry are typically understaffed (but you're supposed to work for the passion of the books) -- so people are typically overworked and burnt out - low pay - promotions are less based on merit and more likely on the amount of time you've been there. if company is having a bad year, you will likely not be promoted or get a pay raise – no matter how your responsibilities have changed. It's the nature of the business - you're expected to stick it out like others have -1-3% cost of living wage increase when inflation is 7%?!?!?!?

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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