Canadian National Railway Reviews in Montreal, QC Area

Pros

work-life balance between can be maintained.

Cons

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

Advice to Senior Management

get rid of the two-tier pension plan that hurts the new hires; delayer/streamline the ORG structure; improve the management skills. walk the talks.

Pros

Opportunities for growth
Possibility of advancement
Interesting projects to work on
Flexible hours, can telecommute
Fun place to work
Great downtown location

Cons

Projects can be demanding, time lines not always realistic
Silo mentality
Red tape
Too many generals, not enough soldiers to do the work

Advice to Senior Management

A lot of excellent new blood in the company with great ideas and expertise that needs to be tapped into.

Pros

Strong company, highly profitable, strong management
Long-term programs and projects in IT with major vendors and integrators
Provides a real work life balance

Cons

Slow decision taking, heavy project methodology
Zero risk policy generates long project timelines
Clash of cultures (Crown company generation vs. recent hires)

Advice to Senior Management

Review IT project methodology

Pros

If you are good in politics then you will do good at CN. If you definitely want to work at CN (for whatever reason) try to become a consultant and then suck up Manager(s), you will have a blast, you will get paid lot more than regular employees and wont have a do crappy work employees do and wont be responsible.

Cons

If you are good at your job but not in politics then you wont get too far at this place. CN rewards people based on who you know not what you know. Middle management will play you around like a puppy.

Advice to Senior Management

Stop the bullying attitude.

Pros

Compensation is highly competitive and well-rounded. This includes a strong base salary plus many other monetary benefits (matching RSPs, stock options, annual bonus). Other benefits include health, dental, vision insurance coverage, group-rate for RSP purchase and a long list of preferred business partners (cheaper price for buying cars, train tickets, hotel/air fare, etc...).

This is indeed the best place to learn train operations and transportation. If you are truly passionate about trains/transportation, CN is hard to beat.

Cons

Turnover (quitting) is getting higher among young employees and employees with less than 5 years of experience. The company is aware that it cannot retain people. Culture shock to some, where the mentality is set in stone by the management people, who have been here for 25+ years.

Also be prepared to be brain washed and pushed to the extreme if not showing any passion for the train industry. You are 'expected' to become a train conductor/yard helper regardless of your profession (whether IT professional, accountant, HR recruiter or senior manager).

The transportation industry is 24/7. Therefore virtually everyone is somewhat 24/7 on call. This can be very stressful to some.

Advice to Senior Management

Be fair and appreciate to all employees.