Not the company it used to be - Anonymous employee Otava Employee Review

1.0
Feb 27, 2020
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

* Camaraderie is strong, depending on the location where you work. * There is a lot of room to grow and work in different areas; if you have the skills, you can put them to use without worrying about silos * There is always something to do

Cons

* You will learn what it's like to work at a company that is 5-10 years behind the curve, technologically * Half of the management/executive team has left in the past year, and there are no plans to replace them (even though they are badly needed) * The remaining management can't focus on one task long enough to see it to the end. Morale is terrible, but they would rather blame it on individuals rather than their backwards policies and insistence on doing everything their clients ask (which is often outside the scope of their support contracts) * Security is an afterthought, which is frightening in a company that claims to hold multiple industry compliance certifications * Promotions are based on brown-nosing and not skills * The environment is truly toxic. There is very little teamwork, information sharing, documentation, or support from executives. You will be abused by clients every day and if you don't smile enough, you will be let go.

Explore other reviews about Otava

5.0
Apr 17, 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Otava is a 30ish year old company with a lot of history, many happy that have been around for well over a decade, and many long term employees as well. Due to the # of employees and the mid-size nature of the business everyone wears a lot of hats. This means that everyone also has to be a self starter, self manager, and self motivator. For those that do well in this type of environment it is a great place to work. For those that need constant micro-management it may not be the best fit. The company always seems to be making incremental improvements in all aspects of the business. The employees and teams are all genuinely good people that want to do right by the customer and help other departments internally.

Cons

The same things that I listed as pros could also be cons for some people if they are not a fit for this size company. For me, I don't see any obvious cons

1.0
May 21, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Used to be a great company before lack of strategy and changing priorities sunk the ship. Way to far behind the curve for any reasonable turnaround unfortunately they were prime to take over the industry.

Cons

Product and sales strategy is sell services to clients and then ask them to manage them on their own providing little to no value add. Pay is way under industry average and good luck getting raises even when promoted!!!

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