Cengage reviews

2.9

31% would recommend to a friend

(2,401 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 2,401 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 Media & Communication industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews
3.0
Sep 7, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Cengage Learning offers a great deal of freedom to set one's own path. The working environment is extremely professional yet relaxed to the point of being laid back. Top management does a great job of communicating down through the levels of the workforce, and of being involved in the day to day operations.

Cons

There is a sense at the moment that the development team does not truly understand the nature of the business, that they are incredibly disconnected from the wants, needs, and desires of the end user. Products continue to get released that contain errors that should be caught during the editing or review process.

1.0
Aug 28, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

A good work-life balance--in that you can leave at 5pm. On a personal level, many of the employees are very friendly and fun to chat to. It is a fast-growing company, which is a bit of a double-edged sword; on the one hand, there's plenty to do, but on the other, there aren't enough people to do it. Apart from that, there's not much to recommend it.

Cons

Management will happily mislead junior employees regarding their career prospects, and then fail to respond appropriately to complaints and grievances; pay is very low for junior positions; the company has a high turnover of senior management who don't seem to care much about the concerns of employees, which leads to a lot of people in more junior positions leaving because they are not offered career advancement opportunies and are not recognised for the work they do. Some of the middle managers are absolutely terrible managers (though good at other aspects of their job) and have no clue what the people beneath them do.

4.0
Aug 26, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Note: I worked for Course Technology, which is a small company within the very LARGE Cengage Learning. Overall: It's a great environment if you're young- there are lots of activities, both work-sponsored and not to join in on, and it's an ideal place to make friends if you're in your 20's. (I'm still very good friends with a few people I worked there with.) They don't micro-manage; I never felt that anyone was watching to see what time I left or came in, websites were not blocked, and you could work from home if your boss okayed it. Cookie day and beer blasts don't hurt either- and I loved the relaxed dress code. All in all, I felt that I was treated like an adult and judged on the work I produced--not on the number of hours I was in my seat. Education/Training: I had a photoshop class paid for so I could create more compelling marketing collateral, and I know they do tuition reimbursement as well. Information was shared freely between departments and people, and it was a positive and nurturing environment overall. While many of the employees are young, the senior managers tend to be a little bit older (most in their late 30's or early 40's) and more experienced, and it's very helpful to take advantage of their knowledge. Location: Leaves a bit to be desired, especially with all the construction, but it IS only a 10-minute walk to Downtown Crossing, and and a little less than that to South Station, which is convenient for those who take public transport. If you have the patience to switch to the silver line, you can be let out right on Thomson Place- a few paces from the door. And the somewhat new addition of Flour bakery just a street over is a definite plus. The Corporate Factor: Cengage offered all the benefits you'd expect working for a large company: corporate Amex card, parking discounts at the garage next door, discounted movie passes, great holiday parties/actitivities/outings, great health plan, a company cafeteria with a very respectable salad and sandwich bar on the premesis, etc.

Cons

#1- low salaries. I guess it's a problem with publishing in general, especially anything education-related, but the compensation was lacking. Also, it can be hard to move up. There is a pretty prescriptive career path, and unless your boss quits, it can be difficult to move up the ranks without switching specialty areas. (For example, moving from Computer Science to English, which is a whole different group.) I have to say, I was promoted from Marketing Coordinator to Marketing Specialist within a year of being hired--but the "raise" was nominal and resulted in me moving from hourly pay to salary, which actually may have lowered my salary considering the amount of travel I did.

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