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?

"The people are creative and young" ((in 29 reviews)); "The coworkers were the best part of the job." ((in 11 reviews)); "Beautiful office" ((in 6 reviews)); "Office culture is amazing." ((in 6 reviews)); "Very healthy work environment, I have yet to encounter nastiness, back stabbing, aggression" ((in 4 reviews))

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

"NO work life balance; unsustainable and will burn you out." ((in 12 reviews)); "low pay not in line with the industry or people's experience" ((in 10 reviews)); "Upper management is ignorant of the fact that employees have no work" ((in 9 reviews)); "Which leaves less capable managers in the middle level therefore further negatively affecting non" ((in 8 reviews)); "Hours are long and personnel is under appreciated." ((in 6 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

4.0

Aug 29, 2016

Great team!

Software engineer

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

Fast paced start-up. Lots of new technology. Exciting media space in NYC

Cons

Fast paced start up - lots of shifting sands and priorities. Tough to keep pace, but worth it if you can.

1.0

Aug 26, 2016

A difficult company to work for

Editorial

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

My coworkers have become some of my closest friends. I created a lot of content that I'm proud of. Soft benefits like snacks, occasional lunches, and events.

Cons

For a company that speaks volumes about equal pay, women's rights, etc. on the front end, it's incredibly disheartening to see the treatment of women by women at this company. I can't tell you how many times employees are unprofessionally and publicly chastised in front of their coworkers thanks to the open layout. Promotions are doled out based on your perceived coolness, rather than the quality of your work. A lot of senior managers who've climbed their way up from entry level positions are inexperienced and incapable of leading and growing a team, but leadership doesn't do anything about it. Work/life balance is poor across the entire company, which leads to burn out and high turnover. Compensation is some of the lowest in the industry. This is not a company that values the women within their company.

3.0

Aug 25, 2016

R29 review

Anonymous employee

Recommend

Business Outlook

Pros

People were great and there was a lot of growth at the time.

Cons

Mangement was going through a transition and so focus was a little scattered

Viewing 139 - 141 of 191 Reviews

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