Cengage reviews

2.9

31% would recommend to a friend

(2,405 total reviews)
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Michael Hansen

39% approve of CEO

24% positive business outlook

Cengage has an employee rating of 2.9 out of 5 stars, based on 2,405 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Cengage employee rating is 22% below average for employers within the Mídia e comunicação industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews
3.0
Mar 3, 2026
Recommend
Business Outlook

Pros

The work was genuinely mission‑driven and had a real impact on educators and students, which made the purpose of the organization meaningful and rewarding. The role also offered strong flexibility and remote‑work options, allowing for true work–life balance. Day to day, there was a high level of autonomy, giving me the freedom to manage my territory, relationships, and workflow in ways that aligned with my strengths and supported the needs of the districts I served.

Cons

The organization struggled with accountability, particularly among less‑seasoned managers who operated with inconsistent standards and clear favoritism. Decisions and recognition often felt politically driven rather than performance‑based, with managers taking credit for others’ work, repackaging ideas as their own, or publicly praising certain team members while overlooking others who contributed equally. Communication was another significant challenge—one manager relied almost entirely on text messages, avoided phone calls, and was frequently unresponsive. In addition, substantial resources were spent sending inside reps on travel, creating inefficiencies and raising questions about how budgets were prioritized. These issues collectively made it difficult to trust leadership or feel supported in delivering high‑quality work.

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Cengage Response
3mo
Thank you for taking the time to share such detailed feedback—and for the impact you made during your time here. I’m glad to hear our mission and the flexibility of the role were meaningful parts of your experience. Those are important strengths we intend to build on. At the same time, you’ve raised concerns about favoritism, inconsistent management standards, and accountability that we take seriously. That’s not the culture we are building. Performance, recognition, and opportunity should be grounded in contribution and impact—consistently and transparently. We have many strong leaders across the organization, and we also know that consistency in how leadership shows up matters. As I’ve stepped into the CHRO role, continuing to raise the bar—especially for newer managers—is a clear priority. We are sharpening expectations for people leaders, investing in targeted development, and increasing clarity around how performance and recognition decisions are made. We are also reinforcing expectations for leaders to stay close to the field and operate with a high standard of communication and follow-through. Culture is shaped by what leaders do every day, and we are committed to ensuring that experience is consistent across teams. I appreciate you sharing your perspective—it helps us focus on where we need to continue improving. Kamilah Thomas Chief Human Resources Officer
2.0
Feb 24, 2026
Recommend
Business Outlook

Pros

Cengage has had the tendency to employee some of the greatest individual contributors I have ever met. When the opportunity arises for me to leave the hardest thing will be leaving some amazing people. The pay is also pretty good. Probably better than most. At one point and time they worked hard to get us to an industry standard and I think they did a good job doing that.

Cons

Leadership focus and culture shift Recent leadership changes, especially within IT, have noticeably shifted priorities. The emphasis now feels heavily centered on cost reduction and efficiency metrics above all else. While those goals are understandable in any business, the way they are being executed has had a negative impact on morale and trust. There is limited focus on employee development, career growth, or fostering a strong workplace culture. Input from experienced team members does not seem to carry much weight. The message feels clear: financial optimization comes first. Micromanagement and time tracking A significant example is the requirement for detailed time tracking across IT, including salaried employees. Every hour of the workday must be accounted for. Meetings, project work, operational tasks, everything must be logged. There is no additional benefit for working beyond the standard 37.5 hour week. The tracking is not limited to project costing; it applies to the entire day. This creates an environment where employees feel they must justify their time rather than focus on delivering outcomes. Shift from outcomes to documentation The broader concern is what this represents. Performance and value increasingly feel tied to what can be documented and broken down into cost analysis rather than the quality, impact, or consistency of the work delivered. It does not matter if you consistently exceed expectations or produce high quality results. What matters is whether your time can be itemized and evaluated against cost. That dynamic changes how people experience their work. Overall impact The current environment can feel like having to prove your worth week after week, not through results, but through administrative tracking. Over time, that erodes trust and engagement.

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Cengage Response
4mo
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback and for recognizing the talented colleagues and competitive pay that have positively shaped your experience. I appreciate your perspective on leadership changes, evolving priorities and the impact on morale. Time tracking, while a new burden for sure, is not intended as micromanagement. Instead, it improves our overall capacity planning, prioritization, and workload balance across IT. We recognize that how these processes are implemented matters, and we are listening closely to feedback. We are committed to fostering an environment where employees feel supported in their growth and confident that their contributions are valued beyond metrics alone. I believe we can strike a balance across rigorous financial management and an outcomes- and impact-oriented culture. Please continue sharing feedback through your HR partner so we can continue to refine this balance. Best, Morgan Wolbe, EVP Global Operations and Chief Transformation Officer
1.0
Nov 22, 2025
Recommend
Business Outlook

Pros

Not applicable to the discussion at hand.

Cons

...how every negative review of this company is answered by a post from the company refuting the claim of the person making the negative comment. As a former employee, who has made such a comment, only to have it rebuffed by the company I would like to add that if the company put as much time into making its workers feel as important to them as their reputation on sites like this, instead of like the serfs they treated us as, then perhaps they wouldn't have to pay people to argue so many negative comments. Just saying is all.

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