Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Reviews

Pros

Great co-workers (who are slowly leaving for better companies/salaries/benefits).
The pay check. It might not be great, or even up to regional market statistics, but it's money.

Cons

Senior Level Management (Directors and above) have no concept of how their actions affect people in their departments.
Dis-respect shown to employees by Sr. Management.
Lack of empowerment with employees. We are not able to make decisions, everything needs to go through Sr. Management for approval.
Lack of communication from Sr. Management down to the bottom.
Too many levels of management.

Advice to Senior Management

If you are going to send out surveys, read the results. Make actual and effective changes using those results. We don't want your promises of how things are going to get better, they have never gotten better.
Be pro-active and not reactive.
Treat employees with respect - tell us why you're doing what you're doing.
Create a PMP system that lets us (the lowly, working emplyees) rate Sr. Management and let the results of those affect your raises and bonuses.
Let us do our jobs, that's what you're paying us for. If we aren't doing them well, deal with that using the "new" Performance Management System - that's what it's for.
Let people telecommute. It improves performance and job satisfaction as well as saves the environment and the company's money.
Become a "forward-thinking company" instead of talking about becoming forward-thinking.
Value the knowledge that you have with the employees that are still here.
Pay everyone according to up-to-date market statistics.

Pros

Stable employer with reasonably ample resources and lots of smart people
Good benefits and products are superior in both education and trade divisions
Nice offices in every location
CEO is a visionary and brilliant but too far away from operations to make a difference

Cons

Bureaucratic and CYA attitude abounds
Fearful employees after years and years of different corporate owners and massive layoffs
Talks a lot about new opportunities and ideas, never delivers on anything
Poor communication at very middle/senior management level
Highly political on the management level on up

Advice to Senior Management

Need to strip at least 5-6 EVPs/Old division presidents as well as multiple layers of middle management
Need to encourage entrepreneurial atmosphere with real incentives and not lip service
Need massive overhaul of internal Ops/Finance support - gets in way of business not supporting it

Pros

The Boston location is clean and nice.
The guards watching at the entrances are always friendly!

Cons

Low pay, no bonuses, no compensation
No career growth
Poor management
Lack of communication
Unfeasible deadlines
Lack of appreciation in current job

Advice to Senior Management

Instead of hiring new senior level executive management and wasting money on surveys about company image, why don't you set business plans with actual goals that don't compromise customer satisfaction and market needs?

Pros

Generally nice co-workers, and management does allow for flexible hours when there are family matters to attend to. Making educational books is rewarding, and the school publishing culture is strong.

Cons

Very poor organization. It's practically impossible to get correct and current information between departments no matter what the deadline on the project is, and the deadlines are generally absurd. No job security at all - layoffs were serious and constant, and they laid off the most knowledgeable and professional people to rehire those with less experience at lower pay (I wasn't one of them - I left to pursue another opportunity elsewhere).

Advice to Senior Management

Place more value on experience and streamline the information pipeline. Hire more people to do the job and limit meeting so that people actually have time to do the jobs during deadline crunches.

Pros

Ability to work remotely on occasion (despite division policy against it)
Evanston and Boston locations are easily accessed via public transportation (easy commute)
relaxed office environment, no enforced dress code
great colleagues (personable, skilled, knowledgeable, etc.)

Cons

Austin location is on city outskirts (difficult commute)
Senior leadership does not manage or communicate down very well
There is no clear vision or direction for K-12 division
low pay, no raises
corporate environment, heavy use of buzzwords
bureaucratic

Pros

The only thing I liked was the bonus at the end of the year if goal was attained, however, payment was delayed due to company financial issues

Cons

Lack of respect for experience in the field

Advice to Senior Management

Have an open door policy and care more about your customers than yourself.

Pros

Amazing pool of talent
Still open for business

Cons

The amazing pool of talent is stifled and/or untapped
Inexperienced and incompetent senior "leadership" team
No raises
No promotions
Dwindling benefits
Low morale
Lack of commitment to and investment in product development
Unwieldy bureaucracy
Company currently under the control of authoritarian consultant clowns

Advice to Senior Management

Hire leaders with real publishing, product development, and people management skills -- seriously, at some point, we're going to have to sell a product.

Pros

HMH has great products and wonderful consultants.

Cons

There limited oppurtunities for growth and the sales tracking system is horrible.

Advice to Senior Management

The company should do a better job of being honest with the employees.

Pros

Good product list, but they cut many senior editorial people in 2010, so expect those to go downhill soon!

Cons

Insecure management that pats themselves on the back when they have done no good for the company
Nepotism
Insulting benefits
Non-managers don't try hard for long term goals as they expect to be let go anytime and they're usually right
Management increases goals by up to 60% over previous year and then fires people for not being able to attain after a year of harassment
Lack of respect for non managers - senior management continually use "big words" they've learned in MBA classes to make themselves feel better knowing full well the reps (mostly former educators) won't know what they're talking about
Just generally a very toxic environment

Advice to Senior Management

Fire yourselves, hire someone with experience in education or publishing or even better - both. Your MBAs and experience selling software doesn't always give you all of the answers - accept when you're wrong and 'fess up to it. Listen to your reps - they know their customers better than you do. Deliver compensation plans in a timely manner and pay on them in a timely manner.

Pros

Pockets of real innovation and clear eyed thinking

Cons

Frustrating place to be because of loss of benefits, and wrong decisions.

Advice to Senior Management

None.