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 280 reviews)); "The benefits are good and it’s steady" ((in 228 reviews)); "Ok pay good pension and benifits" ((in 77 reviews)); "And good money if you are in the right place for doing very little work." ((in 66 reviews)); "Great team to work with." ((in 19 reviews))

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

"no work life balance and 24/7 scheduling" ((in 93 reviews)); "Long hours and being on call at all hour can be difficult for most people with families at home." ((in 70 reviews)); "2 massive layoffs in 3 years" ((in 26 reviews)); "It is normal to have a 10 to 15 hour journey home eating into any time off." ((in 23 reviews)); "They don't care about you or your family they just want the bottom $. 1 in 4 managers are good." ((in 22 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.

What are the top reviewed CN locations?

Homewood , Chicago , Memphis , Stevens Point , Fond du Lac , Gary , Jackson , Baton Rouge , Champaign , Duluth , Battle Creek , Detroit , Waterloo , Proctor , Superior , Milwaukee , Flat Rock , Port Huron , New Orleans , Joliet , Markham , Decatur , Wisconsin Rapids , Burlington , Minneapolis , Mattoon , Libertyville , Naperville , Willow Springs , Effingham

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

2.0

Jul 6, 2025

Good job if you have no desire for a life

Heavy duty mechanic

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Pay is good, especially if you don’t have any certifications. Benefits are decent. Pension plan is unrivalled for now. Share plan is okay. Job itself is not demanding at all.

Cons

Good luck having a life for the next 15-20 years. You will work weekends, you will work nights. You will work holidays, and if the shops go to 8 hour shifts, enjoy working 3pm-11pm with Tuesday Wednesday off. Also get used to the most frustrating work environment. If you have any degree of enthusiasm or work ethic, this job will either beat it out of you or drive you insane. If you enjoy trying to fix a problem while dealing with no training on how to do a job, no tools to actually do the job, and no parts to complete the repair than this is the job for you. If you enjoy working on equipment that hasn’t been washed in 10 years dripping oil and dirt on you while you’re standing in an oil puddle that someone else didn’t clean up, you’ll be right at home. Do you like feeling like management treats you as a number and doesn’t really care about your input? Sign up here.

CN Response

11mo

Thank you for your feedback and for your hard work. We pride ourselves on providing our team members with great pay and benefits. When we recruit talent to our teams we spend a lot of time going over the realities associated with the railroad operating 24/7/365 days a year, including how being on call can disrupt your family life and important events. We thank you for helping move our business and the economy forward and hope you shared your thoughts during your exit interview.

4.0

Jul 2, 2025

Challenging

Assistant track supervisor/track inspector

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Very busy and challenging environnement. Good colleagues and team spirit!

Cons

Very demanding on the availability, can work anywhere in your region within a month.

CN Response

11mo

Thank you for your feedback and for your hard work. When we recruit talent to our teams we spend a lot of time going over the realities associated with the railroad operating 24/7/365 days a year, including how being on call can disrupt your family life and important events. We thank you for helping move our business and the economy forward and hope you shared your thoughts during your exit interview.

3.0

Jun 28, 2025

Decent

General labourer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good pay and benefits for you and your family

Cons

You work all the time and it’s all seniority based

CN Response

11mo

Thank you for your feedback and for your hard work. We pride ourselves on providing our team members with great pay and benefits. When we recruit talent to our teams we spend a lot of time going over the realities associated with the railroad operating 24/7/365 days a year, including how being on call can disrupt your family life and important events. We thank you for helping move our business and the economy forward and hope you shared your thoughts during your exit interview.

Viewing 73 - 75 of 1,532 Reviews

Jobs at CN

Facilities Maintenance Electrician

Signals & Communications Apprentice

Senior Manager, Contracts and Compliance

Senior Engineer, Bridge Testing

CN

CN reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Good job if you have no desire for a life

Challenging

Decent

Jobs at CN

CN reviews FAQs

Want the inside scoop on your own company?

Bowls

Followed companies

Job searches

CN reviews FAQs

Jobs at CN