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CPKC

Engaged Employer

CPKC

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CPKC Reviews

2.9

38% would recommend to a friend

(1044 total reviews)

President and CEO Keith Creel

Keith Creel

52% approve of CEO

Ratings by category

3.7

Compensation and Benefits

3.2

Diversity & Inclusion

3.1

Career Opportunities

2.4

Culture & Values

2.3

Senior Management

2.0

Work/Life Balance

Ratings distribution

5 stars

12%

4 stars

18%

3 stars

23%

2 stars

20%

1 star

26%

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Found 1,044 of over 1K reviews

Updated Dec 4, 2023

Top Review Highlights by Sentiment

Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor

Pros
  • "Pay was good and all the workers made sure that the new hires new what they were doing(in 143 reviews)
  • "Good benefits and that's about it other than a feed every so often when you reach an almost impossible goal(in 120 reviews)
  • "Some really good people and pleasant to work with.(in 50 reviews)
  • "Got good pension as well(in 47 reviews)
  • "Good Salary and that’s it(in 30 reviews)
Cons
  • "Poor management(in 111 reviews)
  • "No work life balance Bully Style Management from Top to bottom ( they are encouraged and coached that way) Tough environment to work in(in 92 reviews)
  • "Middle managers have too many direct reports and cannot effectively monitor and coach their performance.(in 42 reviews)
  • "long hours and disconnect/ lack of communication with upper management(in 33 reviews)
  • "Poor upper management, old fashioned culture, dress code enforced, bully environment in non union side, heads down culture(in 22 reviews)

Ratings by Demographics

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This rating reflects the overall rating of CPKC and is not affected by filters.

    1. 4.0
      FEATURED REVIEW
      Nov 27, 2023
      Corporate Office
      Current Employee, more than 8 years
      Calgary, AB
      Recommend
      CEO Approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Active, progressive, established company, bright future

      Cons

      Can be intense, no WFH (currently)

      1. 5.0
        Jan 30, 2023
        Sales Representative
        Current Employee
        Recommend
        CEO Approval
        Business Outlook

        Pros

        Helpful with giving insight on companies

        Cons

        Needs more detail in terms of testimonials/reviews.

      2. Join the CPKC team
        See Our Latest Jobs
        1. 3.0
          Oct 29, 2023
          Railroad Conductor
          Current Employee, more than 1 year
          Recommend
          CEO Approval
          Business Outlook

          Pros

          This is a high-paying entry-level job. If none of the cons around schedule and culture bother you, it is a good place to make some good money and have good health care and other benefits Compensation is good and under the new contract, conductors will make over $51/hour in 2024. Show up for work, and you are automatically paid 10 hours, and often get that plus some overtime. I worked a train recently, and the gross pay was over $750 for that 14-hour night. Benefits are also good.

          Cons

          Many of the cons to working as a conductor for CPKC are the same, or nearly the same, across the freight rail industry. The biggest con is the schedule. When you start, you work off of an 'extraboard' with a 2-hour call window. You might sit for two days as the next person to be called, or you might be called the minute you are rested from the last trip. There is no regular work schedule. There is also no vacation for the first year, though you do get 4 paid leave days. You can take one no-questions-asked sick day per month, but if a couple of them touch on your off days over a few months there will be questions which could lead to a longer period of time off without pay. Also, taking a sick day means that you will not be paid the weekly guarantee that is in place for weeks when the extra board slows down. Your PL days are by request, and sometimes you can't get the day you want because someone else has taken it. You could call off sick that day instead, but then again, there may be questions. Training is haphazard, at least in the OJT portion. After you complete it and are working, you often wonder why they didn't explicitly teach something that would have been useful for the work in front of you. Communication within management and from management to those of us in train and engine service is equally haphazard. Also, training for lower and middle management leaves the same kind of knowledge gaps as conductor training does. Once you are a qualified conductor, you are regularly "efficiency tested." A middle manager with a quota of failures to hand out will watch you work. It is usually not an adverse outcome, but there is a "gotcha" culture around these tests. This is especially true when the "gotcha" is for one of those things not specifically covered in training or that was actually taught as the correct procedure. This "gotcha" culture is so common in the industry that conductors and engineers often have "can insurance" for when they are given time off without pay.

          1. 3.0
            Sep 14, 2023
            Rail Traffic Controller (Train Dispatcher)
            Current Employee, more than 10 years
            Minneapolis, MN
            Recommend
            CEO Approval
            Business Outlook

            Pros

            Railroad retirement, good medical, decent coworkers, fun job when territories are not combined to the point of being unmanageable.

            Cons

            One of the lowest paid class 1 railroads in a city with a high cost of living. Unprofessional upper management that believes yelling and screaming is the best way to improve employee productivity. Constantly understaffed because we cannot retain employees. Poor morale in all departments.

            1
            1. 3.0
              Oct 12, 2023
              Transportation Services Representative
              Former Employee, more than 5 years
              Minneapolis, MN
              Recommend
              CEO Approval
              Business Outlook

              Pros

              Union, good people, great location

              Cons

              Long hours, union, little margin for error

              1. 2.0
                Nov 8, 2023
                Train Dispatcher
                Current Employee
                Recommend
                CEO Approval
                Business Outlook

                Pros

                Great money Biweekly pay Healthcare Eye care Dental care

                Cons

                No home life Stressful Toxic environment Never know your schedule Big corporation

                1. 1.0
                  Nov 13, 2023
                  Division Trainmaster
                  Former Employee, more than 5 years
                  Minot, ND
                  Recommend
                  CEO Approval
                  Business Outlook

                  Pros

                  The people in the crafts are by far the best in the industry.

                  Cons

                  The people in the management ranks are by far the worst in the industry

                  1. 2.0
                    Oct 11, 2023
                    IT Specialist
                    Current Employee, more than 8 years
                    Minneapolis, MN
                    Recommend
                    CEO Approval
                    Business Outlook

                    Pros

                    Good pay and good benefits.

                    Cons

                    Communication sucks and goals are not clearly expressed. In addition, the environment is a culture of fear and intimidation (i.e., "get it done or else")

                    1. 1.0
                      Aug 5, 2023
                      Individual Contributor
                      Former Employee, more than 8 years
                      Kansas City, MO
                      Recommend
                      CEO Approval
                      Business Outlook

                      Pros

                      Decent pay. Good people at the lower levels.

                      Cons

                      KCS came out on the losing side of the CPKC merger. The top tier took care of themselves with huge separate packages and left the rest of us to fend for ourselves. The new environment is toxic chaos involving bad treatment of employees. Only a few make decisions with no input from below. If you decide to work here, be prepared to keep your head down and mouth shut.

                      2
                      1. 2.0
                        Sep 27, 2023
                        Locomotive Engineer
                        Former Employee, more than 5 years
                        Ottumwa, IA
                        Recommend
                        CEO Approval
                        Business Outlook

                        Pros

                        You can make money fast and easily

                        Cons

                        It has a Terrible work/life balance. No advancement past engineer.

                      Viewing 1 - 10 of 1,044 Reviews
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                      CPKC Reviews FAQs

                      CPKC has an overall rating of 2.9 out of 5, based on over 1,127 reviews left anonymously by employees. 38% of employees would recommend working at CPKC to a friend and 55% have a positive outlook for the business. This rating has decreased by -4% over the last 12 months.

                      According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, CPKC employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.7 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at CPKC. This rating has improved by 2% over the last 12 months.

                      38% of CPKC employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews. Employees also rated CPKC 2.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 2.4 for culture and values and 3.1 for career opportunities.

                      According to reviews on Glassdoor, employees commonly mention the pros of working at CPKC to be management, career development, benefits and the cons to be culture, work life balance.

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                      Analytical Chemist

                      Do you experience that how long the hiring process would take at Thermo Fisher? I got my second interview with hiring manager at the beginning of November but I haven’t heard nothing from them. When I’ve emailed them to check in they just said that the process would be slow, no time frame. I would be able to get an offer soon from other company but work as contractor. Should I wait for Thermo Fisher?

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                      KPMG

                      Booz Allen Hamilton Recently applied and I've been referred for an interview! Any tips on interviewing with Booz Allen? And if I am being asked to complete clearance and background upfront, is this a good indicator for being hired?

                      1
                      2 Comments

                      Alex L.

                      Applied for a job a few weeks back, got a call from HR yesterday morning about an interview next week. She mentioned she'd shoot me an email with all the interview details, but so far, my inbox is empty. Assuming I'll hear from her early next week, is it normal for them to expect me to show up for an in-person interview on short notice, like couple days?

                      8
                      2 Comments

                      Glassdoor has 1,127 CPKC reviews submitted anonymously by CPKC employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if CPKC is right for you.