The most frustrating part about working for Cengage as a product assistant (PA) is the archaic systems and processes. Many programs work only in certain browsers, so you’ll be flipping back and forth between them. Programs are eternally slow, frozen, or down completely. You’ll also bounce back and forth a lot since there are no consolidated systems that make it reasonably simple to do your job.
The simplest tasks are excruciating processes. Clients sometimes have to wait months for payment because of the ridiculous steps and checks. Each person on the team is responsible for a different step like a 1920s Ford assembly line. Even the simplest tasks, like selecting something from a dropdown menu, require a specific person. So if someone is out, busy, or just lethargic, the process is delayed and you’ll be “yelled” at by others waiting for the process to be finished. Often, people don’t respond to emails, causing more delays. You’ll often be stuck in limbo hoping other people do their job. Any slight mix-up causes delays, and there are many with the millions of confusing codes that everything requires.
Communication is downright atrocious, which can be attributed to the fact that one team is separated into 2 offices in addition to several people working from home, with ancillary team members working all over the country.
At the bottom, you won’t be treated with much respect. I was abruptly moved to a different series without even being asked or notified until the change was a done deal. So my first year I spent learning the products, developing relationships with clients, and learning all the intricacies had to be started over. Of course, due to being short-staffed, I still had to cover the old series for 5 months (serving as a pseudo-manager for two months) in addition to helping out with other series that were missing team members, because the hiring process here can be appallingly slow. You’ll also be left out of meetings and lunches.
The learning curve is steep, and there isn’t any real training mechanism. Nearly all of my training came from co-workers with the same position as me, two of which had been employed only for 1-2 months. Then in Cengage tradition, I had to pass on my knowledge after 2 months of working there. That issue is enhanced by the fact that all of the processes are updated every other month, so it’s hard to keep track of the right way to do things, especially since notifications are rare. But you’ll be expected to know how to do things even if it’s far beyond the realm of your responsibility. You might get managers asking how some processes work because sometimes nobody has an answer.
Everyone there is incredibly busy and stressed. Nobody is available because of perpetual meetings...including half-hour meetings that probably could have taken 29 minutes less. Meetings, meetings, meetings. I have no idea how anybody gets anything done; I assume salaried employees work 50+ hours/week.
It’s a stressful job. Other PAs were literally brought to tears with the pressure of daunting and urgent tasks on which they weren’t properly trained. Don’t expect more than a standard 2% raise every 18 months.
