Newton Europe Reviews

Pros

I doubt you’ll work with a smarter bunch of people. The impact on your professional development is invaluable. The recruitment process is very strong, making sure that the people we hire are excellent. They are also nice: I have made some very close friends throughout my time at Newton: some still work here, some don’t. We don’t get every project right and sometimes we take on the wrong work. But at the core there is an outstanding set of tools and methods that will serve you well wherever you go in your career. The focus on performance is right. In my experience, there is a strong sense of fairness in Newton. If you do right by the company, the company will do right by you.

Cons

Travel is thoroughly exhausting but COVID is causing the business to wake up to the remote working. Mental health is clearly a concern for too many people, especially junior, and making sure that we put the right controls in place is so important. It doesn’t matter if 100 people have a good experience with Newton and their mental well-being. If 1 person has a bad experience then it’s not good enough. I can’t help feeling as though there has been some collateral damage from the performance management culture. While it is necessary to keep the business dynamic, it is a very difficult thing to get right all the time. We need to make sure that our junior managers are given the right support with the right checks and balances that they are doing a good job themselves. There have been a few home truths for the business in diversity and inclusion over the last few years but the company is moving in the right direction.

Pros

There are some genuinely great people that work there, who are intelligent, dedicated, and caring. If it works out for you, it can be fun, rewarding and challenging.

Cons

If you have a browse of these reviews you'll see that there are a bunch of 4/5 star ones, saying how great the company is for development, career progression etc, with the only down side being the long hours and being away during the week. Then there a bunch of reviews saying that the company has a toxic culture, poor managers and causes people to have breakdowns, with no regard for mental wellbeing. Chances are you'll be in the first category, but be prepared for a difficult time if you're in the latter. Which one you fall in depends significantly on how well you fit with the company. The company puts such an emphasis on 'fit', that it is often taken to mean how much like your manager are you. The result is a company of very similar people, that is overwhelmingly white and male, and lacks diversity. As someone from a minority background it can be an extremely uncomfortable place, made all the worse by the constant pressure to conform and be like everyone around you. The business has a high turnover, and disproportionately forces out people from minorities. However, it is an extremely intense environment and stressful regardless, so be prepared for this either way. This is amplified by staying away from home Monday to Friday with colleagues to the extent that even time outside of work is scrutinised and given feedback on. This feedback culture can go too far, and in many cases people feel like they can be set up to fail, rather than supported to do the job well. I had experiences where right before doing a task my weaknesses were repeated back at me, under the guise of making me aware as to do better next time, but in reality just reinforced the negativity and instilled anxiety. The business is also pretty out of touch - during my time there it was being discussed whether to use a made up 'ethnic' name on their recruitment literature to appear more diverse. Fortunately, this did not go ahead, but the fact it was even considered says enough. The company more recently says it has recognised its issue with diversity to an extent, but when the business is built around churning out consultants to the same mould, and performance managing out the ones that don't fit, it is never going to be a genuinely inclusive place. The company has been described as a cult, and to be honest it can have that feel. From the book that you get called 'Being Newton' to the fact that you're drilled to believe you're the best and no one else can do what you can. I was even told by a manager on leaving to expect people in my next company to not be as smart as they are here. Most importantly, the company has a bad track record of seriously affecting people's mental health. It needs to learn that even if some people are not performing in the way they want them to, it has a duty of care to not destroy their confidence, insult their ability, and then let them go. This has happened on numerous occasions, and in my case could have been a lot worse if it wasn't for a few genuinely caring colleagues. The fact another review mentions rumours of NDAs after poor company behaviour, and this hasn't been directly denied by the company implies it is true. It will be interesting to see what they respond to this one, if at all. The point of this review is to give an accurate account of an experience at Newton so you can form a balanced opinion, as the marketing during the recruitment process glorifies the work and obviously only shows everything in a positive light. In my opinion, If you have the skills to succeed at Newton, you would also be successful at a number of other places, and probably be a whole lot happier. If you have the slightest of doubts, save yourself the trouble, and more importantly your mental health, and look elsewhere.

Pros

It's immensely challenging and stretching and deeply rewarding. There is real trust in you to deliver to a high standard and to keep improving and you really feel empowered to achieve. A very genuine culture and just a really fun place to work with nice people.

Cons

It's immensely challenging and stretching!

Pros

People there are on the whole friendly and they have fortnightly company catch ups to see all your friends

Cons

When things get tough they do not have your backs at all! Only thing they seemed to care about is the bottom line and making sure projects make the most money possible! Have seen the company disregard a lot of people and cause them to have breakdowns

Pros

Career progression and development Company parties Salary and benefits such as ski trip and car Genuinely interesting projects and work

Cons

Highly stressful Constant micromanaging and strong feedback culture which is emotionally wearing People frequently disappear from the company as they are 'performance managed out'. High turnover. If you don't fit a certain mould it can be hard to fit in. Impossible to have a life other than work in the week So exhausted by the weekend often have to pull over to nap in car in service stations on way home

Pros

Work life balance Good benefits

Cons

Poor management Do not stand by values