New Name, but same poor management - Anonymous employee Novanta Employee Review

1.0
Jun 30, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The working class people are good to work with as long as they do not ship their jobs to China like they have been doing.

Cons

The management team has been there since 2010 and the company still has not gone anywhere. They think that they are big deal makers, but their big break into the medical industry was buying NDS in California and they took a haircut on that deal and got hit with a 30-40 million dollar charge a year or two later when they discovered that they purchased it for double what is was worth. All upper management does is promote negativity and try to drive the work force by bullying. If you fall out of favor or get on the management enemies list they don't fire you, they try to ruin your career. I have seen many people leave that company and refuse to tell close co-workers where they were going because they believed there would be some retaliation for leaving. This is one of those companies you hear about that are shipping jobs out of the country to China and other locations. They have fired huge amounts of employees to move jobs from industrial and photonics companies so that they can be manufactured at the medical division sites. I can only assume that this is to give the impression that the medical part of the business is bigger than it really is. Do not expect to be rewarded or appreciated for working hard or improving the company. However, you will do very well if you speak negatively about all your co-workers and your own staff.

Explore other reviews about Novanta

5.0
Jun 26, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Onboarding experience, clear company vision and strategy, employee guidance, communication, product catalog & industry diversification, PTO policy, work-life balance

Cons

No WFH hardware setup/checklist, no internal resource showing a product tree of all major product types (by site/BU)

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Novanta Response
2w
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We’re pleased to hear that your onboarding, work-life balance, communication, and overall introduction to Novanta have made a positive impression during your first year with the company. We also appreciate your thoughtful suggestions. Helping new employees understand the products they support, how they make an impact, and our broader portfolio is an important part of creating a successful onboarding experience. As we continue to enhance our onboarding programs, feedback like yours helps us identify opportunities to provide additional resources and deeper product education to help employees build confidence and connect the work they do to our broader business. Thank you again for your feedback and for being part of the Novanta team. We wish you continued success as you grow your career with us.
4.0
Apr 1, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

It’s rare to find a company where you truly feel like you belong, and while no workplace is perfect, Novanta’s strengths far outweigh its shortcomings. What stood out most was their onboarding and training process — structured, thorough, and genuinely supportive for new employees. Day-to-day operations are well-organized, which makes it easier to do your best work, even though there’s always room for continued improvement. The benefits package is hard to beat — 5% 401K match, 16 PTOs, HSA/FSA, and comprehensive health/vision/dental coverage. The flexibility to work from home, especially at the manager level, shows the company values work-life balance. The company events and volunteer activities are a highlight — keep those coming! They go a long way in building a sense of community and culture. Overall, Novanta is a place where people are set up to succeed. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a stable, organized, and people-focused company.

Cons

One area for improvement would be transparency around organizational changes. There were instances of unexpected layoffs in certain departments without much advance notice, which understandably affected morale and trust. More proactive communication during times of restructuring would go a long way in maintaining employee confidence.

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Novanta Response
3mo
Thank you for taking the time to share such a thoughtful and balanced review. We’re pleased to hear that your experience reflected a strong sense of belonging, effective onboarding, and a well-structured environment that supports people in doing their best work. It’s also great to see recognition of our benefits, flexibility, and the role that team events and volunteer efforts play in building a connected culture – those are all intentional investments we have made in building a great workplace culture. As a growing, global company, we continuously evolve to align with market opportunities and long-term priorities. That includes ensuring we have the right structure, capabilities, and communication approaches in place to support our teams through change. We regularly communicate with employees through daily posts on the Collaboration Hub, our intranet, weekly email newsletter, and quarterly all-employee town halls where employees can ask questions and get answers. We appreciate your suggestions about career development and recognition. Enabling employees to grow and ensuring contributions are visible remain important areas of focus as we continue to scale. Novanta University offers a variety of on-demand courses so employees can continue to learn and grow. We also encourage all employees to create their own individual development plan (IDP) and discuss it with their manager so they can continue to progress in their career. To further promote career development, we have recently made enhancements to our performance management process which strengthens performance goal attainment by having quarterly development meetings with your manager. Some sites have a Values Champion Recognition program that allows peer to peer recognition for those who go above and beyond. We believe in the value of recognition and agree with you that sometimes just a simple “Thank you” or “I appreciate you” can go a long way! Thank you again for your contributions during your time at Novanta, and we wish you continued success.
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