Sourcebooks Reviews

I recently read an article titled "12 Signs You are Working in a Toxic Office" (by Miriam Salpeter). My former colleagues and I were so stunned by number of boxes that Sourcebooks can check off this list, that I felt compelled to post it here. I hope outsiders and Sourcebooks Management alike will read the following list carefully. Here are some of the signs you work in an office with a poor work culture, as stated in the article, that truly apply to Sourcebooks. 1. Your boss is a recognized bully. (Sourcebooks' CEO has been known to humiliate and berate her employees, often publicly.) 2. It's not unusual for co-workers or your boss to take credit for your work. (This happened on numerous occasions across the company throughout the duration of employment at Sourcebooks). 3. The boss is ineffective or absentee. 4. Poor performers never seem to lose their jobs, while strong workers are fired. (The turnover rate at Sourcebooks is unprecedented. Every year, many good workers fear for their jobs while poor performers continue to coast by on the efforts of others). 5. Everyone operates under different rules. (This is particularly true for managements' "pets." Office policy does not apply to all.) 6. There is a lack of formal training plans or programs. (For every Sourcebooks employee, the first few weeks is utter chaos. You are thrown into the fire with little training. This causes quite a bit of "brain drain," meaning every time someone quits (which is often), critical information/processes are lost and have to be started from scratch.) 7. People are promoted in random, seemingly illogical ways. (In many cases, promotions mean nothing. There is no "ladder" to be climbed at Sourcebooks. Your responsibilities do not grow to match your forward progress.) 8. Supervisors don't communicate expectations well. (Not only do they not communicate expectations, but they also don't have solidified expectations to communicate. The company/CEO is constantly dropping projects on a whim, wasting countless hours of employees' time.)

Although the production and editorial departments are fairly normal, there is a huge culture problem at Sourcebooks. They often “crash” books into sales cycle to increase sales, not caring if the editorial or production teams have the bandwidth to do it. Working evenings and weekends is very common, and the office is uncomfortable at best. People are crammed into tiny cubicles and there is no privacy or place to eat, so people often go to their cars to get some peace. Dominique Raccah is a tyrant who will think nothing of screaming at you or throwing things at you if she’s not happy with a situation. She is aggressive and likely narcissistic—she does not care how you feel or what your opinion is. I can’t count how many times I saw designers coming out of her office crying because she threw a cover mock up literally out her office window. The pay wasn't worth all the work I took home with me, most nights, just to keep up. When I left abruptly for a healthier opportunity, I was called into Dominique’s office to be told I was “disappointing.”