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

3.0

Oct 9, 2025

CN

Programmer/analyst

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Convenient location to work transport

Cons

Bad working atmosphere and unstable

CN Response

8mo

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.

1.0

Oct 8, 2025

Toxic culture, unpaid overtime, and unqualified management

Senior software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The company offers decent benefits and strong infrastructure. Some coworkers are genuinely supportive and do their best to create a positive atmosphere despite the difficult environment.

Cons

CN Rail has a deeply unhealthy management culture. Employees are often expected to work 60–100 hours per week without any additional pay or compensation. There is no respect for personal time — managers schedule meetings during lunch breaks and after regular hours, showing little concern for work-life balance. The management team is poorly prepared to handle diversity and inclusion, and the culture tolerates public humiliation, burnout, and emotional distress. Employees are often poorly evaluated for problems caused by leadership decisions themselves. The environment is highly political, with contractors and third parties doing whatever they want, often lying or playing politics, and this behavior is normalized. Software quality is very poor — the focus is on documentation and bureaucracy rather than functional, well-designed systems. There’s no ownership mindset; people are demotivated, and excellence is replaced by survival.

CN Response

8mo

Thank you for your feedback and for your hard work. We pride ourselves on providing our team members with great benefits. 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.

5.0

Oct 4, 2025

Amazing people

Composite accounting representative

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Very friendly. Team players. Great company.

Cons

no cons. More hybrid work maybe.

CN Response

8mo

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.

Viewing 46 - 48 of 1,532 Reviews

Jobs at CN

Rail Track Maintainer

International Falls, MN

Rail Track Maintainer

Facilities Maintenance Electrician

Chief Engineer, Bridges and Structures

Senior Engineer, Bridge Testing

CN

CN reviews

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Reviews by job title

CN

Toxic culture, unpaid overtime, and unqualified management

Amazing people

Jobs at CN

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