Is Norfolk Southern a good company to work for?

Norfolk Southern has an overall rating of 2.9 out of 5, based on over 2,169 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has increased by 1% over the last 12 months. 35% of employees would recommend working at Norfolk Southern to a friend and 25% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Norfolk Southern have been left by employees working as Intern , Track Supervisor and Management Trainee .

Does Norfolk Southern pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Norfolk Southern employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.5 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Norfolk Southern. This rating has improved by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Norfolk Southern?

35% of Norfolk Southern employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Norfolk Southern 2.2 out of 5 for work life balance, 2.4 for culture and values and 2.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Norfolk Southern?

Railroad Conductor (202) , Conductor (98) , Locomotive Engineer (59) , Freight Conductor (43) , Engineer (37) , Signal Maintainer (35) , Trainmaster (33) , Intern (29) , Electrician (26) , Machinist (26) , Manager (24) , Train Dispatcher (24) , Train Conductor (19) , Operations Supervisor (18) , Management Trainee (15)

What are the pros of working at Norfolk Southern according to real employee reviews?

"Pay is good and they force you to work your off days and work over your shift." ((in 377 reviews)); "Good benefits and ability to promote within" ((in 302 reviews)); "4. Good retirement that will follow you to another railroad if you decide to change employers" ((in 102 reviews)); "The people were great and very welcoming." ((in 82 reviews)); "good money and enough to support family" ((in 56 reviews))

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

"Poor management, have to pay for parking, having to bid on jobs" ((in 162 reviews)); "No work life balance and always short staffed" ((in 127 reviews)); "hours are long and boring" ((in 82 reviews)); "CEO and upper management are horrible." ((in 44 reviews)); "too many managers that are not qualified to be in supervisory positions." ((in 27 reviews))

What are employees saying about Norfolk Southern layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed Norfolk Southern locations?

Atlanta , Norfolk , Roanoke , Chicago , Bellevue , Conway , Fort Wayne , Pittsburgh , Harrisburg , Elkhart , Birmingham , Toledo , Altoona , Chattanooga , Decatur , Macon , Louisville , Cleveland , Cincinnati , Knoxville , Charlotte , Columbus , Saint Louis , Savannah , Greensboro , Enola , Greenville , Detroit , Sheffield , Peru

Norfolk Southern reviews

2.9

35% would recommend to a friend

(1,914 total reviews)

Mark George

30% approve of CEO

25% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.5

Compensation and benefits

3.1

Diversity & inclusion

2.9

Career opportunities

2.4

Culture & values

2.3

Senior management

2.2

Work/Life balance

Norfolk Southern has an employee rating of 2.9 out of 5 stars, based on 1,914 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Norfolk Southern 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

3.0

Oct 31, 2017

Railroad running behind on the times

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Working in Midtown has it's perks. Newly renovated building gives modern, Google-esque feel to work environment. Close to Piedmont Park, many restaurants and Atlantic Station. Open, team environments in each department help build great working relationships and bonds between employees. Trending focus by management on the development of employees provides necessary career insight and growth. If you market yourself appropriately, there is ample opportunity to network and move between departments.

Cons

The 'Good 'ole boy' style of management left-over from baby-boomer railroaders is still around and not conducive to keeping millennials happy (hence the increased turnover in recent years). Instead of equipping employees with skills to do their job effectively without supervision, employees are watched over their shoulder, creating an environment of distrust. A lot of favoritism shown to "preferential" employees - those who jockey themselves into a "teacher's pet" role with management. Benefit packages - specifically health - have slowly become more costly to employees.

Norfolk Southern Response

8y

Thank you for your taking the time and writing such an in-depth review. We're glad to read you are enjoying the new renovations to our Atlanta operations headquarters. Keep an eye out for emails to help address concerns for both new and seasoned employees.

1.0

Apr 11, 2016

Don't believe what they tell you in the hiring session.

Freight conductor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Pay is pretty good. Other employees were helpful during training.

Cons

No job security, training pay is low and it take usually 6-8 months to get to regular pay scale. Your work life balance is terrible. If you choose to work for this company they pretty much own your life. Managment does not care about you. I was laid off 2 weeks after completing the 7 month training program. I was not eligible for unemployment, you have to be marked up for a year before you can file. This company completely left me and the 10 people I went to train school with out to dry. Think very hard before quitting a job to work for this company.

1.0

Jul 18, 2015

College Graduates Stay Away!

General foreman

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

They try to sell you on the retirement benefits and that they have an aging work force. They are hiring management trainees like crazy because they can not keep young talent. They treat you poorly and expect you to suck it up. They expect you to up and move for every promotion.

Cons

Stay away from this company! Toxic work environment. NS is of the opinion they own you. NS doesn't care about your personal life. 60 plus hour work weeks are the norm. You do not get any holidays off. You do not get any comp. time off. When you start you will be on off shifts (Third/Second) with Tuesday/Wednesday rest days for years. The operating departments are always playing the blame game rather than actually trying to solve problems. Upper management only cares about rules checks instead of moving freight!

Viewing 25 - 27 of 1,914 Reviews

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Jobs at Norfolk Southern

Louisville, KY Train Conductor