What was once an incredibly energetic, forward-thinking, mindful organization..... - Anonymous employee Cengage Employee Review

2.0
Mar 27, 2013
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Once upon a time, this company felt like a large family. There was a spirit of community, sharing of resources and market knowledge, going boldly where others feared to tread (without punishment should the experiment fail). The various imprints were well determined and recognized as leaders in their respective disciplines. There are (inexplicably) still some amazingly creative and dedicated people still working here.

Cons

The avalanche began just as soon as the new name (inspirational? I think not) was launched, and new management took their seats. Cengage is hardly the center of engagement, rather it is the center of chaos. There is no longer any brand recognition other than the fact that Cengage's texts cost significantly more than the competitors'. We were (of course) told to tell our customers that it's not really about price, but about superior content, superior service, superior teaching and learning tools. None of these elements truly exist, and the customers know it. The lack of focus, bi-monthly (often monthly) changes in direction, absurd accountability goals (I mean absurd, not aggressive), and no unifying digital story has turned what was once a really fabulous place into a mud pit. Morale is terrible, lay offs have been swift, extensive and come with no warning, and adding price increases every season is such a blind move--it's absolutely clear that upper management either doesn't care about the employees who work long hours through the work week as well as weekends so as to keep up with endless minutia, and/or is only concerned about their 6-figure salaries and bonuses. Too bad. What was once a lot of fun turned out to be "just another job".

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5.0
Mar 28, 2026
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CEO approval
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Pros

Total rewards, time off, great people and culture

Cons

Lots of changes and uncertainty at times

3.0
Jun 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Company has some interesting approaches to the market and in the past they seemed value employees. There are some good employees there and there was, in the past, visionary leadership, but the people with the vision and leadership skills left the company a few years ago.

Cons

The company actively de-values employees. They had a project they called "Project Horizon" where they told all employees they needed to cut costs, so the company was going to have multiple layoffs over 3-5 years - but nobody was allowed to know when, where, or why - - just one day large swaths of people would be gone. That hung over everyone's heads - for years, and is indicative of how Cengage values employees - it doesn't. Everything is about trying to secure new funding and prepare for an IPO, so they stopped investing significantly in the products about 3 years ago and that's about when they stopped acting like they cared about employee wellness as well.

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