order picker

forklift operator

cherry picker

warehouse associate

production assistant

Simon & Schuster

When I came there in 2006 I loved working there because it was the most simple and understandable job you could ever work for. Then in about 2008 they started to bring voice picking to make the pace of picking faster, but what we got was nothing but frustration, and tiring work, because of going faster than you were usually doing before. Then in about 2010 they started to have you work overtime, it was great because of the extra money you got at the end of the week but they were doing that every single day  of the week and for me I was working full time night shift from 3:30 to 12:00, but with the overtime I had to stay until 2:00 in the morning which was exhausting and the worst part was I had to walk home and did't get home until about 2:30 so obviously I went to bed close to 3:00 in the morning. Finally I like to say if you want to work there go for it, cause I'm not trying to discourage you from working there, but I'm just telling you my experience of working there through those years.

Who manages the managers? In three vastly different roles, S&S demonstrated to me that there is limited culpability at the managerial level, and the little people are rarely protected from working long hours for little pay. 

But perhaps the most egregious fault is S&S's insistence upon pushing their employees and authors to meet unrealistic production schedules. S&S has a reputation for doing books faster and cheaper than the competition—but so much is lost with that mentality, from the quality of the finished book, to the trust the authors have in the publishing house, to the mental stamina of the overworked employees, constantly pushed to 115%.

S&S does have fantastic people, who make you excited about the job and proud of your work. And you will get to see some exciting projects come to life. But there's a reason why the other Top Four are more desirable places to work.

I loved my position at Simon & Schuster overall; however, there was no career advancement within the Delran office. A typical day at work usually began with an early arrival, usually before anyone else in the department; checking e-mails, looking over my manager's calendar to see what meetings were scheduled for the day and whether or not there were any meeting conflicts. Depending upon the day of the week, prepare weekly hold reports for review and distribution. The department was cohesive for the most part and worked well together. The most difficult part of the job was accepting that S&S is not a perfect company and overlooking some inappropriate behavior for fear of repercussion. The most enjoyable part of the job was the ability to complete my daily tasks without strict supervision and the trust I was given by management and frequently sharing a laugh with co-workers.

At first publisher, working fulltime, had acubby-hole desk and had little communication with other copyeditors. Learned to focus on copyediting detail and discipline. Manager was Director of Paperback division, who left me on my own and communicated through notes only. The hardest part of the job was little contact with gellow workers and no  participation in editorial/publishing decisions.The most enjoyable part of my job was reading of variety of books in several literary genres. 

Contract work with other major presses was enjoyable because I could work at home or in office at my own schedule. I was exposed to different Publishing House styles and publishing selection of authors.

I wasn't prepared for what the job culture in publishing would be like. The training process relies on the more seasoned assistants teaching the newbies how to do everything. I was lucky that my predecessor still worked in the building, but the learning curve was still steep. And the experience you have as an EA will vary A LOT based on who your boss is. 
It's the policy in some imprints that an EA can't be promoted until s/he has done the job for three years. 
The base entry level salary is $33k, which is on the low side for the industry.
Assistants tend to work from 9-6, or later, and work through lunch, but we're paid for 7 hours a day. Despite what they'll tell you at orientation about "timesheets," no one uses them, overtime pay doesn't exist at S&S.

It's okay as long as you do your job. Benefits and health insurance are good that's about it. The pay is decent but employees who have been there for years get screwed because new hires will start at close to the same or more in some cases to do the same job. Base pay goes up for new hires but there is no change to long-term employees pay. Raises are lackluster and everyone gets the same percentage increase. You'll be lucky to get close to a dollar raise. 
Management has nurtured a work culture of separation instead of working as a team. Advancement is based on favoritism instead of qualification. Although they'll tell you differently. Most of management is out of touch with the day to day of the warehouse employees. 
The maintenance crew only fixes stuff when it breaks instead of doing preventative maintenance when something is obviously wrong or not running properly. 

A bunch of addicts working there and I see why because this place will have you killing yourself just to meet a quota. You never know if it'll be the last day you clock in because people are fired everyday. The pay is good but you work 5 hours straight with nothing but a 30minute break. Everything is broken all of the time, management rides around on scooters making you feel even more rushed watching your lines. People are amped up on REDBULL and monster drinks just to keep themselves going. This places turn over rate is absolutely ridiculous. All they all care about is getting the product out and stressing you out to make your numbers. Alot of the staff is unfriendly and don't want you to work with them. Make a couple months of good checks and move on is your best bet, you'll be lucky if you last an entire year.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The job itself is easy the workers there always help

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The pettiness of certain managers and supervisors it’s like you’re in middle school constant drama 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Grown folk acting like teens it’s sad how supervisors treat the workers especially the good ones that actually work but favor the one that don’t work there is a lot of favoritism there 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Stressful because you never know what mood the supervisors are in and if they will come to work being petty and knit pick the workers, working there is like walking on eggshells

A great place to gain some valuable experience, learn and build many skills, and work alongside some brilliant people. Very reasonable work/life balance.

BUT, the pay and benefits are pathetic. It is not a meritocracy so the best, and sometimes only, way to advance is leveraging another offer. Corporate leadership is very suspect and flat out lazy or just plain clueless. The company will do anything to make a buck despite its grandstanding as a progressive, venerable institution. Internal work flow and chain of commands are confusing. Operating systems are outdated. People quick to pass the buck and even quicker to attach themselves to the credit.

I enjoyed my time at Simon, it just wasn't a great fit for me personally. There was a great energy in the office and in the warehouse although the two departments did not coordinate often. Team sports was a big part of the cuture with softball and basketball teams among the employees. Holidays off and shorter work days were frequent. Scheduling time off was difficult because it was based on seniority, and very few people could cover your area if you needed to take PTO or even a Drs appt. 
The Management was responsive and the severance after leaving fair. The pay was excellent. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Order picker 33 salaries reported	$27.57 per hour
Forklift operator 11 salaries reported	$18.82 per hour
Cherry picker 3 salaries reported	$19.33 per hour
Warehouse associate 2 salaries reported	$17.50 per hour
Production assistant 10 salaries reported	$32.50 per hour

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