Does Charles River Laboratories pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Charles River Laboratories employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.0 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Charles River Laboratories. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Charles River Laboratories?

49% of Charles River Laboratories employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Charles River Laboratories 3.2 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.2 for culture and values and 3.1 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Charles River Laboratories?

Lab Technician (78) , Scientist (69) , Animal Care Technician (65) , Research Technician (55) , Technician (52) , Analyst (51) , Research Associate (46) , Research Scientist (42) , Supervisor (37) , Research Assistant (36) , Laboratory Technician (31) , Study Director (27) , Project Manager (25) , Manager (22) , Associate Scientist (20)

What are the pros of working at Charles River Laboratories according to real employee reviews?

"The ability to move around within the company is relatively good and the benefits are good." ((in 236 reviews)); "Great people you work with and a relatively easy job with very easy to understand ladder to climb." ((in 166 reviews)); "Work Life Balance is good" ((in 68 reviews)); "Great people and team to work with" ((in 48 reviews)); "Great Coworkers (for the most part)" ((in 42 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Charles River Laboratories according to real employee reviews?

"sites are disorganized and pay is low" ((in 171 reviews)); "Management is poor and people who are in charge lack knowledge of CDMO" ((in 163 reviews)); "The low salary also makes it hard to subsequently ask for more at another company." ((in 113 reviews)); "Long hours are common and they happen with little or no warning and frequently (at least a couple times a week)." ((in 40 reviews)); "upper management is awful, lots of work to do which overwhelms people easily." ((in 34 reviews))

What are employees saying about Charles River Laboratories layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Charles River Laboratories layoffs and their outlook for job security at Charles River Laboratories in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Charles River Laboratories locations?

Wilmington , Mattawan , Reno , Ashland , Horsham , Shrewsbury , Memphis , Boston , Charleston , Worcester , Chicago , Bethesda , Raleigh , South San Francisco , Malvern , Wayne , Cambridge , Skokie , San Diego , Rockville , Morrisville , Newark , Frederick , Philadelphia , Spencerville , Kalamazoo , Wilmington , Durham , Kingston , Catskill

Charles River Laboratories reviews

3.1

49% would recommend to a friend

(2,373 total reviews)

Birgit Girshick

64% approve of CEO

32% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Charles River Laboratories has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 2,373 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Charles River Laboratories employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

4.0

Jan 29, 2015

Great small company to work for with great people and the little extras that boost morale!!

Accountant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Small Company, Revenue Growth, Excellent work-life balance, perks

Cons

Not the best for Contracting employees

5.0

Jan 23, 2015

Love everything about Charles River

Account manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great management team, great training, very long term employees, everyone is willing to help no matter what their job & business group

Cons

The company continues to grow, so it is hard to know all of the companies capabilities. I don't think this is a "con" though, just something that requires me to stay on my toes!

1.0

Jan 20, 2015

Awful place to work

Pathology technician

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

SOME people were nice to work with. Good for training but most people leave straight away.

Cons

Pay was dreadful Forced overtime with reduced overtime pay Higher management didn't have a clue what they were doing. Often promoted people who weren't qualified to avoid paying them overtime. They seem to favour the people who do less work - harder workers end up picking up the pieces.

Viewing 2269 - 2271 of 2,373 Reviews

Jobs at Charles River Laboratories

Animal Care Technician II

Animal Care Associate (EG)

TEMP Packing Assembler