Does Smithfield Foods pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Smithfield Foods employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.4 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Smithfield Foods. This rating has decreased by 4% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Smithfield Foods?

38% of Smithfield Foods employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Smithfield Foods 2.5 out of 5 for work life balance, 2.6 for culture and values and 2.8 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Smithfield Foods?

Production Supervisor (39) , Production (32) , Maintenance Technician (30) , Production Worker (29) , General Laborer (26) , Manager (19) , General Production (12) , Machine Operator (12) , Maintenance Supervisor (12) , Material Handler (12) , Supervisor (12) , Director (11) , Sales Account Manager (11) , General Production Worker (9) , Maintenance Mechanic (9)

What are the pros of working at Smithfield Foods according to real employee reviews?

"The pay is good but they make you work like slaves and don’t treat you with respect." ((in 202 reviews)); "Good benefits and start work early so you get off earlier in the day" ((in 145 reviews)); "Good people to work for and with" ((in 84 reviews)); "Money was good and all the other you could want" ((in 22 reviews)); "Great salaries and compensation opportunities" ((in 16 reviews))

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

"Hours are long and hard" ((in 68 reviews)); "Bad management and other workers are rude" ((in 59 reviews)); "No work life balance at all" ((in 53 reviews)); "poor communication between management long hours bad work environment tough on new employees" ((in 26 reviews)); "Poor culture and company values" ((in 24 reviews))

What are employees saying about Smithfield Foods layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed Smithfield Foods locations?

Smithfield , Tar Heel , Kansas City , Tarheel , Sioux Falls , Grayson , Lisle , Milan , Kinston , Middlesboro , Suffolk , Saint Charles , Monmouth , Peru , Chicago , Clinton , Cudahy , Denison , North East , Crete , Cincinnati , Wilson , Junction City , Vernon , Omaha , Fayetteville , Edwardsville , Mason City , Newport News , Princeton

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Smithfield Foods

Smithfield Foods reviews

2.9

38% would recommend to a friend

(1,283 total reviews)

Shane Smith

46% approve of CEO

37% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.4

Compensation and benefits

2.9

Diversity & inclusion

2.8

Career opportunities

2.6

Culture & values

2.5

Work/Life balance

2.3

Senior management

Smithfield Foods has an employee rating of 2.9 out of 5 stars, based on 1,283 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Smithfield Foods employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Manufacturing industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

1K reviews

1.0

Jan 17, 2014

Smithfield Foods Sucks!! BIG TIME!!

Production worker

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

No layoffs. The pay is pretty decent but you work for every red cent you best believe that.

Cons

The employees are given no respect at all from this Company. Supervisors show favoritism especially to women who wear tight clothes. I quit after 10 years. I just could not take it anymore. You can/will be fired at the drop of a dime. The Union that is in this Company does absolutely nothing to help the members who are being threatened and harassed by management. The employees who work on the production lines are treated like slaves. I had one Supervisor who could not read or write--No kidding!!!!

1.0

Jan 13, 2013

Incredible Meat Operations Company, but a Laughable Consumer Packaged Goods Company

Corporate office manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Although Smithfield trains “by fire” and embraces the “sink or swim” mentality, those who do stay and overcome learning curves, have opportunities to gain an up-close perspective of the company. Your smartest approach, HOWEVER, is to leverage this company to gain basic business knowledge and use that experience elsewhere for a TRUE career path.

Cons

After some time with the company, most of the skills you acquire are not transferable to other industries. You’re at risk of being locked into the meat business, or at least perishables, because the skill sets necessary to do well are incredibly specific to the industry. If you love inefficiencies, high-stress levels, inept senior management and the constant reminder that you’re “replaceable”, this may be the company for you.

2.0

Apr 6, 2025

Down the drain

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits, a consistent paycheck, and the people

Cons

So many cuts have taken place but we are constantly pushed to hit higher goals. They’ve changed the PTO policy & taken away time from us, they taken away remote work, they have cut every budget, and they are doing layoffs with no warnings. No one takes accountability until things are on fire. It’s become a nightmare in the last year even though we are hitting record profits. What more do you want from your people?

Viewing 19 - 21 of 1,283 Reviews

Jobs at Smithfield Foods

Sanitizer - Truck Wash

Yard Spotter - Materials

Harvest - Operator/Loader - 3rd Shift

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Smithfield Foods

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Ratings by category

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Reviews by job title

Smithfield Foods Sucks!! BIG TIME!!

Incredible Meat Operations Company, but a Laughable Consumer Packaged Goods Company

Down the drain

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