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 1,558 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 70% of employees would recommend working at Penguin Random House to a friend and 73% 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 decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Penguin Random House ?

70% 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 3.3 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 190 reviews)); "The people were great and everyone wants to help you succeed." ((in 128 reviews)); "Very colourful and vibrant office; has a pulp shelf offering free books" ((in 92 reviews)); "Great team and colleagues" ((in 65 reviews)); "Work life balance is good" ((in 44 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 140 reviews)); "Poor management and can be improved" ((in 29 reviews)); "Lack of diversity and inclusivity." ((in 24 reviews)); "If you are paired with a difficult manager, your life will be a waking nightmare." ((in 15 reviews)); "long hours which lead to no life" ((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

Penguin Random House reviews

3.9

70% would recommend to a friend

(1,194 total reviews)

Nihar Malaviya

76% approve of CEO

73% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Penguin Random House has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 1,194 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).

Reviews by job title

1K reviews

3.0

Dec 21, 2016

Very Corporate

Designer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The benefits seem to be the best you can get for the book publishing industry.

Cons

Very corporate, and the atmosphere is very cliquey. Feels like a sorority house. People seem consistently overloaded with work. Investment in their employees is not their top priority. It's more about how fast and efficiently you can churn out those books. It's not about your creativity here, it's about how you interpret someone else's ideas.

2.0

Dec 14, 2016

Where to begin..

Forklift operator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

I admit, there are a lot of untold benefits and some obvious ones, like free books, discounted prices on books you're wanting.. work with some pleasant people and non.. I could go on and on.

Cons

Where to begin.. Toxic bosses and the group with him/her. It's not an adult word, it's more or less back in school again, where you have the preps, the jocks, the drama queens and kings.. and so much belittlement. There's really no room for growth and/or chance to try something new. You can't really talk without offending someone based on words or tone.

3.0

Dec 13, 2016

Publicist

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

I loved the people on the small team that I worked with. The work was often interesting and the management style could be quite hands off which meant that if you weren't asking for a budget you could use the PRH legacy and the trust it engendered to do some interesting things. It's a good place to be if you go into it knowing how long and what you want to do and learn within a set amount of time.

Cons

In my particular branch of PRH (overseas) there was no opportunity for advancement and very little formal structures to make sure people were getting training or support. Management put off making difficult decisions which made it extremely difficult to plan ahead.

Viewing 976 - 978 of 1,194 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Elsevier

3.5★Compensation & Benefits

Hearst

3.5★Compensation & Benefits

Snap-on

3.5★Compensation & Benefits

National Geographic Society

3.7★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at Penguin Random House

Reno, NV: Light Picker/Packer: 2nd shift $18.00/hr

Production Assistant – Audio (On-site)

Reno, NV: Material Handler, Weekend B: Wed - Sun $19.35/hr.

Reno, NV: Material Handler, Weekend A: Sat - Wed $19.35/hr.

Crawfordsville, Indiana: Light Picker/Packer: 3rd shift $18.40/hr