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?

57% 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 270 reviews)); "The benefits are good and it’s steady" ((in 212 reviews)); "Ok pay good pension and benifits" ((in 79 reviews)); "Good salary and IT challenges" ((in 74 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 93 reviews)); "Long hours and being on call at all hour can be difficult for most people with families at home." ((in 69 reviews)); "It can be difficult to get time off" ((in 26 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 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

3.4

57% would recommend to a friend

(1,533 total reviews)

Tracy Robinson

49% approve of CEO

47% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.9

Compensation and benefits

3.6

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 3.4 out of 5 stars, based on 1,533 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

May 5, 2021

Safety isn't important to this company

Journeyman carman

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good health benefits And dental

Cons

High turnover, lack of proper training or follow up with new hires.

CN Response

5y

Thank you for sharing 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 our dedicated employees. Safety is also a core value at CN and we make sure to provide our employees with the necessary tools and training to work safely. Please share your thoughts with your HR Business Partner. We thank you for helping move our business and the economy forward.

4.0

May 5, 2021

Well paying, terrible hours

Freight train conductor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Pays well for the level of difficulty/ skill level. Paid workplace training. Powerful union. Enjoyable work if you like heavy machine operating. If there is a shortage of work or you're not satisfied in your position, there are always opportunities in other departments or personnel shortages in other terminals.

Cons

Must often be available at all hours, especially as a junior employee. Junior employees (less than 3+- years) can also be forced out of their home terminal to cover personnel shortages in other towns/cities. Work conditions often involve lack of access to a toilet. Expect to be awake for up to 30 hours at a time as you can be called on a train late at night and work into the next day's afternoon before reaching a rest facility. The best option for work/life balance are yard assignments, which are scheduled 8 hour shifts, but the salary pays about half that of "road" assignments (roughly 75K vs 120K). Yard jobs also involve more physical work and being out in the weather, rain, shine or snow.

CN Response

5y

Thank you for sharing your feedback and your hard work. We pride ourselves on providing our team members with great compensation. When we recruit talent to our operations teams, we spend a lot of time going over the working conditions and 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. With this 24/7/365 operation CN could not function without our dedicated employees. We thank you for helping move our business and the economy forward. We hope you share your experience during our regular Pulse surveys so we can develop strategies to do better.

2.0

Apr 29, 2021

The checks wont bounce

Railroad conductor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good pay, Mediocre benefits, pension.

Cons

Horrible management, toxic environment between management and unionized employees, lack of home life. Seriously, kiss your free time goodbye.

CN Response

5y

Thank you for sharing your feedback and for your hard work. We pride ourselves on providing our team members with great compensation. When we recruit talent to our operations teams, we spend a lot of time going over the working conditions and 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. With this 24/7/365 operation CN could not function without our dedicated employees. We are sorry to hear about your experience with us and we hope that you shared your thoughts with our colleague during your exit interview so we can develop strategies to do better in the future. We thank you for your hard work and having helped move our business and the economy forward.

Viewing 862 - 864 of 1,533 Reviews

Jobs at CN

Rail Track Maintainer

Locomotive Electrician

Facilities Maintenance Electrician

Engineer or Senior Officer, Signals and Communication Design

Engineer Bridge Design

CN

CN reviews

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Safety isn't important to this company

Well paying, terrible hours

The checks wont bounce

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