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

5.0

Mar 23, 2012

Awesome, hard work and great pay!

Track maintainer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The pay is good, the benefits are top tier, the people you work with are great, and get paid to work out every day!

Cons

If you have allergies or are sensitive to strong smells (diesel, grease, burning thermite, etc.) might not be the best, but really no downsides.

1.0

Mar 21, 2012

Depressing. Only word to describe working for CN.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

I would have to say that the only reasons to work for CN are job security and the benefits. job security because they absolutely cannot keep new employees which means you can continually screw up there and they will not fire you.

Cons

Really there are so many negative things to say about this company . Really its that bad. Unhealthy atmosphere, physically, mentally and emotionally. Management is out to lunch.

3.0

Nov 8, 2011

many layers of org stureture, but poorly defined responsibility and/or accountability

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

work-life balance between can be maintained.

Cons

a little bit nepotism; two-tier employee pension plan (guaranteed vs not).

Viewing 1495 - 1497 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

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Awesome, hard work and great pay!

Depressing. Only word to describe working for CN.

many layers of org stureture, but poorly defined responsibility and/or accountability

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