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 281 reviews)); "pension and benefits are good" ((in 215 reviews)); "Good salary and IT challenges" ((in 76 reviews)); "Ok pay good pension and benifits" ((in 70 reviews)); "And good money if you are in the right place for doing very little work." ((in 69 reviews))

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

"no work life balance and 24/7 scheduling" ((in 95 reviews)); "Long hours and being on call at all hour can be difficult for most people with families at home." ((in 65 reviews)); "Constant layoffs and employee/management shortage" ((in 25 reviews)); "They don't care about you or your family they just want the bottom $. 1 in 4 managers are good." ((in 23 reviews)); "the upper management is horrible." ((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

4.0

Apr 13, 2026

Decent pay and reasonable expectations but slow growth potential and unnecessary return-to-office policies

S&c design engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Pays decently well for first job out of college. My manager and team are very reasonable with expectations placed on new hires. Working after office hours (past 4:30pm) is extremely rare and only expected in emergencies.

Cons

Very slow and/or limited job growth potential. Promotions into middle management are almost purely based on reputation with middle managers who are largely people with previous field experience. This is very disadvantageous to direct-from-college hires like myself and even my current manager.

CN Response

2mo

Thank you for your feedback and for your hard work. We pride ourselves on providing our team members with great pay. With a 24/7/365 operation CN could not function without its dedicated employees. We thank you for moving our business and the economy forward. Remember to leverage your development plan to have career discussions with your leader and please share your thoughts on your regular Interaction surveys.

3.0

Apr 13, 2026

A Good Place to Start

Manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

An employee here will get a 360 degree view of customs brokerage. What you start, you will usually finish, unless someone is covering for you.

Cons

Currently going through a transition and needing to find its footing. Still not a bad place to go for starting out.

CN Response

2mo

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.

5.0

Apr 2, 2026

Good work

Communications technician

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Its what you make of it. Good union job with good benefits

Cons

You're always waiting on trains.

CN Response

2mo

Thank you for your feedback and for your hard work. We pride ourselves on providing our team members with great benefits. We thank you for moving our business and the economy forward. Please share your thoughts with your manager and on your regular Interaction surveys.

Viewing 79 - 81 of 1,532 Reviews

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Reviews by job title

Decent pay and reasonable expectations but slow growth potential and unnecessary return-to-office policies

A Good Place to Start

Good work

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