Pros
The best thing about working at Pearson is the people, and not just the ones on your team. You do get an opportunity to befriend everyone in the building due to Management's encouragement of socialization and professional growth via programs sponsored by management or people just getting together because they enjoy each other's company. There are book clubs, movie nights, monthly socials, professional enrichment seminars, meditation, ping pong tournaments, and sponsored happy hours (these were once or twice a year). As an Editorial Assistant there aren't many perks but you do get to participate in summer Fridays, and while the Code of Conduct says the dress code is business casual, everyone comes in dressed casually, especially management. This is a pro because the salary is so low, you can save money on buying "work clothes". The work you do as an assistant is administrative for the most part but, because of the subject I assisted with, there were many fun moments and I did get an opportunity to really be involved in the editorial process. The Health insurance is really good, the premium was lower than normal, and you can see a specialist without a referral.
Cons
The salary is terrible for a company of this size and for the amount of work you end up doing. There is no overtime, which is a shame because you WILL end up working overtime. Part of the reason you will be very involved in the editorial process is because they have downsized the editorial teams so much that you end up doing tasks that were at some point an editor's or project manager's. This year they outsourced the majority of their editorial and project management teams so there is now more work than ever on a smaller group of people. Those that are left are apparently managing the the teams Pearson hired to manage the contractors. Another reason this is a Con, is this move will most certainly affect business at least in the short run, as many professors when I left had serious concerns about the quality of the materials degrading. All the people who knew the products are gone so that will also affect the sales team, which may mean more lay offs in the future as John Fallon is under immense pressure to make bigger profits. There is so much red tape that what should be a simple task becomes a nightmare. The Account Payable team is so awful there were times I wanted to pay people from my own bank account to end the horror and embarrassment. Bonuses are mostly dependent on every part of the company doing well and meeting their sales goals. Last year our team exceeded our goal yet we did not receive a bonus, instead we got pink slips. The biggest Con is that John Fallon and his team don't seem to know what they are doing. In the two years and a half I was there they changed their "vision" 3 times. It's almost like they their business strategy is based on the game Whack-a-Mole. "Let's try this, nope didn't work." "What about this, nope not that either." The CEO talks a good game when it comes to the future of Pearson, but he has a serious problem executing that vision because he wants to do it on a budget.