OUP USA Reviews

I have been working at OUP USA full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Get to be part of a 500 year old company; possibility of travel to UK and NYC; good benefits/ retirement matching; friendly, down to earth coworkers for the most part; opportunity for growth within and across departments

Cons – Salaries are reasonable, but not high; many changes in the past few years have left some people feeling unstable in their positions; implementing projects can take years

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at OUP USA full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – A lot of lovely people work at Oxford--smart, good, talented, kind, and hardworking people who go out of their way to be caring human beings, even on non-work-related issues. They often create a community/family feel in the workplace, across departments. Editorial people seem to be happy, and stay at OUP for 5-20+ years. Marketing and Editorial seem to get along well at OUP, which is unusual for book publishing. OUP has a good reputation in the wider job market, which can be leveraged into a better job after working there for 2-3 years.

Cons – In general: OUP is run like a for-profit company without paying the for-profit salaries. Oxford is slow to implement changes that should be made swiftly, and quick to change things that deserve greater deliberation. Specifically: Production, Manufacturing, and Design people should steer clear of OUP. Managers drain the life out of you without making the smallest acknowledgment of any kind, much less any reward. There is little room for growth or advancement, and a lot of staff talent is left unused. Managers squash dissenting voices, rule from the top down, and implement policies that demonstrate their general lack of comprehension. They constantly change things, round and round, without improving anything. Then again, Production in general is a sinking ship, not just at OUP. Managers in other departments seem to be better: I got much better feedback from collegues and other departments than I did from Production managers.

Advice to Senior Management – There have been 4 reorganizations of Content Operations in the last 3 years--that alone should be sufficient evidence of incompetent management. If the C-suite hasn't noticed it, then perhaps they don't care. They seem to hire only self-serving managers who go out of their way to promote mediocrity rather than excellence. Even the pathetically low salaries might be palatable if workers had managers who cared about them.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I worked at OUP USA as a contractor for more than a year

Pros – forward thinking, innovative products, great database system, clear roles and responsibilities. They've got a good reputation and a good freelancer list--and the authors are pretty friendly and great people. Everyone but the upper management is good at what they do and friendly. I loved working with everyone involved and the systems in place made doing your job very easy and efficient.

Cons – poor management, especially upper management. they bully and degrade workers so they take on impossible workloads. most of the employees are temps, so they just dangle a chance at employment in order to make you work harder, longer. Encourage competition among employees for promotions--it's like a reality show. Shameless outsourcing, no feedback welcomed from staff. Upper management in bed with HR, so don't bother complaining.

Advice to Senior Management – The problem is with completely with the upper management.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at OUP USA as a contractor for less than a year

Pros – Great work environment, helpful and supportive colleagues.

Cons – Besides some administrative hurdles (that apply to most organizations) no complaints.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at OUP USA full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Most people who work there are extremely smart and kind. Academic publishing seems to brings out the inner nerd in everyone. Seriously though, the folks at OUP make it a great place to work. There is lots of interaction with academics who are doing seriously cool work and it feels good to be a part of the community.

Cons – It's publishing, so while there are loads of opportunities for growth, the pay is still pretty low.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I have been working at OUP USA as an intern

Pros – OUP is a company with a dignified mission and is well-respected in the industry. It is large for an academic press, but individual departments create a more intimate feel, which is good. Also CEO gives monthly briefings in intimate setting in the NY office and he is great and personable.

Cons – Not the "sexy" side of publishing--dry academic material. Also in some areas, is definitely the mind-numbing vibe of 9-5 sitting in a cubicle under florescent lights.

Advice to Senior Management – Stop complaining so much about being in publishing! As an intern, it seems like at least 5 upper level people have made bitter/negative comments directly to me about the low pay, long hours etc, which kills morale.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at OUP USA full-time for more than 7 years

Pros – Summer hours. Work independently, yearly bonuses.

Cons – A corporation masked in a non profit cloak. Constantly reorganizing, constant meetings, very low pay, disappearing departments, very little career opportunities to grow unless you are in marketing, editorial, or a data controller. Products and jobs are being shifted to India. Senior management not interested in people only performance. Managers are usually unprepared or trained to manage people. Expertise is taken but rarely compensated. HR is rarely on the side of the employee. No value given for employee's ideas. Only those in management are given outside projects. If you are in a remote location, you will never advance. Perks and benefits are slowly being either taken away or done cheaply. Books are given as Christmas Presents....Really?

Advice to Senior Management – Career development should be as big a priority as e-books currently are.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at OUP USA

Pros – The work at OUP was interesting and the interaction with other coworkers was always positive. The company culture at OUP was very friendly.

Cons – There was little if any room for growth at OUP and it was not even discussed. Most people work there for some time and then leave.

Advice to Senior Management – Look within the company for more advancement and ideas, and have a clear path of succession for employees, this provides excitement for the future.

I have been working at OUP USA

Pros – Have to say I love this place. I like working independently, my boss has provided me with ample opportunity to work at moving up (and did in fact promote me), and has encouraged me to gain acquisitions experience. Good benefits, and a pretty casual environment. Also, the president is really great. Takes the time to talk to everybody, is very open and honest, and has an excellent knowledge of the industry. Anybody who doesn't succeed here or get something meaningful out of the experience wasn't really trying.

Cons – Low pay, but what do you expect from a not-for-profit academic publisher? Also, publishing is a topsy-turvy field right now, but what isn't?

Advice to Senior Management – I got nothing, except maybe try to get all the departments paperless. Makes everything so much faster. It would also be awesome if some kind of cross-the-pond exchange could be done, especially for people lower down...

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at OUP USA

Pros – Your co-workers count on you to do work and you can rely on them in return. Starting as an intern, I was never asked to grab coffee. I had "real work" from the beginning.

Cons – A lot of turn-over, constantly re-structuring.

Advice to Senior Management – Hire more assistants to take care of administrative work for middle managers!