What It Does: Macmillan provides a multi-format array of world-renowned publications to serve readers of different age groups.
Mission: Macmillan aims to create a sustainable culture of inclusion that lets people perform optimally and fosters personal and professional growth.
Size and Presence: Macmillan currently employs 2,176 workers with offices in 41 countries.
Best known for: For over 175 years, Macmillan has translated its passion for learning into providing a fertile ground for developing a productive partnership between writers and readers.
The good bits: Macmillan provides an exceptional work environment that guarantees connections with amazing people passionate about what they do.
The not-so-good bits: As with most multinational companies, the executives at Macmillan could do more to be in touch with its employees.
Macmillan was founded in 1843 prompted by the growth-oriented spirit of Scottish brothers, Daniel and Alexander Macmillan. They have developed their franchise into a world leader by making their employees an active part of their history.
Daniel Macmillan was the business brain while Alexander laid strong proprietary literacy foundations with writers. Separating the two sides of the business helped the company grow financially and reputation-wise attracting several genius writers. Some of the writers who worked with Macmillan include; W. B. Yates, Christiana Rosetti, Thomas Hughes, and so many more.
In 1869, Macmillan sold its US operations to George Platt Brett Senior and George Platt Brett Junior. This led to the opening of an American Macmillan office and the company named Macmillan company.
Macmillan later entered the market in the United States in 1954 named St. Martin Press. Holtzbrinck Publishing Group purchased Macmillan in 1999.
Macmillan continued to modify its business model to fit the business model of the changing world, especially with the introduction of electronic media. In 2019, Macmillan engineered a partnership with Wattpad to promote its new arm of electronic publications in the United States.
Since its inception over 175 years ago, Macmillan has continued to grow in strength and is known as being amongst the “big five of English publishing”.
For over 100 years, Macmillan has stood by its culture of diversity and inclusion which has engineered the sustainable growth it enjoys. The company embeds diversity and inclusion in every aspect of its operation.
Their ethnically diverse clientele maintains a single voice of reasoning through principles they hold dear. These principles include; respect, trust, inclusivity, impact, and sustainability. In all parts of the world, working at Macmillan is beyond a job but a call to be part of a global, growth-oriented family.
Every aspect of Macmillan principles is channelled at productivity and it certainly builds the vibe at the workplace. There’s so much fun in Macmillan with every employee being their productive self and willing to take on several responsibilities to grow professionally and personally.
As a world-leading publisher, Macmillan looks to maintain a thorough recruitment process that not only tests the talents/qualifications of its applicants but helps to develop the Macmillan culture in them.
Even candidates who do not eventually land roles in Macmillan still enjoy an enjoyable hiring experience developing knowledge that’ll see them soar professionally. There are six steps in the Macmillan hiring process.
After prospective graduates and interns submit applications, their applications are reviewed and candidates who match the technical and cultural skill sets are selected. Candidates are then channelled into the next phase which is an interview. This interview is designed to simply know the applicants better.
Following satisfactory completion of the first round of interviews, candidates are requested to participate in test assessments and a short behavioural assessment. These assessments help the hiring team rank graduate and intern skill sets and understand how well they fit into the company’s culture.
Graduates and interns who impress in the assessment stages are invited for a second interview after which background checks are run on them all.
Finally, graduates and internship applicants who satisfy all aspects of the recruitment process are offered employment in the Macmillan family.
True to its heritage of diversity and inclusion, Macmillan offers several initiatives that’ll help both graduates and interns grow career-wise. Macmillan claims to offer seasonal Mentorship Programs where talents are paired up with respectable faces in their professional line.
The special Macmillan talent team also invests in creating a wide array of virtual and physical learning content to help their employees remain at the forefront of an ever-changing community.
The average salary at Macmillan is around $88,000 per year while interns earn around $33,545 per year.
Along with creating a healthy work culture, Macmillan is also making contributions to creating a sustainably healthy environment. They are making substantial investments into becoming “carbon neutral”.
They have also done so with success in recent years. The past decade has seen carbon emissions in Macmillan reduce by 40%. Their investments in the removal of carbon emissions have seen them become scopes 1, 2, and 3 carbon neutral globally. In the United States, Macmillan has also been scopes 1, 2, and major 3 neutrals.
The company also develops promising partnerships with several sustainability initiatives. Some of these initiatives include; Rainforest Action Network, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and more to echo their impacts on ensuring sustainability.
One of the most recent controversies in Macmillian’s history is its new release ebook embargo where the publishing giant limited lending to libraries. Several libraries and readers opposed the embargo claiming that it opposed the equality of access that made libraries so adored.
After two months since the inception of the embargo, Macmillan removed it and looked to mend bridges with readers and libraries.