Does Refinery29 pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Refinery29 employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.6 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Refinery29. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Refinery29?

40% of Refinery29 employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Refinery29 2.9 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.2 for culture and values and 2.5 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Refinery29?

Intern (9) , Software Engineer (6) , Internship (5) , Writer (5) , Editor (4) , Graphic Designer (4) , Intern - Hourly (4) , Production Assistant (4) , Editorial (3) , Producer (3) , Account Executive (2) , Account Manager (2) , Art Director (2) , Content Writer (2) , Creative Department (2)

What are the pros of working at Refinery29 according to real employee reviews?

"Some great people" ((in 33 reviews)); "The coworkers were the best part of the job." ((in 11 reviews)); "Great culture and creative teams." ((in 8 reviews)); "Beautiful office" ((in 7 reviews)); "Nice work environment, people are mostly kind to you." ((in 4 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Refinery29 according to real employee reviews?

"No work/life balance and no appreciation provided for hard work put in." ((in 12 reviews)); "low pay not in line with the industry or people's experience" ((in 9 reviews)); "Which leaves less capable managers in the middle level therefore further negatively affecting non" ((in 8 reviews)); "Upper management is ignorant of the fact that employees have no work" ((in 8 reviews)); "Hours are long and personnel is under appreciated." ((in 7 reviews))

What are employees saying about Refinery29 layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Refinery29 layoffs and their outlook for job security at Refinery29 in 2026.

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Refinery29

Refinery29 reviews

3.1

40% would recommend to a friend

(191 total reviews)

Philippe von Borries

35% approve of CEO

18% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.4

Diversity & inclusion

3.2

Culture & values

2.9

Work/Life balance

2.7

Senior management

2.6

Compensation and benefits

2.5

Career opportunities

Refinery29 has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 191 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Refinery29 employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Mídia e comunicação industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

191 reviews

5.0

Feb 16, 2017

Love this place

Anonymous employee

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

Exellent team, varied work, great office vibes

Cons

pay, vacation days, but i like it

3.0

Feb 16, 2017

Very Mission Driven

Anonymous employee

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

Lots of creative minds to inspire you, opportunities to learn new crafts and explore what you love, plenty of snacks/food vendors visiting/movie screenings/etc. (good culture), a company goal geared towards uplifting women

Cons

Occasional late nights (but free rides home/comped dinner). Seems to be a bit of a volatile company (unexpected layoffs all throughout the winter). Junior/mid levels work extremely hard and long hours for minimal pay (especially in NYC). No real opportunity to get promoted (as far as I could see). Inclusive, but only if you agree with their ideas.

4.0

Feb 12, 2017

Mission driven and inspiring place

Anonymous employee

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

It's a treat to work with so many passionate, creative and smart people. R29 is growing fast and reaching so many people globally, but still retains the startup spirit where people can dream big and then see those dreams come to life. We work VERY hard - no way around that - but it's nice to know that the hard work goes towards a mission that as a millennial women myself, I care deeply about. I came to R29 as a fan of the brand, the work they do, and everything they stand for, and I can say honestly that the leaders of the company are committed to making a difference and championing women.

Cons

The entrepreneurial spirit means there's a huge appetite for growth and scale, which sometimes can mean high expectations and overload of work. As we grow, there's still a lot of experimentation and trial and error on projects, formats, and processes, which can be frustrating at times. I think the company should focus on doing less but doing it better - but obviously there will be growing pains no matter what.

Viewing 118 - 120 of 191 Reviews

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