Sales people - run! A case study in start-up mismanagement - Sales Navan Employee Review

1.0
Mar 25, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good benefits and free lunches if you would rather have that then get paid commission.

Cons

Where to begin? If you are in sales stay far away. This is not a SaaS company as much as their recruiters will try and tell you it is. The platform is great, but you’re a glorified travel agent and will not make any money here. Things really took a turn for the worst when they hired a new chief revenue officer (the old one who was excellent was demoted - even though he had grown the company by 5,000%): this is a case study in how micro management, firing sales reps with no notice, and having a commission structure that is not even remotely catered towards allowing your reps to hit their OTE can cause discontent and attrition. This ship was sinking even before the COVID-19 pandemic allowed the C Suite to have an excuse to lay off 40% of the company - including the entire Chicago office and employees who uprooted their lives to move from California to Illinois. Having a great product and offering your employees some stock options can only compensate for horrific management for so long.

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Navan Response
6y
Thank you for your candid feedback. Leadership changes are never easy for an organization. I do recognize that some things may have become more challenging in recent months -- both due to COVID-19 and as we work to improve sales execution and our productivity. I am proud that we have adjusted sales targets to be based on metrics that are achievable in the current period while there isn’t much business travel. We will continue to monitor this and make reasonable adjustments. It was quite a difficult decision to reduce our global workforce (RIF was just under 25%, actually). And this did include closing our Chicago office which we’d opened recently. While difficult and painful for all parties -- especially the impacted employees, the layoffs were the right decision to ensure we are organized optimally to serve customers and travelers long into the future. And I’m glad that several of the Chicago team members accepted our offer to relocate to other TripActions offices. Again, thank you for sharing your feedback and sorry we weren’t able to discuss directly while you were still at TripActions. - Carlos

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5.0
May 28, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Lots of opportunity for advancement, pay compensation, mentor opportunities, great work environment, diversity and equality.

Cons

notice of sick time usage for it to count as Excused Absence, the ability to trade shifts as all U.S. based workers work Monday thru Friday with the earliest shist starting at 8 am and the latest starting at 12 pm CST

5.0
May 27, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Fast paced, plenty of room and opportunity to grow. Very good starting pay and ability to earn bonuses. Many remote work options. Strong culture and supportive leadership, with fun company events (like the Christmas party) that help people feel connected, even for the many remote employees.

Cons

The pre‑hire assessment is very strict and pass/fail. I’ve referred strong, experienced candidates who I know are good workers, but they did not pass the test and were not given the opportunity to move forward. It feels like the process may screen out some high‑potential talent who could otherwise thrive here.

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