HarperCollins reviews

3.4

58% would recommend to a friend

(102 total reviews)
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Brian Murray

66% approve of CEO

48% positive business outlook

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102 reviews

Reviews about "Compensation"

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3.0
Feb 17, 2019

Great company, but a lot of work and lower pay

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Most everyone is incredibly friendly, and you really feel like you're a part of the mission and making a difference. They're decent about promoting you in the position you're in, depending on the team. They also do a great job of company events through the communications team every few months - we had a coffee cart come in once for free coffee, a snack cart come around for unlimited snacks, and a free copy of a new cookbook that was coming out.

Cons

Their pay is not competitive, especially based on the market in Nashville. They are also not flexible on working from home (depends on the team you're on, but it's a company-wide policy) and the work load can be a lot. A lot of jobs aren't a typical 40-hour a week job, and the company doesn't hire the head count needed to effectively get everything done. It can get overwhelming, there really should be more employees, especially on the marketing and editorial teams, so we can be cutting edge and have the time and space to do our best work vs. juggling so many projects.

1.0
Sep 5, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There are a lot of experienced, talented, and passionate people working here. You can learn a lot if you're willing to deal with some of the cons. People are genuinely excited about what they're working on. There are different levels of medical benefits which provides flexibility. Recently added paternity leave. A couple times a year they will do company-wide book drops. Otherwise, you are entitled to one free e-book a week but hard copy book purchases are taken out of your team's budget. Sometimes they will provide a discount during the holidays. It vastly ranges and depends on the team but generally, working hours are flexible so if you need to dip for an appointment or for your kids you can work from home within reason. There are some parents who work remote one day a week. Vacation policy is generous 15 vacation days to start and 5 vacation days additional after 5 years. Everyone gets 5 personal days.

Cons

Big issues with pay parity across similar roles with similar work experiences. I found out I was making over 40% less than my male counterpart and Human Resources actively prevented my manager and I from raising my salary claiming I was at market rate. Huge pay differences between junior and senior staff. The best way to make market rate here is negotiating hard when you join the company. Additionally, pay at the other publishers is generally higher than at HarperCollins. Even though the company is vastly female there is not much female leadership. You will see the same older, white, males at the c-level. HarperCollins UK released a gender gap report which confirmed a pay gap between males and females. There have been a couple restructurings and there was not transparency or communication from anyone so the fear of job security was in question for a lot of people. They increased the level of vacation time but now, time is accrued monthly and days can no longer be rolled over. Some teams are expected to be available on email after working hours.

1.0
May 21, 2018

Worst publishing company

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Free books, though this company will kill your love of reading. After a couple years being beaten down here, your next job will be bliss since you'll have forgotten what it felt like to be respected and valued.

Cons

Salaries are low even by industry standards. You'll tell yourself you're passionate about books and it's just to get a foot into the industry, but it's hard to move between publishing companies and chances are you'll be here long enough to get a really good sense of how little respect upper management has for you. You will work almost every evening and weekend and you will not be paid for it. Your commitment to your job will be constantly questioned. You'll be discouraged from even requesting overtime on the basis that doing so could prevent you from getting promoted. HR is aware that their entry-level employees are being overworked and that OT rules are abused. Do not work here if you want any semblance of a life outside the office. Finally, it's a catty, stressful place to work, and there's a chronic morale problem. It's not uncommon to see people crying in the office. I could say much more but I don't want to waste any more time on this company than I already have.

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