Is Penguin Random House a good company to work for?

Penguin Random House has an overall rating of 3.9 out of 5, based on over 1,556 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 73% of employees would recommend working at Penguin Random House to a friend and 71% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Penguin Random House have been left by employees working as Editorial Intern , Intern and Director .

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 182 reviews)); "The people were great and everyone wants to help you succeed." ((in 136 reviews)); "Very colourful and vibrant office; has a pulp shelf offering free books" ((in 93 reviews)); "Great team and colleagues" ((in 72 reviews)); "Great work/life balance" ((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 134 reviews)); "Poor management and can be improved" ((in 30 reviews)); "Lack of diversity and inclusivity." ((in 25 reviews)); "Long hours running into weekends" ((in 14 reviews)); "You can get a great manager and be the happiest on earth." ((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.

What are the top reviewed Penguin Random House locations?

New York , Westminster , Crawfordsville , Brooklyn , Baltimore , Hampstead , Chicago , Los Angeles , San Francisco , Reno , Woodstock , Kirkwood , Forest Hills , Austin , Victoria , Gulfport , England , Carmel , Indianapolis , Cincinnati , Emeryville , Mountain View , Iowa City , Seattle , New Milford , Atlanta , Old Tappan , Remote , Antares , Canada

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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 Media & Communication 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

3.0

May 20, 2014

Great people, low pay, and limited promotion opportunities

Editorial assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Working for Penguin Random House is a great achievement for any publishing professional. The company does its best to take care of you with free book offers, fitness reimbursements, and other discount plans.

Cons

As is the case in publishing everywhere, the pay is low and there are limited opportunities to move up.

3.0

Sep 25, 2025

stellar mission, great people, other things lag

Art director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Employees are devoted and passionate about books, and making them as good as they can possibly be. They are also engaged and active in corporate culture. PRH has been at the forefront of legal challenges to book banning, which has led to signifcant pushback against censorship nation-wide. Paid time off is better than most places. Hybrid/remote policy is great. They've gone to great strides to take bias out of hiring and interviewing.

Cons

It varies by division/imprint/publishing unit, but hierarchical and management heavy. There are layers of management that are not needed. Innovation for workflow lags behind other industries. Salaries lag and grind to a halt after a certain number of years of service, unless go into management. Limited opportunites to advance and get raises. Yearly adjustments do not keep up with inflation. Work load/life balance gets worse by the year.

2.0

Sep 1, 2025

Supervisors will remember

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits are great, steady work and lots of overtime if you want it.

Cons

Supervisors will remember that single time you got them in trouble and take the first chance they get to retaliate against you. Said Supervisor also has an issue with women in power positions. "There are to many women in charge"

Viewing 64 - 66 of 1,192 Reviews

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Jobs at Penguin Random House

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SAP Transformation Manager, IT, Penguin Random House (Open to Remote)

Staff Machine Learning Scientist – Personalization (Open to Remote)

Director, Online & Digital Sales (Open to Remote)

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Penguin Random House

Penguin Random House reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Great people, low pay, and limited promotion opportunities

stellar mission, great people, other things lag

Supervisors will remember

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Jobs at Penguin Random House

Penguin Random House reviews FAQs

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