Just received information from a meeting that POLS will be eliminating 200 positions in January. No questions were answered regarding how this will happen. What have you all heard?
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What day will this be announced?
@3jlh+1eet3WzT - this RIF is in Pearson’s Online Learning Services unit only, so “sales reps” in other units are not directly impacted.
There may be re-orgs in those other units as the “five pillar” model pulls people in new directions, so it never hurts to be ready.
@3amq+1eet3WzT - Severance packages aren’t aimed at retaining “top talent” - their job is to reduce litigation and settlements for “constructive dismissal” and age discrimination, and Pearson’s historical approach has been mostly effective at that.
You have to keep all your top talent in order to continue to meet budgets for partners.
So pay them so much that they don't leave you for someone else.
Severance packages don't keep people who easily rise to the top.
Top performers have nothing to worry about.
The UOP business model isn't working but those up top will continue to use that strategy until they run the company into the ground.
Education has too many options and the idea that you are a student's only option is an outdated idea.
The goal should be to reach out and pitch as many learners as you can and sign up the ones who are interested in your product.
We waste too much time on learners who are not interested in our products and lose the learners who are interested.
Those who are getting released in Jan you have no worries!! The market is ready with plenty of jobs right now.
Will this affect sales reps?
As noted below, read through the HR docs in myHR about layoffs & involuntary separations to prepare for a course of action if needed.
Don't sign or say anything until you do.
@2kow+1eet3WzT. So So true. Its a bizarre Stockholm syndrome. There was a time when you could rationalize sticking around by telling yourself "I get to eat great dinners and go to fun meetings, and work with smart interesting people.
ALL the fun (and financial reward) has been completely sucked out of the business and it will never...ever return to even what it was, say in the late 1990's, and those weren't even the glory days. The peak of educational publishing was in the 1960's-1970's.
The model, similar to The Yellow Pages is dead. And higher ed enrollments are ready to fall off a cliff. Its just basic demographics.
And believe it or not, there are actually companies out there with real cultures, not the fake HR drivel that gets created in meetings.
I left the business 2 years ago....but I wished I left 10 years ago. I'm in a totally new space now and loving a company with a strong culture. Those Pearson lifers reading this--get out asap, update your resume, network with non ed-tech people, apply for jobs outside of publishing, and get your post publishing life kickstarted. Stop waiting around and being abused with archaic business models and the same slow changing higher ed client base. There's a lot out there where you can be impactful--get out of the toxicity while you can.
@qaq+1eet3WzT - with the number announced, my guess is it will fall heaviest on the EA/EC level, with a smattering of managers and student support people as teams shrink and consolidate. There was a similar, smaller purge in POLS about three years ago, with a number of high performers at that level getting let go, so there’s probably not much use worrying whether you’re on the list or not. Start prepping for the tap, and maybe reconnect with POLS alums who were part of the 2019 purge, or left on their own.
Correct about severance - if you get a package in January, don't post your new company/role on LI until your severance is exhausted.
Educational Publishing or learning companies or whatever you want to call them have always been run by despicable people. I could name names for hours. These people laugh at the Plebes who work for them. I’ve seen them do it.
Cengage and Thomson before them is the exact same way.
I left the business several years ago and I’m telling you ,it is eye opening to see how horrible people are in learning compared to others professions. I’ve met execs from huge online schools….total and complete jerks. Nursing and healthcare publishers….total jerks.
I got stabbed in the back. I was bitter for a long time. But it was the best thing that ever happened to me. And of course, it was orchestrated by horrible people. It’s an odd feeling. To this day, I hate them. But at the same time I’m thankful that they did what they did.
Seriously. They are doing people a favor. There are so many better opportunities out there.
These are really disgusting people who run this company. To put an individual through this right before the holidays confirms a gutless despicable person[s]. They wont look into the mirror and admit they lack morals, professionalism or any class. You add this onto a lack of experience, business skills, effective decision making, and this is the end product. The SEC ruling/fine in August confirmed these so called executives will lie and cover up for their mistakes. These overpaid fools can never continue looking in the mirror and realize they need to step down as they are the cause of this company destruction. Happy Holidays.
Admissions will be hit the hardest, managers and reps of course. Leadership will go unscathed like usual.
Heard the same and to just wait until January for them to tell you if you’re done. They’re totally banking on us to quit so they don’t have to pay severance. So sick of their learners-first bu-----t when it’s clearly executives-first over and over. They have run the company into the ground at the expense of everyone else.
any idea what departments it will affect mostly?
I'm impressed it was a zoom call longer than 3 mintues.
Remember if you get a job, before severance package, you aren't eligible for it despite what Kees said. It is in our HR documents. This was a sc--w you for the holidays message.
On a zoom call no less. I know what I will be doing the next few weeks.
Merry xmas, happy holidays, may the odds ever be in your favor