Company Updates

The Great Resignation is having a significant impact across industries as employers struggle to retain employees. So, what's driving this wave of turnover? According to our Great Resigners Report, "resigners" are quitting their jobs because they want to make more money (91%), feel burnt out in their current role (89%) and lack professional growth in their current position (83%). Want to dive further into the "why" behind the Great Resignation? Check out our report that found employees aren't just quitting, but also reskilling with the hope that they can change their career paths, move to new industries and improve their lives: https://bit.ly/3FMmGeQ

Our Women in Tech Employee Resource Group works to promote a culture that supports and empowers women through shared practical insights, training and development, networking opportunities, and mentoring. The group recently hosted Lori Groth, CIO of the Industrial business unit at Stanley Black & Decker, Inc., as part of WiT’s impactful Career Journeys Speaker Series, which invites external and internal speakers to share their career journeys. Lori shared that she landed her current position, as CIO, by “taking on the hard projects, making good connections with people on my team, and networking with role models who I could turn into an advocate for me and my career.” Lori also shared her personal experiences being a working mom and how it has influenced her leadership style. She explains that “empathy is a key leadership quality. Taking time to understand what others are going through helps you relate to people and understand how their skills sets can be most effective.”

We are proud to announce that we've received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index, earning us a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality designation for the second year in a row. At Cengage Group, we're dedicated to workplace equality for LGBTQIA+ employees, as well as furthering inclusion, diversity and belonging more broadly in our organization. Over the past year, this has included launching a Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Learning First Series for employees, providing transparency into demographic data and expanding inclusion and diversity training and wellness initiatives.

“Our 2021 engagement survey and consistent employee listening made it clear that over 80% of our employees feel both valued and a sense of belonging.” – Adam K., SHRM-SCP, Director of Talent Management For those evaluating their career, employer, or future opportunities Adam advises people to “interview and analyze a new employer as much as their process might analyze you. It’s much better to wait for the right opportunity than to burn yourself out from rush decision-making.” He goes on to say that “whether you’ve been at a job for 20+ years or just celebrated your 1-year anniversary, you should always take time to reflect and identify what you like, dislike, what’s working, and what’s not. This will allow you to organize your thoughts in a way that’s conducive to communicating with others, whether it’s to your current manager and team about your needs or in assessing future opportunities with other organizations.”

Did you know that the average job tenure in the U.S. is about 4 years? At Cengage Group, our average tenure is 8 years, and we are proud to have 433 employees with 20 years or more of service, 78 employees with 30 years or more of service, and 15 employees with 40 years or more of service. Donna C., Senior Content Developer, has been a part of our team for 40 years! She says “I have continued to work here for many reasons including the culture, benefits, and development opportunities, both personal and professional. However, most importantly, I was given the flexibility to have a family and continue working through it all, thanks to great mentors and colleagues who supported and encouraged my journey.” After her high school co-op job at an accounting firm, had closed their doors, Donna was looking for work until she figured out her next steps, which lead her to apply for a Gale Research Manuscript Assistant position. Donna says “I had no intention of being here this long—it just happened. I truly enjoy working and when you work with great people, time flies.”

We are excited to share that we recently launched a new Employee Resource Group (ERG) dedicated to disabilities and chronic illness, led by co-leaders Katelyn P. and Nancy B. The group’s goals are to support and empower employees impacted by disabilities and chronic illnesses by sharing information, raising awareness, and providing members with useful tools. Katelyn says she hopes that this new ERG will “provide a space for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses to understand that they are not alone, and that there are many people who have similar experiences. We hope to empower our employees to advocate for themselves and their health needs, encourage conversations around making our products and internal systems more accessible, and to educate all employees on what it means to be disabled or chronically ill.” Nancy B. adds “People with disabilities and chronic illnesses face difficulties at work and at home; it can be hard to be truly understood by others. This new ERG provides the opportunity for people with similar experiences to help each other, move forward, and cope.”

As part of National Domestic Violence (DV) Awareness Month in October, Milady, our beauty and wellness higher education brand, partnered with the Professional Beauty Association to promote a free, 1-hour DV awareness course. Thanks to beauty professionals’ close and trusted relationships with clients, once properly trained, they are uniquely positioned to recognize signs of domestic violence and be their clients’ first line of support during difficult and dangerous situations. 1,897 beauty professionals and future beauty professionals enrolled and 74% have already completed the course. The team also dressed up for Purple Thursday - a national day of action to raise awareness about domestic violence. Kudos to Milady for the meaningful work!

To celebrate National STEM Day, we asked Majd Yazbeck, Director of Software Engineering, what advice she would give to someone who is considering a career in STEM. She said, “If STEM is an area you enjoy, go for it. Be confident and comfortable being you; go for what you believe in. If you are a woman in STEM and feel out of place, don’t let the idea of you being the only woman in a meeting stop you or make you doubt yourself. Hopefully in years to come this will not even be a point to consider.” She explains that “I have been lucky enough in my career to have been in settings where I don’t feel I’m treated differently because I am a woman. Throughout my career, I’ve had both female and male mentors. At Cengage Group specifically, I have recently seen an increased emphasis on supporting women in tech (WiT) through our hiring process and our WIT Employee Resource Group, where women can learn from and lean on each other.” Majd says that she enjoys working in STEM because she likes to “contribute to creative and innovative projects and participate in anything that takes grit."

This month we held our second annual virtual global Wellness Week, which featured health and mindfulness challenges and wellness programming across the globe tailored to each region. As part of this, our employees in 11 territories across the Asia region hosted a 10-day ‘Sparkle Photo Challenge’ where employees shared pictures of positive everyday moments, things that make their lives brighter, or ‘sparkle’. The purpose of this challenge was to practice positive thinking and see experiences as opportunities instead of obstacles. The challenge was a great success, as over 100 employees shared photos of things that excited them, from fresh produce to sweet treats, art, exercise, pets, and much more. Thanks to Theresa L., Finance Manager, Mui Kian T., Credit Executive, Nuththakanya V., Operations Executive, and Lee Hong T., Senior Marketing Manager for sharing their photos from the challenge.

What green changes can you make at work or school? ♻ Our GREEN Employee Resource Group (ERG) posed this question to its members and gathered some great tips that we couldn’t help but share. Casey M. reminded her colleagues to turn off their computers at the end of the day to conserve energy. Luke B. says that he chooses to walk his daughter to Kindergarten rather than drive since the school is so close by. Rachel T. reminds us that if you don’t make your coffee at home, you can still bring a reusable cup to your favorite coffee shop. Jared M. tells us that his family has been using Lunchskins reusable sandwich and snack bags for years, it is a great alternative to single use plastic. These small changes can make a big impact – what green habits have you discovered this year?