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 19, 2015

Great place to get experience

Senior technician molecular biology

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Small departments and a lot of opportunity for diversifying your resume. Flexible work schedule and business casual work environment.

Cons

Lower than average wages for area and skill set. Can feel to be treated more as a machine than as a human. Very fast paced and will be expected to accomplish multiple tasks in short period of time, without any errors, which can be very difficult in a GMP environment.

3.0

Jan 7, 2015

The company offers good benefits, however the associates often struggle with work life balance.

Team leader

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

benefits and compensation are fairly competitive

Cons

unprofessional culture and minimal emphasis on professional growth

3.0

Dec 30, 2014

Tries new things, sometimes doesn't work out

Senior technical project manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Work life balance, talented team while the division existed.

Cons

Technology of the division was oversold to the parent company, therefore unable to meet expectations. Lead to some inevitable internal political problems.

Viewing 2272 - 2274 of 2,373 Reviews

Jobs at Charles River Laboratories

Animal Care Technician II

Animal Care Associate (EG)