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 175 reviews)); "Great people and team to work with" ((in 47 reviews)); "Very interesting place to work and colleagues are great" ((in 43 reviews)); "Flexible hours available" ((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 184 reviews)); "Management is poor and people who are in charge lack knowledge of CDMO" ((in 169 reviews)); "The low salary also makes it hard to subsequently ask for more at another company." ((in 116 reviews)); "A lot of managers don't know what actually occurs in their department." ((in 32 reviews)); "upper management could do better caring for the employees." ((in 31 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

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (2,373 reviews)

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

5.0

Aug 5, 2014

Great People in the Corporate Office

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The health coverage plans at Charles River are well ahead of other companies. Excellent BC/BS of Mass options, good dental, vision and lots of other options. Flexible hours (ad hoc) are a nice perq for those who have to juggle family responsibilities and/or a long commute. Nice corporate campus with on-site cafeteria. Really nice people. No bullies in the bunch.

Cons

Could use some more training/development classes and opportunities, especially for new managers. IT help is sorely in need of an upgrade -- they are not very responsive and often ineffective at helping.

3.0

Jul 28, 2014

Get in, get reimbursed education, transfer internally a lot to build skills/knowledge, then go to Pharma/Biotech company

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

A good place to learn some of the basics of nonclinical testing. A good place to start building career network if you are just out of college.

Cons

If you stick with one position or one group for a long time, your knowledge will quickly plateau. Career development is very limited. If you want to progress in your career, you need to actively transfer within the company yourself (or leave).

1.0

Jul 25, 2014

Sinking ship

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

For people new to the industry you will get a lot of experience in a short time. Montreal site still carries some respect from CTBR times but that will not last for much longer.

Cons

Very poor management. Nepotism Poor organization. Scientific quality is secondary to costs. Short termism

Viewing 2284 - 2286 of 2,373 Reviews

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