Cengage reviews

There is a glaring lack of communication between departments, which creates a pervasive culture of confusion. The company is constantly reorganizing, seemingly without any regard for the employees affected by the reorgs. Upper management is secretive and often maintains a tone of blatant disrespect for the entry-level employees. Mid-management is in shambles because of the reorgs and there is a constant struggle between the new managers (who are not discipline-aligned) and old manangers (who are discipline-aligned). Again, this creates confusion for the entry-level employees, some of whom have as many as 4 "managers" telling them different things do and different ways to handle things. There are frequent promotions for mid/upper level managers (who then do not receive proper training to manage employees), but there is literally zero room for entry-level employees to move up. I say "literally" because they have simply stopped replacing people leave the company. Perhaps the most infuriating aspect of the job is that management seems oblivious to the fact that a significant portion of their employees are recent college grads. Rather than use us a resource, we have to sit in meetings where managers refer to college students as "lazy" and "think they are always right," simply because students refuse to shell out $300 for a textbook that they can get second-hand for much less. This is a terrible place to work. The pay is pretty much impossible to live on (WELL below market) and because they aren't filling entry-level positions, most of us are filling what should be multiple jobs with no extra pay. The enviornment is toxic, the good employees are all jumping ship (wisely) and the company refuses to adapt new strategies that would actually lower the cost of textbooks.

Several things: 1. I was an overachieving sales rep and i got laid off with about 200 other employees, with ZERO warning. IN FACT, they told the people who got to keep their jobs BEFORE the ones let go. WHO DOES THAT? You don't think the close knit group of reps are going to talk. You are sorely mistaken. Most of those people were successful and the new upper management thought it would be a better idea to keep the rookies with zero publishing or Cengage experience. 2. They gave the people they "allowed" to keep their jobs HUGE raises and promise of large commission. 3. When laid off, zero explanation of why or how the decisions were made. All 200 of these people are out there trying to explain this to new employers and their only response is "you must've been a under performing rep, because they don't just let GOOD reps go." I can assure you they do! I was well over the mid-year goal and I still got laid off. 4. Read about the restructure Cengage is trying to do. Again, big, BIG trouble for this company. 5. 15-20% price increases within 60 days. Try to explain that to a prof and bookstore without management backing you up, other than to say "prices have increased..." 6. You are a competitor far behind Pearson and don't think you aren't. They have superior products, services, Reps and Marketing/Editorial. They are definitely the cream of the crop.