Hachette to raise salary for entry-level roles and gives staff £1,000 cost of living payment 

Hachette UK has announced that from 1st January 2023, its starting salary for entry-level roles in publishing functions will increase, and that staff will receive a £1,000 cost of living payment that month.

As part of the organisation’s “holistic review” of salary and holiday entitlement, starting salaries for entry-level roles in publishing functions will increase to £26,500 per annum in London and £23,850 outside London. 

It says that “as a result of this increase, the business has carried out an exceptional pay review, an investment of £2 million, to ensure the percentage increase reaches beyond entry-level roles.”

In addition, and in response to the ongoing uncertain economic situation and the high inflation environment, Hachette UK has announced it will make a non-consolidated cost of living payment of £1,000 in January to all Hachette UK employees in the UK and Ireland, except its most senior team, applying to staff in publishing and distribution equally. This is in addition to a total of £1,000 in cost of living payments made over the past five months.

Hachette has also unveiled a performance-related bonus, which will be paid to all eligible staff in December as well as a new and increased holiday entitlement of 28 days, rising to 29 days after two years of service and again to 30 days after five years.

Lisa Waterman, group HR director, said: “We want to continue to attract the very best talent to our business and our new starting salary ensures that we continue to make strides with creating an inclusive workforce. As part of this holistic review, together with increasing our starting salaries, it is also critical our current staff feel the impact of this exercise.

“We are committed to supporting, retaining and investing in our talented staff – we know that our people are the most valuable resource – so the exceptional pay review will impact certain levels within the business in order to maintain salary differentials and recognise differences in role, levels of experience and contribution. Our increased holiday entitlement is designed to ensure our staff have the space to prioritise wellbeing and feel energised in life and at work.”

The move sees Hachette join a raft of publishers increasing starting salaries and offering cost of living payments. Faber’s starting salary increased from £25,000 to £26,350 on 1st April and in October the publisher paid a one-off lump sum to all employees earning below £55,000, in response to unprecedented inflation.

Bloomsbury staff received a 5% pay rise and a 6% bonus this year and Penguin Random House and HarperCollins raised salaries for entry-level roles in July, increasing them to more than £26,000 per annum in response to changes in the labour market and to improve diversity. The change is in addition to both company’s annual pay review processes in January.

Employees at Canongate have been paid a monthly subsidy since September 2022, and will continue to receive payments until March 2023, when salaries are reviewed. Employees on less than £36,200 receive £250, while those earning below £50,000 get £100.