Does CN pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, CN employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.9 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at CN. This rating has improved by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at CN?

56% of CN employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated CN 2.6 out of 5 for work life balance, 2.8 for culture and values and 3.1 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at CN?

Railroad Conductor (126) , Locomotive Engineer (75) , Train Conductor (55) , Conductor (49) , Freight Conductor (49) , Intern (23) , Manager (21) , Project Manager (21) , Trainmaster (19) , Analyst (15) , Supervisor (15) , Carman (14) , Heavy Equipment Operator (14) , Engineer (13) , Freight Train Conductor (13)

What are the pros of working at CN according to real employee reviews?

"Pay is good and stock plan is nice.." ((in 279 reviews)); "The benefits are good and it’s steady" ((in 225 reviews)); "Good salary and IT challenges" ((in 78 reviews)); "good pension plan for unionized employees" ((in 76 reviews)); "And good money if you are in the right place for doing very little work." ((in 63 reviews))

What are the cons of working at CN according to real employee reviews?

"no work life balance and 24/7 scheduling" ((in 100 reviews)); "Long hours and being on call at all hour can be difficult for most people with families at home." ((in 68 reviews)); "Constant layoffs and employee/management shortage" ((in 25 reviews)); "Terrible leadership who have made mistakes after mistakes but are not held accountable." ((in 21 reviews)); "It is normal to have a 10 to 15 hour journey home eating into any time off." ((in 21 reviews))

What are employees saying about CN layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about CN layoffs and their outlook for job security at CN in 2026.

CN reviews

3.3

56% would recommend to a friend

(1,532 total reviews)

Tracy Robinson

46% approve of CEO

46% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.9

Compensation and benefits

3.5

Diversity & inclusion

3.1

Career opportunities

2.8

Culture & values

2.6

Work/Life balance

2.6

Senior management

CN has an employee rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars, based on 1,532 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The CN employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Transportation & Logistics industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

4.0

Nov 1, 2025

Position review

Ar representative

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

-Good work life balance -great culture -supportive managers

Cons

-Limited internal growth due to organization structure -Limited growth in salary

CN Response

7mo

Thank you for your feedback and for your hard work. With a 24/7/365 operation CN could not function without its dedicated employees. We thank you for helping move our business and the economy forward. Please share your thoughts during our regular Interaction surveys.

3.0

Oct 29, 2025

Pros and Cons

Director it

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Pros is that transportation is an interesting business and has a direct link to the base economy. IT develops mission-critical solutions from scratch, or SaaS, for internal customer needs which is challenging.

Cons

Cons is that the railway business fluctuates with the economy so when it drops, the company cuts large numbers of management ranks and reduces spend radically on new development. These cycles come every 3-5 years.

CN Response

7mo

Thank you for your feedback and for your hard work. With a 24/7/365 operation CN could not function without its dedicated employees. We thank you for having helped move our business and the economy forward and hope you shared your thoughts during your exit interview.

3.0

Oct 13, 2025

Good pay

Train conductor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Pay, pension, benefits, job, travel

Cons

Management is bad, layoffs are part of the job, schedule is the worst

CN Response

8mo

Thank you for your feedback and for your hard work. We pride ourselves on providing our team members with great pay and benefits. With a 24/7/365 operation CN could not function without its dedicated employees. We thank you for helping move our business and the economy forward. Please share your thoughts during our regular Interaction surveys.

Viewing 43 - 45 of 1,532 Reviews

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CN

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