Cengage reviews

Management is the Achilles’ heel of this organization. Strategic decisions are made in silos by a small inner circle, often without input from those closest to the work. There’s a bait-and-switch culture where people who have been hired for one thing are pushed into something totally different. Short-term wins are prioritized at the expense of sustainable impact. They’ve resorted to pushing staff out through performance improvement plans (PIPs) to avoid severance obligations. It’s demoralizing to watch strong performers get sidelined or micromanaged out without real feedback or support. Strategic priorities shift constantly, internal politics reign, and accountability is applied inconsistently (especially when upper management is involved.) Psychological safety is at an all-time low.

This company has a troubling pattern of ongoing layoffs. Leadership often announces that the cuts are over, only to initiate another round the following month. Or they say that layoffs are over and then immediately hire a new company to cut costs. While many roles have been shifted to India, a significant amount of the work remains in the U.S., largely because there's hesitation to rely on less experienced offshore teams. It's hard to understand Cengage's purpose beyond serving as a revenue engine for private equity interests. The constant instability raises serious questions about its long-term vision and integrity.